If you bought Dole Organic Bananas recently, you might have noticed a number on the sticker under the words “certified organic”. Go to the Dole Organic website and type that code into the box provided. What you will get is information regarding the plantation where that particular banana was grown along with organic certification details. You even get photos of the workers on that farm and satellite images from Google Earth! Other food producers should take note. This is an ingenious use of the Internet and one that should be replicated. Dole Organic site here.

The U.S.’s biggest organic farmer cooperative has offered this feature on their soy milk products since 2004. Entering the expiration date at their site, brings up bios of the actual farmers that grew the beans! Organic Valley Coop site here.