Associations & Trade Memberships

The Good Food Foundation

Community today is a respected importer, and distributor of dried fruits, nuts, pulses and seeds, and over the years has helped pioneer the development of organic agriculture. The company is a board member of a project called the Good Food Foundation which, in conjunction with three other members in France, Holland and Denmark have provided horticultural advice, funding and marketing to deliver new organic products to customers.

Since the early 1980s, this 'alliance' has helped deliver the first organic sultanas, apricots, figs and hazelnuts from projects in Turkey, and is engaged in similar projects in India, China and Africa. The Foundation have been directly responsible for the development and sale of several thousand tons of new organic products. Community accounts for over half of this volume.

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Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO)

The Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) guarantees that products sold anywhere in the world with the FAIRTRADE Mark, conforms to Fairtrade Standards and contributes to the development of producers and workers in developing countries. The Fairtrade Foundation is the UK member of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO), which unites 21 labelling initiatives across Europe, Japan, North America, Mexico and Australia/New Zealand as well as networks of producer organisations from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Community has long established roots with small farming communities and understands many of the problems faced by farmers in today’s commercial world. Nevertheless, Community’s background and involvement with these farmers and through its own association and philosophy (see, Good Food Foundation) has meant a great deal of empathy with the Fairtrade movement.

In April, 2005, we launched the first Fairtrade Himalayan Basmati under our Crazy Jack Organic brand. We feel that by extending the range of products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark, and using our knowledge and expertise in helping small scale producers to develop, we can help bring the message of the Fairtrade to a wider audience. This means helping to develop conventional and organic crops within Community Foods under the FAIRTRADE Mark.

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Soil Association

Most of the products we import are certified organic under the Soil Association Organic certification scheme. We primarily use the Soil Association as we believe they are the leading certification scheme in the UK. They are a respected and trusted body, active in the promotion of organic foods and do a good job in communicating the benefits of organic to a wide audience.

Did you know?
Organic certification is not just a label but a legal definition. To use the word “organic” requires compliance with a strict set of production parameters and independent inspection of the chain of supply to ensure compliance.
Only government registered bodies are able to certify the organic status of products – the Soil Association being one of these bodies.

Our extra involvement.
We take the development of organic foods very seriously and we want to be involved. Organic food production for us is not just a passing fad or “market opportunity”. It is for us a view of the way life should and can be. We believe enjoyment and confidence in food and a respect for the environment is an integral and important way of life. As part of our commitment to ensuring the continued growth of organic foods we work closely with the Soil Association, adhere to the standards and carry their approval symbol. By being involved, our views, experience and assistance adds to the resource, professionalism and development of the Soil Association and the progression of organic agriculture for all.

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National Dried Fruit Trade Association (NDFTA)

The NDFTA is a trade body that represents the interests of the dried fruit industry in the UK and is the channel for representing its views in Europe as well. The association also helps promote the benefits of dried fruit to consumers and manufacturers alike.

The UK is one of the largest consumers of dried fruit, in the world, both in total terms and in the consumption per head of population. Community Foods is a member of the association and our managing director Bill Henry, is a council member.

Discover more about the National Dried Fruit Trade Association »

Organic Farmers and Growers

Organic Farmers and Growers is an inspection and certifying body for organic foods both in the UK and abroad. Community are licensees of this association which predominantly certifies the Nature's Path range of cereals for us.

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Organic Trade Board

Community Foods are 2009 founding members of The Organic Trade Board. The OTB is a not for profit organisation co-ordinated by business leaders from across the UK’s organic industry to develop, promote and support Organic Trade in the UK.

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Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

FSC is an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests. It was founded in 1993 in response to public concern about deforestation and demand for a trustworthy wood-labeling scheme. There are national working groups in 28 countries including the UK. FSC UK is a registered charity.

Monitoring by independent third party auditors
Compliance with FSC criteria in certified forests and plantations is undertaken by independent certification agencies. If in compliance, the forest or plantation owner is issued with a certificate, which covers all produce from a particular piece of land, i.e. not only the timber products, but also non-timber products like the latex used in ETHLETIC sneakers, sports balls and GreenTips products. Sourcing from an FSC certified source, and complying with FSC regulation for all processing steps up to the final distribution, is the precondition for the permission to market a product with the FSC-logo. FSC itself controls the auditing agencies at least once a year to ensure that they apply the FSC criteria correctly and strictly.

What happens with FSC certified products between source and consumer
Products with an FSC label often undergo a long list of stages, the so called chain-of-custody (C-o-C), until they reach the final consumer. In addition to the strict criteria covering the sourcing of the raw materials (in our case latex), FSC has established stringent regulations covering all aspects of every C-o-C in order to ensure that material from FSC sources is not illegally mixed and blended with non FSC certified material.

Discover more about the Forest Stewardship Council »