Honest Products

When you walk through our doors, you know you’re in a good place.

A place where organic, fresh, local, seasonal and sustainable are always top priority. Where the shelves are honest, the staff is knowledgeable, and every product passes through the hands of our quality standards experts before it ends up in yours.

We choose organic because people, animals and waterways ought to be protected in every way possible. We’re a proud Certified Organic retailer, work with a number of sustainability leaders and pursue certifications to bring you products sourced to the highest standards.

Food Ingredients

Every food product in our stores is screened against criteria based on feedback from shoppers like you and evaluated by our quality standards experts.

We don’t allow harmful artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners, products of nanotechnology, or hundreds of other ingredients found in foods at other markets.

PCC Food Ingredient Standard >

Food Ingredient Standard FAQs >

See our list of acceptable and unacceptable ingredients for food >

Genetic Engineering Transparency

PCC has been advocating for genetically-engineered (GE) food and ingredient transparency for two decades. Under the rules of the National Bioengineering Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS), the federal law and regulations on GE labeling finalized in 2018, we will be required to label certain categories of foods.

While we are disappointed with the NBFDS and will continue to advocate for a stronger GE labeling framework, we plan to provide the greatest transparency possible under the federal law and will also encourage our vendors to do likewise in labeling their products.

Additionally, PCC continues to enforce our 2012 policy that requires any new products with ingredients that are high-risk for being GE to be certified organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, or non-GE/GMO verified through an approved certification. If a company cannot provide confirmation, we will not carry the product.

Mandatory compliance with the NBFDS is required by January 1, 2022. PCC will focus on compliance, clear communication, and exploring how we can provide the most transparency to our shoppers.

PCC GE Ingredient and Labeling Standard >

GE Ingredient and Labeling Standard FAQs >

Fair Labor

PCC Community Markets is committed to being a positive force in the lives of people who work in our supply chain. We will not tolerate verified child labor, forced labor, human trafficking, abuse or harassment.

We expect employers to meet or exceed legal requirements for labor practices, worker health and safety, and housing. We have created and adopted specific standards to avoid labor abuses common in the chocolate, banana, coffee and seafood industries.

PCC Fair Labor Standard >

Fair Labor Standard FAQs >

carrots covered in dirt being pulled from soil

Compost and soil amendments

When you buy compost or fertilizer for your garden, be aware that products labeled “organic” or “100 percent natural” may not follow the same standards as the food you purchase that’s labelled “organic.” That’s because the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) doesn’t regulate the use of the term “organic” as it applies to composts and soil amendments.

On these products, a label declaring “organic” means only that the product is carbon-based. Some “organic” fertilizers may contain undisclosed hazardous chemicals from industry waste, mining, or other contaminated sources.

PCC has adopted a standard that requires all the composts and soil amendments we sell to be approved for use in organic agriculture by a third-party certifying agency such as Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), or the Organic Materials Review Board (OMRI). Products certified by such agencies are the safest options on the market because they must meet clear and strict requirements designed to minimize harmful materials and contaminants.

PCC Compost and Soil Amendment Standard >

Compost and Soil Amendment Standard FAQs >

Product Origin

As supply chains have become more globalized, it’s important to know how and where products were made. PCC’s product origin standard outlines our commitment to upholding Country of Origin Labeling laws, establishing meaningful guidelines for what constitutes a locally sourced and produced product, and encouraging all vendors to be transparent about where their products, and ingredients, come from.

PCC Product Origin Standard >

Product Origin Standard FAQs >

Packaging

PCC’s packaging standard and guidelines are based in a belief that we have a fundamental responsibility as a community-owned retailer to choose packaging that is safe for consumers and has the least impact on the environment. Our standard provides recommendations on the best options for packaging for our vendors and guidance for our merchandisers to evaluate products. For our Private Label products, we work with producers who are dedicated to finding more sustainable packaging options and our standard pushes them with stronger requirements for minimal packaging, compostable materials, and recycled content.

PCC Packaging Standard >

Packaging Standard FAQs >

Prior to the packaging standard, PCC developed a preliminary packaging initiative that focused on guidance and best practices to help vendors determine safer or less toxic packaging options. Click here to view the old packaging initiative.

Fresh Produce

Research shows that organic growing methods are gentler on the environment and that organic produce is lower in toxic pesticides and can contain higher levels of nutrients. Organic farms also offer safer working conditions for farm families, workers, and surrounding communities.

This is why ninety-five percent of the produce sold at PCC is certified organic. Our produce buyers give preference to organic, highlighting in-season and locally grown produce as much as possible. PCC is also an advocate of labeling hydroponically grown produce, especially if it is organic, so that our shoppers have transparency about how their food is grown.

PCC Produce Standard >

Produce Standard FAQs >

Animal Welfare

At PCC, we believe the way humans treat farm animals is integral to our own general well-being and the health of our planet. We believe we have a responsibility to see that livestock are raised humanely, free of pain, fear, and psychological stress, and that they’re able to express their natural behaviors.

As a retailer, PCC has a responsibility to provide the most humane choices for omnivorous shoppers. As a baseline standard, all fresh meat and poultry sold at PCC must be either certified organic or non-GMO. Depending on the animal species, we also set additional requirements and recommended best practices around the housing, handling, and treatment of livestock animals we sell.

Read PCC's animal welfare standards

Seafood

All fresh and frozen seafood at PCC comes from responsible sources as defined by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. This means fisheries or aquaculture operations are rated a Green Best Choice, Yellow Good Alternative or are eco-certified to a standard recognized by Seafood Watch. The only exception is Chinook salmon, which is sourced according to our more specific PCC Chinook Sourcing Standard.

In creating its assessments and rating system, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program considers a variety of factors associated with seafood production, including catch method, bycatch and impacts on the natural habitat.

PCC’s standards also consider consumer health. We will not sell seafood species known to be high in mercury or other contaminants, and we will not accept seafood processed with any toxic chemicals used to prevent thaw drip or preserve color.

Additionally, our farmed seafood selection is carefully curated. We will never sell carnivorous species or fish raised in net pens, and any farmed finfish or shellfish must be raised without the use of pesticides, antibiotics or genetically engineered feed.

The majority of our seafood comes from the USA, in part to avoid seafood procured by illegal fishing and practices that exploit workers in other parts of the world.

PCC Finfish, Shellfish, Crustacean, and Cephalopod Standard >

Finfish, Shellfish, Crustacean, and Cephalopod Standard FAQs >

Chinook Salmon Standards

The PCC Chinook Sourcing Standard, developed by experts at the National Fisheries Conservation Center (NFCC), support a place-based sourcing strategy for Chinook salmon. This assures consumers that purchasing these fish does not deplete Southern Residents’ main food supply.

Using a three-tier rating system, fisheries and supporting hatcheries are evaluated to ensure harvesting Chinook is not intercepting prey for Southern Residents or depleting salmon stocks. Since incomplete knowledge and insufficient data is always a risk, suppliers must be able to show a high level of confidence in their data for avoiding prey interception or stock depletion.

Additionally, PCC will only sell Chinook salmon from fisheries that receive an A in the Prey Interception Risk category and an A or B in the Stock and Knowledge risk categories. Because of the unique rigor and regional focus of this independent standard, Chinook sold by PCC is evaluated separately from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program.

PCC Chinook Sourcing Standard and Rating Guidelines Report >

Chinook Sourcing Standard FAQs >

Columbia River Chinook Sourcing FAQs >

Chinook Salmon Fishery Evaluation Reports >

Fresh Milk

All of PCC’s fresh milk is certified organic or from cows raised on non-GMO feed. All our dairy farmers raise their cows on pasture without ionophores or other antibiotics endemic in the dairy industry. Several brands are from cows bred to produce A2 beta-casein, which some believe makes dairy more digestible.

PCC Fresh Milk Standard >

Fresh Milk Standard FAQs >

EGGS

The whole, fresh chicken eggs found on our shelves are laid by hens that spend at least six hours per day outside, soaking up sunshine and stretching their wings. This is just the minimum requirement — we believe that hens should truly roam green pastures. So in addition to our free-range options, PCC offers a variety of fresh eggs from pasture-raised hens. Our own PCC Organic Pastured Eggs come from Wilcox Family Farms in Roy, Washington, where hens are raised in mobile hen houses that are regularly moved to fresh pasture.

PCC Laying Hens and Whole Eggs Standard >

Laying Hens and Whole Eggs Standard FAQs >

Palm Oil

Palm oil is used widely in all types of consumer products, from baked goods to soap. It’s also associated with massive ecological destruction. When it is harvested in a manner that doesn’t contribute to deforestation and human exploitation, palm oil can be a very sustainable option, yielding high quantities of oil with relatively low carbon emissions.

PCC identified palm oil as an issue of high concern in 2016 and we have been actively researching the topic and exploring steps to address palm oil in our supply chain. Given its prevalence in the market and potential positive impact if ‘done right,’ we determined that PCC should focus on supporting sustainably sourced palm oil, rather than seeking to eliminate palm oil from our supply chains.

Our first step is to ensure the products we have control over contain sustainably sourced palm oil. PCC kitchens obtain their palm shortening and oil from Palm Done Right, which sets some of the highest standards for sustainable palm. While the supply of sustainable palm isn’t large enough to accommodate all companies yet, PCC encourages vendors to use sustainably harvested palm oil as much as possible. By working with Palm Done Right and our vendor partnerships, PCC aims to help encourage and grow the supply of sustainable palm.

PCC Palm Oil Standard >

Palm Oil Standard FAQs >

Health and Body Care

PCC’s Health and Body Care Department is committed to providing our customers with high quality products that are safer for people and the environment. We encourage companies to continually improve the quality and safety of their ingredients.

We give preference to minimally processed, organic ingredients, sustainably harvested materials, and responsibly packaged products. Our goal is to reduce the number of petroleum-derived chemicals that further our reliance on fossil fuels and contribute to climate change. We accept certain ingredients only if they are made from renewable sources and do not allow certain products or substances that are known to contribute to climate change or plastic pollution, such as aerosol sprays and microbeads.

We don’t accept products that contain substances that are known to cause neurological damage, birth defects, organ failure, or endocrine system disruption. We don’t allow any ingredients that are considered known or probable carcinogens according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), International Agency for Research on Cancer, or the National Toxicology Program.

In addition to our body care products, we hold high standards for the supplements, vitamins, and medicinal products we carry. We don’t allow artificial dyes, flavors, and sweeteners in those products and give priority to locally crafted, organic, and fair-trade producers.

Our list of prohibited ingredients includes almost 600 specific chemicals that we have identified as not acceptable in the products we sell. Our standard informs what substances are on this list and we continue to evaluate criteria as new information emerges on the safety of ingredients to ensure we are selling the best and safest products.

PCC Personal Care Product Standard >

Personal Care Products Standard FAQs >

PCC Supplements and Medicine Standard >

Supplements and Medicine Standard FAQs >

See our list of acceptable and unacceptable ingredients for health and body care >

Beer, Wine, and Hard Cider

Our goal is to offer our customers beer, cider and wine from producers who farm and ferment with respect for the earth and the health of workers in the vineyards and fields. Producers of alcoholic beverages aren’t bound legally to list ingredients but we seek to do business with those who are transparent and use ingredients that uphold PCC standards.

PCC Beer, Wine, and Hard Cider Standard >

Beer, Wine, and Hard Cider Standard FAQs >

Plants, Cut Flowers, Starts, and Seeds

We believe that providing our customers with the means to grow sustainable and organic plants is just as important as offering organic produce. We only sell certified organic seeds and plant starts (unless commercially unavailable) for edible crops.

We also seek out flower vendors who are committed to reducing their pesticide use and environmental impact and who are transparent about their growing and harvesting practices. As the season allows and along with other offerings, we source both locally grown cut flowers and native ornamental varieties to grow in your home garden.

All of our roses have the Veriflora Sustainably Grown certification, which means producers are committed to reducing their chemical use, water use, and energy consumption, and providing fair and safe working conditions.

PCC Plants, Cut Flowers, Starts and Seeds Standard >

Plants, Cut Flowers, Starts, and Seeds Standard FAQs >