Raw Integrity - Let Your Voice Be Heard!
Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 8:16PM 
In response to a recent incident in which a distributor [Essential Living Food]’s purported “raw” chocolate product was found to be not raw at all, the raw food community has spoken! The reaction to this incident parallels that of the organic community decades ago when similar challenges arose. While one may feel outraged at this lack of truth in labeling, history has shown that a mobilized consumer force can result in legislation and procedures that are designed to increase integrity and transparency. Now, thanks to these organic predecessors, we have a blueprint for action.
Even if this was an isolated incident, we cannot ignore the need to work proactively for industry-wide quality, transparency, and Raw Integrity.
Producing raw products in general, keeping low temperatures is not only out of normal production routine, it is also more labor-intensive, time-consuming, and thus, more expensive. In this context, we can easily understand why specifications were not followed in the case of Essential Living Food's Ecuadorian supplier: there was no one on site directly overseeing the operation who was committed to Raw.
It would be so amazing to just trust that we can distinguish amongst the companies and products, but even with the best of intentions a company may unknowingly mislead their customers unless they have the motivation and resources to perform due diligence - performing such extra research and, most importantly - physically visiting farms and facilities.
This is what Raw Integrity is all about. Let's embrace our responsibility as consumers and world citizens to voice our concerns and demands! See much more about the Raw Integrity Project in Vanessa’s article here, and post YOUR comments!