Our Buying Standards

We’re chronic label-readers.

Before any product hits our shelves, its ingredients and production are researched and tested against our Product Purchasing Guidelines. These Guidelines were developed to help guide our buyers in bringing the freshest, healthiest and most ecologically sound products to you, our shoppers.

Our Product Purchasing Guidelines help us:

• fulfill the philosophical intent of our Mission Statement and our Ends (organizational goals)
• meet the needs and desires of our members and guests (quality, variety, pricing, etc.)
• return value to our members
• evaluate the environmental, agricultural, health and social/justice issues that surround food, products and food methods
• identify and replace products that fall short of our standards, as higher quality options become available

This is a living, breathing commitment that requires constant upkeep  – new information about ingredients and farming practices can come out every day and we continually review our products to ensure they meet our standards.

But while ingredients may change, one thing remains the same – we are committed to maintaining the high level of trust we have earned over the years as we balance the many factors involved in purchasing decisions. We truly believe our buying decisions improve health, strengthen our community, enhance our commitment to sustainable local farmers and, of course, delight eaters everywhere.

You can read our full Product Purchasing Guidelines here.

Certified Organic Retailer

Oryana 10th St. was proud to be the first co-op in the country to become a “Certified Organic Retailer.” This annual recertification (which we have maintained since our first certification in 2002), requires us to maintain and preserve the integrity of the organic products we sell – meaning you can be sure that any organic products in our 10th St. store are protected from the farm to your shopping cart.

To be certified we must comply with strict USDA rules that include:

• storewide and departmental procedures
• regular staff trainings
• a filtered water supply
• proper storage and handling of organic foods
• a paper trail of third party certifications

We feel this work helps to demonstrate Oryana’s long-standing commitment to the importance of certified organic food and honors the trust you put in us as a shopper.