People often ask and comment about Organic Certification... "What's the point?"; "Is it worth it?"; "It's just another piece of red tape bureaucratic pointlessness." We are a business that has always been organic, but only certified after we grew enough to be able to afford it (after about 3 years).
From my perspective, if we could live in a world where certification wasn't necessary, that would be far preferable. In this ideal world of my imagination, there is an extra charge on food grown with chemicals that are harmful to life, or that compromise our physiological systems, or that would be better termed "edible product" rather than "food". This seems the more logical and reasonable approach, even though it is upside down to the world we live in at the moment.
Organic certification is necessary in this version of our world because it is a world where mistrust and being "economical with the truth" are the norms. The certification process gives us what trust would, in a more conscious world. With certification we can be as sure as possible that no chemicals have been used, and that the production process is ethical and one of integrity.
The alternative is of course to buy food from people who you know and trust. Where you can talk to the farmer, or producer, and be assured by their level of integrity, then certification is unnecessary. This was the basis I operated under when Totally Nuts started. I had the paperwork from my suppliers of the organic integrity of my ingredients, and then I relied on my own communication and integrity to assure my customers that organic standards were being met even though I did not have the certification myself. Maintaining organic certification is a massive commitment in terms of money and time for any small business. It is also a sign of their values and commitment. So support them wherever you can!
Until we enter into my dream world where things are the right way up, and we trust each other and food is food - nourishing and real - we will have to make do with the imitation of trust that the organic certification process gives us.