cleaning up organic personal care standards

Will Whole Foods keep your product on their shelves?
In June of this year, Whole Foods announced that, “all personal care products and cosmetics making an organic claim sold in its U.S. stores must be third-party certified by June 1, 2011.”
If your organic personal care products are sold at Whole Foods, this is an opportune time to have a professional review your packaging and product claims.
Even if you aren’t in that category, the fact that Whole Foods, one of the largest organic & natural retailers in the nation, is setting standards for what they will and won’t accept is big news!
Consider this:
• Is your current packaging up-to-date and compliant with existing regulations?
• Are changes necessary to ensure that Whole Foods will accept your products?
• Will you potentially lose market share if your products are not certified organic?
• Is your consumer-targeted messaging clear and accurate?
• Does your certification messaging create possible confusion for a consumer?
• Does your product stand out from the competition on the shelf?
Additional food for thought:
An article from November Natural Foods Merchandiser addresses consumer confusion that might arise from the new labeling/certification process, and some of the issues to think about with new packaging.
The savvy Organic & Natural consumer expects quality, transparency, and a genuine brand promise. Take the proactive stance—it could put you ahead of your competition.