Interview on the HiPP Organic Seal
The trend towards organic produce is booming, but is organic food really a guarantee for healthy nutrition? From chocolates to chips – nowadays everything is called organic if it complies with the legal requirements.
Dr. Claus Hipp has influenced organic farming in Germany unlike anyone else. He would like to take the opportunity to explain the difference between standard organic products and the HiPP organic quality in more detail.
You have your own Organic Seal. Why?
C. Hipp: First of all, it comes from a long-standing tradition. We already started practicing organic farming over 50 years ago. At that time, organic farming wasn’t a major subject. We went against the flow and promoted organic farming with complete conviction. In doing so, we set new standards in the quality of baby food. These quality policies are taken into account in the choice of soil, planting and processing and are present in every HiPP organic jar.
But the EU Organic Logo also represents quality, does it not?
C. Hipp: Of course. The EU Organic Farming Regulation is a good thing. It bans the use of chemical and synthetic sprays and fertilizers, genetic engineering in plants, artificial colors and preservatives, and flavoring and flavor enhancers.
But is it then still necessary to use a separate Organic Seal?
C. Hipp: Absolutely. The standard organic logo is good and important. However, it doesn’t cover the testing of the quality of the organic products after they have grown. Pollutants in the air, in the soil, or from neighboring fields can still contaminate the fruit, vegetable, or grain that has been planted. Accordingly, the provisions for baby food allow a very low quantity of pesticides in baby food. This is not the case with HiPP. We strive for much higher values than the law requires: that means we do not allow these residues and we carry out complete quality tests at the highest technological level. Only perfect organic goods are bottled in jars and receive our Organic Seal.
The HiPP Organic Seal represents the highest standard of purity. How is it still possible to achieve this today?
C. Hipp: First, we take soil samples to establish whether a certain field is eligible. We exclusively contract the most suitable cultivation areas for our different types of vegetables. Over the decades, we have acquired special knowledge on how to rotate crops. We also support the organic farmers during cultivation and work closely with them. Later, upon delivery, we only accept the products when they have fulfilled the strict HiPP purity requirements in our lab tests.
How far does your control of harmful substances go?
C. Hipp: We test for over 1,000 harmful substances, which is significantly more than required by law. What you buy in one of our jars has gone through up to 260 tests. We are definitely stricter than the law requires. With our sensitive measuring technology, we could detect a single grain of salt in a 25m swimming pool. HiPP has voluntarily imposed extremely strict limits in regards to all currently known harmful substances and impurities. However, a valuable contribution towards purity comes from the organic farmers themselves: they have known our uncompromising position for many decades. We are jointly committed to providing the highest quality.