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NutriClean Pesticide Residue Free Certification
The NutriClean Pesticide Residue Free Certification Program was launched
in 1985 to showcase the achievements of growers whose crops meet an
exceptionally tough residue standard. A product is certified as residue-free
when laboratory tests find no pesticide residues down to the lab’s
limits of detection, which is set based on government-accepted limit-of-detection
protocols. This standard is up to 1,000 times tougher than legally permitted
pesticide levels. It was adopted to address the concerns of consumers
who are troubled about pesticide residues. The NutriClean program was
the first certification of its kind ever introduced, and remains the
strictest product purity certification available for fresh produce today.
Under the NutriClean Certification program, SCS works closely with conventional,
IPM and organic farmers to help them minimize or eliminate the use of
pesticides. Drawing upon a database amassed over the past 18 years,
SCS can help farmers identify effective physical and biological pest
control methods; where pesticides are needed, SCS can point farmers
toward chemicals that will decay before harvest.
Certification entails a series of steps:
1. Certification Agreement. This agreement establishes the certification
relationship between NutriClean and the food producer.
2. Feasibility Analysis. An initial information exchange enables SCS
to help the food producer project the likelihood of certification, given
current practices.
3. Detailed Information Disclosure. Based on the findings of the feasibility
analysis, a detailed information disclosure is provided to SCS under
strict confidentiality protections.
4. Inspections and Sampling. Prior to harvest, SCS performs onsite inspections,
collects worst-case field sampling of products. Additional samples are
collected post-harvest as warranted by post-harvest handling procedures.
5. Laboratory Testing. Samples are
routinely subjected to multi-residue
analysis (even if no pesticides have been used) to test for over 200
widely used compounds. If a pesticide is disclosed that is not detectable
using the multi-residue analysis, a custom analysis is conducted. Additionally,
if there is a potential for the product to come into contact with a
pesticide during post-harvest handling, an additional post-harvest sample
is collected and tested.
6. Certification. Certification is issued if the crop meets NutriClean’s
Pesticide Residue Free standard.
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