Clean and/or safe produce
Standing in the grocery store, looking at the vegetable shelves could be confusing with all the organic, VietGap, GlobalGap, grown in Dalat, safe vegetables, clean vegetables, etc… labels we see. At this time, we are not familiar with any government approved organic certification standards in Vietnam. So each time you see “organic”, that is not accompanied with USDA, JAL, EU or any other certified body; you might want to ask yourself; but which or who’s standards the “organic” vegetables are certified by.
You may also come across all-natural, clean and safe vegetables. Let’s dig a little deeper into all of this terminology allowing you to know what you buy.
First, we talk about “clean vegetables” and “safe vegetables”. These are the two concepts that get the most attention. There is a lot of overlap and confusion between these two concepts; which makes confused consumers even more confused. However, we think that clean or safe standards of each person are different.
Clean vegetables or just safe vegetables?
Safe vegetables
According to the official wikipedia definition:
Safe vegetables also known as clean vegetables(?!), is a common term in Vietnam that refers to fresh vegetables that ensure food safety and hygiene (including all root and stem vegetables, leaves, fruits) used as food for humans and the quality as the characteristics of them the content of chemicals and the level of contamination with harmful microorganisms at the allowable standard, ensuring safety for consumers and the environment.
Accordingly, when chemical drug residues, the number of microorganisms and parasites, nitrate nitrogen (NO3) residues, heavy metal residues (lead, mercury, arsenic, zinc, copper…) are within allowable standard, the vegetables will reach the quality of safe vegetables.
It can be seen that the process of cultivating safe vegetables still uses fertilizers and agrochemicals; and the produce after harvesting may still contain a certain amount of chemicals and harmful microorganisms; but at the allowable standard level and still ensure safety for consumers.
As for clean vegetables
The common opinion is that clean vegetables are safe vegetables; but that they are grown according to a technical process that complies with the following standards: Cultivated on clean land (not contaminated with chemicals, heavy metals or industrial wastes,…); irrigated with clean water with minimum use of pesticides and agrochemicals,… in order to reduce the amount of serious toxins on produce such as nitrates, pesticides, heavy metals and pathogenic microorganisms.
All-natural, clean and safe produce ByNature
Like everyone else, with the lack of defined regulated standards, at ByNature we set our own standards. We have a 0 tolerance for any kind of chemicals. We believe that once spraying pesticides or using agricultural chemicals, no matter if a little or a lot, vegetables are no longer clean nor safe. We do not accept at or below government regulated toxin levels; but take our standards further to “grown using organic farming methods” providing our customers with completely clean and safe to eat produce.
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Email: info@bynature.vn
Website: bynature.vn
