Erewhon, a certified organic retailer in Southern California known for its careful curation of organic food, is hitching its brand to The Cornucopia Institute’s Organic Scorecards.
The retailer is in the process of changing its sourcing guidelines for organic chicken eggs; going forward, it will allow only egg brands rated a 4 or 5 on Cornucopia’s Organic Egg Scorecard. Other grocery categories rated by Cornucopia’s scorecards will eventually get the same litmus test.
As the grocery industry is shaped by an influx of organic food brands, Cornucopia’s Organic Scorecards allow Erewhon’s 10 locations to retain a commitment to providing “the best [food] the Earth has to offer.”
“Cornucopia has a long history of work in organic integrity, and it’s something we value a lot,” says Russell Heiman, director of category management at Erewhon. “These new standards communicate a level of accountability — that we’re adapting to changes in the industry to meet the expectations of our customers.”
This past spring, Erewhon launched its private label Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) Eggs, rated a 5 on the Organic Egg Scorecard, the highest endorsement for organic food quality and trustworthiness. Erewhon’s label is a rare store brand that sources eggs from a single entity that is also fully transparent.
Erewhon knows exactly where the hens responsible for those ROC eggs roam and what they eat: a cornucopia of 100 plant species. The grocer believes that its customers should have this same level of transparency when it comes to the rest of the eggs on their shelf.
As for vendors who don’t make the cut? Cornucopia’s Organic Egg Scorecard shows what it takes to produce the kind of high-quality food that eaters deserve.
This article was originally published in the winter issue of The Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter. Donate today, and we’ll mail you the spring issue, filled with stories you won’t find anywhere else.
