FAQ

	What does organic mean?
	To be called “100 Percent Organic” a product cannot contain any synthetic ingredients and must meet organic standards set by the federal government. The one “Organic” claim can be made when a product is at least 95 percent organic. Organic farmers, grow food differently from conventional farmers because they choose to use nature’s ways of solving farming problems. Organic farmers grow plants without herbicides (weed killers) or fumigants (soil sterilizers). All of the fertilizer (plant food) is natural. Sometimes organic farmers use some insecticides (insect killers) or fungicides (fungus killers), but only special ones that are approved for organic farming. Organic farming starts with the nourishment of the soil, which leads to the nourishment of the plant and, ultimately, our palate.
	How Fresh is Fresh?
	Many New Orleanians will go far and wide to buy fresh Louisiana produce. Dorignac’s Food Center maintains a long-standing relationship with many local and statewide farmers and is committed to providing the best of the best this fall when it comes to produce. Ben Becnel, a fifth generation farmer of Ben and Ben Becnel’s Farm in Belle Chase, tells Dorignac’s Food Center that he will harvest 40 acres of produce this Fall season. Becnel’s Fall season will begin mid-October with the ripening of satsumas. Becnel’s Farm supplies Dorignac’s Food Center, depending on seasonality, with cucumbers, yellow and green squash, okra, field peas, snap beans, cantaloupe, watermelon, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, blood oranges, naval oranges, valencias, ponkin mandarin, page mandarin, tangelo, cumquats, Creole tomatoes, satsumas and Louisiana sweets. So how fresh is fresh? Very! From the farm to the store in one day, Mr. Becnel’s produce is handpicked in the early morning hours, washed, hand selected for quality and size then packed and delivered to Dorignac’s Food Center later that afternoon. This fall season, New Orleanians need not travel far for fresh produce, just head to Dorignac’s Food Center where the best is better everyday!