BNN EinzelhandelOrganic food shop with a good rating
People buying in an "organic food shop" or "organic supermarket" naturally assume that all products offered are truly "organic". But does anyone check this? Does anyone have an eye on it? BNN Einzelhandel does just that. It has worked out strict product range guidelines and sends out independent controllers to the shops, who check whether they comply with these guidelines on a two-year basis. That’s so that "organic" products are on the shelves, when there is an "organic" label on the outside.
The organic shops controlled in this way can be recognised by a stylised green "N". This shows that the shop is a member of Bundesverband Naturkost Naturwaren Einzelhandel e.V. (Organic Producers and Traders Association). BNN Einzelhandel considers itself an industry association for organic specialist dealers and looks after the interests of organic shops when dealing with politicians, provides its members with up-to-date information and is involved in professional training of the dealers. The association considers consulting expertise a major advantage of organic specialist trade, apart from the pure organic product range.
Small organic shops cannot attract customers with cut-rate prices, but with quality says one of the maxims of BNN Einzelhandel. That is why it clearly distances itself from cheap organic products in accordance with EU minimum standards as they can be found at discounters and supermarkets. Its argumentation: in conventional food trade, volume and price have priority over quality, suppliers are exchangeable and maximum profit is all that counts. This pattern was the reason for countless food scandals and would also affect organic food and its producer in the long run.
BNN Einzelhandel aims a t preventing such a scenario with fair cooperation between producers, manufacturers, traders and consumers. The quality of the products is to be the most important goal, just as a fair price that secures the existence of all participating parties. Up to now, this way of doing sustainable business had only worked in organic special trade, but according to BNN, it is threatened by the advance of conventional producers and traders. BNN fears a "sell-out of values" and brings up its own vision for comparison: an alliance between all parties involved that have committed themselves to the organic sector as their core business out of conviction.
The managing directors of BNN Einzelhandel have been active organic food retailers for many years themselves; from left: Harald Wurm, Gabi Oberem and Jürgen Blaas
For more information please visit: www.bnn-einzelhandel.de
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