FAQ’S
Why are all of your products certified organic by the USDA?
The USDA organic regulations describe organic agriculture as the application of a set of cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that support the cycling of on-farm resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. These include maintaining or enhancing soil and water quality; conserving wetlands, woodlands, and wildlife; and avoiding use of synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering.
Think about the alternative of NOT eating organic foods… do you really want your family to eat crops fertilized with sewage sludge and treated with chemical pesticides, or dairy products from animals injected with growth hormones? We do not!
Why are all of your products certified non-GMO by the Non-GMO Project?
According to the Non-GMO Project organization, genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.
Regardless of whether you believe those facts by themselves are cause for concern, the most common purpose for genetic modification is to engineer crops to withstand the direct application of herbicides such as Glyphosate (the primary active ingredient in Roundup®). Fundamentally we believe our foods should NOT be sprayed with massive amounts of chemicals.
Why are all of your products certified gluten-free by the Gluten Intolerance Group?
Gluten is a protein found in many common cereal grains including: wheat, barley, rye and their byproducts. There are many reasons individuals avoid gluten such as allergies to wheat, Celiac disease, gluten intolerance and personal choice.
We have chosen to create our recipes without gluten to give individuals with gluten allergies or sensitivities more delicious food options to enjoy in their everyday diets and to give all our fans an additional reason to love our products.
Why are some of your products certified Paleo or Paleo Friendly by the Paleo Foundation?
Paleo, sometimes known as the “caveman diet”, is a dietary philosophy which contains only foods which were generally available to our Paleolithic hunter-gatherer ancestors before highly processed foods became the norm. One of the fundamental theories behind the paleo diet is that modern food systems, production and processing techniques are damaging to human health.
Therefore, the Paleo diet eliminates grains, legumes, processed sugar and most sources of dairy.
Please consult our product labels or the Products section of our website to determine which items adhere to this standard. We also have items that are “Paleo Friendly,” meaning they are not quite 100% Paleo but are very close. For, example the Paleo Friendly certification allows for a small amount of evaporated cane sugar in the product recipe.
Why do some of your products have a Vegan logo on the label?
Many consumers prefer to eliminate all animal products from their diets for a variety of reasons including views about the treatment of animals as well as the impact of animal products on their health and our environment.
Many of our products are plant-based so we identify them with our Vegan logo for consumers who prefer not to consume animal products, even ingredients derived from animals such as honey.
Do you process any allergens on your production line?
Yes, please reference our product labels for allergen claims.
We take our responsibility of eliminating the risk of allergen cross-contamination and ensuring the safety of consumers very seriously. We have comprehensive standard operating procedures for the handling of known allergens, including but not limited to: employee training, separate storage areas for allergen ingredients and an allergen sanitation cycle of all equipment between production batches which is validated by allergen testing prior to the next production run. As an added precaution, we schedule our allergen items for production on separate days or at the end of the day whenever possible.
Additionally, our facility is SQF (Safe Quality Food) certified and items which are labeled as Gluten-Free have been certified to be in compliance by the GFCO (Gluten-Free Certification Organization). Both certifications require very strict adherence to our aforementioned allergen control procedures. Audits and inspections are performed by the certifying agencies to verify our system’s effectiveness.
Are peanuts processed on your production line?
No, we made the decision many years ago to not process peanuts in our facility.
Where do I find the Best-By date on my Drew’s Organics product?
The Best-By date is printed (along with the lot code) directly on the glass in black ink above the label.
How long will my bottle of dressing last once open and refrigerated?
You may refrigerate any variety of our Drew’s Organics Dressings & Quick Marinades up to the Best-By date on the bottle after opening.
How long will my jar of salsa last once open and refrigerated?
You may refrigerate any variety of our Drew’s Organics Salsas for up to two weeks after opening.
Why do you use Organic High Oleic Sunflower Oil in your dressings?
First a little history… when Chef Drew created his line of dressings in 1995, he started out with canola oil. Since then the product line has grown and evolved. In striving to always improve our products, we first removed GMO’s from the line and then more recently converted to all organic ingredients.
As we went through our organic certification process, we started out with organic soybean oil because it was readily available from our supplier. However, many of you contacted us to let us know that you prefer to avoid soy in your diets. We listen to our fans and immediately began working to find a better option!
We were thrilled to find organic high oleic sunflower oil – aside from the fact that sunflowers are naturally beautiful, this is what we love about it:
- Sunflower oil has a neutral taste profile and allows for the flavors of the other ingredients in the recipes to shine through cleanly.
- Sunflowers are not a GMO crop so there is no risk of crop cross-contamination due to pollen drift.
- According to the National Sunflower Association, Vitamin E in the form of alpha-tocopherol occurs naturally in sunflower oil and sunflower oil is the highest of the leading oils in alpha-tocopherol content (45mg/100g).
- High oleic sunflower oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids (about 82%) and low in saturated fats (about 10%). Please reference the comparison chart:
Where are your product ingredients sourced?
We source our ingredients from as close to home as possible but occasionally we have to go overseas for certain spices or ingredients which will impart world flavor influences to our recipes. Ingredients grown overseas are procured through United States based processors and distributors and all of our suppliers are vetted to insure high food safety standards.
Where are the packaging materials for your products sourced?
Our metal salsa lids are produced in the United States and Canada. All of our other packaging components are produced in the United States. For example, unlike many of our competitors who source their glass bottles and jars from China and India, all of our glass containers are produced in the United States!