Years ago, we were the first Produce department in the area to be Certified Organic and we've maintained that certification now for 17 years! Why do we make the extra effort to do this? We want to provide our customers the highest quality organic foods from both local and afar. Although our Produce department offers both conventional and organic options, the organic certification is a distinction that ensures we properly handle and store organic produce. We know that for some customers an organic lifestyle is very important, and we are passionate about supporting this, taking every step to provide the best. When shopping in our Produce department, you’ll find 200+ certified organic items. We are proud to have maintained that certification and offer such a robust selection of organic produce. 

While "certified organic" may sound like a simple statement, it’s a big commitment. Organic certification for retailers who sell organic produce is not required, but our Produce departments made a commitment to take the extra steps necessary to become certified years ago. Why? Because it's the right thing to do when selling organic produce! 

How does all of this work? It begins here in our Produce departments, ensuring that everything you buy that says organic stays organic. DLM gets re-certified every year, our last re-certification taking place last month, so we are always up to date. These are some of the compliances we are audited on at that time: 

• Traceability of Products. We only label produce organic if the farms selling it are compliant, meaning the farms need to be certified organic. For example, when certified organic produce is coming from a local farmer, we log the field and date that it was harvested. 
• Proper Handling & Storage. Organic produce can never be mixed with non-organic. Once delivered, organic produce is stored separately. Associates are trained to switch gloves and wash hands before handling organic produce. 
• Education of Our Associates. All of our Produce associates are specially trained on handling organic produce according to standards. After training, we require our associates to take a test.