FAQs: 20 Questions

 

1.  What is organic?

Organic crops are grown without the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides or man-made fertilizers. They are not genetically modified in any way, nor subjected to radiation or chemical processing. Artificial compounds are not added to organic food items. Organic is the way mankind was always accustomed to farming, until comparatively recently.

2.  What is veganic?

Veganic is a step beyond organic -- a step toward greater purity, greater health benefits and a safer food supply. Although organic crops are grown without the use of chemicals, an organic certification does allow farmers to use animal waste, including blood meal and bone meal, to fertilize fields. Some organic farms purchase these animal by-products from slaughterhouses and other non-organic sources. The animals have been given antibiotics and hormones throughout their lives, and exposed to pesticides and other chemicals. Veganic farms use only plant-based fertilizers, together with smart growing techniques such as alternating crops over time to build nutrients in the soil.

3.  How can I trace the ingredients of my food?

By joining the simplicity of healthful, honest food with the sophistication of today’s technology, One Degree makes it easy. Once you download our smart phone app, or any QR code reader, your phone becomes an ingredient truth detector. By scanning the QR code on our package, you can discover where your food came from and how it was cultivated. You’ll see a video of the actual farm where the grain was grown, including an interview with the farmer who planted and harvested the crop. In addition to the square QR code graphic, each package also includes an alphanumeric code that you can use to access the same information online. Either way you choose, you’ll know with certainty that the grain you are consuming was organically grown, using veganic techniques, on a family farm with a devotion to sustainability

4.  What makes sprouted grains different?

Grains that have just begun to sprout have unique benefits when it comes to nutrients, digestibility and taste. Grain kernels are seeds that, unaware they are destined for a delicious loaf of bread or bowl of cereal, will begin the process of creating a new plant by sprouting, which activates other vital processes. Enzymes begin transforming the starch in a kernel’s surrounding endosperm into simpler molecules, which ultimately will make the grain much easier for a human consumer to digest. At the same time, the flowering of the sprout triggers an explosion of nutrients and flavor.

5.  Do your products contain ingredients that have been genetically modified?

You can be confident they do not, and never will.

6.  How can I get my local store to carry One Degree products?

Let your store know that you’re a fan. We’d love to know, too -- just send us the name of your local store and we’ll do the rest!

7.  Which of your products are gluten-free?

Currently we’re working on a gluten-free variety of bread that will be quite different from anything on the market. Its consistency will be very similar to loaves that are baked use gluten. We’re excited about this breakthrough -- stay tuned for more information!

8.  Can I order products directly from you?

At the present time we do not provide an online ordering feature, but our Web site locator is an easy way to find out who’s carrying the One Degree brand in your neighborhood. Just click on the “Find a Retailer” tab and enter your city and state or ZIP code.

9.  What is the meaning of the name One Degree?

It’s based on our core philosophy that there should never be more than one degree of separation between consumers and the sources of their food. If you can’t be in the field at the time of harvest, the next best thing is to find food that has not been subjected to several degrees of processing and chemical additives on the way to market. Food you can trust is food that is easily tracked to its source. Organic, veganic, natural and delicious.

10. Is every ingredient in your products completely organic?

If it is possible for an ingredient to be organic, we will travel the globe to find it. For example, we crossed the ocean to secure our supply of high-quality organic gluten flour. In Germany we discovered a mill that could assure us that all wheat used for our organic gluten flour is veganically grown and processed separately. Because it’s a mineral, our salt cannot be called organically grown, but it’s the purest salt you will find anywhere -- mined from an ancient lake bed in Utah that was long ago sealed by nature, protected from modern-day contaminants. It is salt in its natural state, without any lightening, heating or additives. Our yeast is not organic, but we have begun a project to produce our own organic yeast, which is still a very rare commodity.

11. What is a QR code and how does it work?

The QR code is the square graphic on the package that looks somewhat like an abstract work of art. You’ve probably been seeing more of these codes lately, on everything from consumer items to bills. With the One Degree app or any other QR code reader, your smart phone will be able to understand this code and provide you with source information for every ingredient in the package. Just scan the code, and the actual farmers who grew the grain used to make the product will appear on your smart phone screen in a custom video, telling the story of their crops in their own words.

12. Are you the only company tracking every ingredient in your products with a QR code?

HarvestMark tracks fruit, but does not provide a way for consumers to quickly track multiple ingredients, nor watch a video featuring the actual farmer who grew the crop. We believe we are the only organic food company providing complete transparency to the consumer in tracking every single ingredient in our products. We have developed proprietary software that allows us to offer this benefit -- a feature that helps you shop wisely and eat healthfully, while getting to know the story of your food.

13. What is the 6-digit code on the package, and why do you have that in addition to the QR code?

This option is for our customers who prefer to imagine blackberries adorning their cereal, rather than sending them texts; and apples tucked into warm pies, rather than calculating pi with an iPhone app. Just log on to our Web site and enter the 6-digit code to unlock the story of each One Degree ingredient. Watch a video. Read a farmer profile. Then learn about simple, honest food as you chase down that last blackberry with your spoon.

14. How do you select your farmers?

First, we do our homework. We hear good things about a farm, and suddenly we want to know more. It’s exciting when we discover a new small, family farm that is devoted to veganic cultivation, sustainable agriculture and our core principle of transparency. We talk with the farmer and visit his land. We walk his fields, look him in the eye, marvel at his grains. We seal our special relationship with a warm handshake. Our farmers respect the land, respect you, and earn our trust each harvest.

15. Many of your products are sweet, but you don’t have any sugar or sweeteners in the ingredient list. How do you do that?

Sweetness is the natural by-product of our sprouting process. When a grain begins to sprout, the plant releases natural sugars to sustain it during this period of active growth. At the same time, the plant is also releasing enzymes that simplify compounds (making the grain more easily digestible), along with a burst of nutrients and natural flavor. How sweet is that!

16. Your products seem to have fewer ingredients. Why?

We believe simplicity is one of the great virtues, and one of the tastiest. The average supermarket label today lists scores of ingredients; but, if you read carefully, you’ll notice that most are artificial additives that have very little to do with nutrition. Some are meant to make the food look better. Some chemical combinations seek to imitate nature’s original flavors. We believe in selecting ingredients that bring their own wonderful flavors, their own nutrients and their own wholesome goodness to the table. Once you put away the chemistry set, it doesn’t take many grains and other natural ingredients to make bread, cereal and flour that is simply delicious.

17. What are the advantages of using only whole food ingredients?

Most food processing doesn’t just pump up food with lots of dubious additives; it also strips away much of what is nutritious. Our sprouted grains are whole grains. That means you get all of the fiber and all of the nutrition that nature intended. Food processing discards much of what is valuable, replacing it with artificial compounds that nature never imagined.

18. Are One Degree products especially good for children?

Yes, and that’s a prime reason that many of our customers are mothers with young children. Healthy, simple and honestly-sourced food is good for everyone, but especially important during the critical years of childhood development. Whole foods prevent sugar spikes in the body, and sprouted grains are more easily digestible.What One Degree products don’t have is equally important for children -- no corn syrup, no chemical additives, no genetically modified ingredients. Plus, introducing your child to One Degree not only has immediate benefits, but also helps form habits that can promote health and vitality for a lifetime.

19. I’ve been struggling with diabetes and keeping my cholesterol down. How do your products assist me in that process?

Because our grains are whole grains, you will receive nature’s full measure of fiber, which plays a key role in regulating blood sugar. And our simple veganic ingredients will help keep your cholesterol count low, especially if you are substituting our healthy products for any of the high fat temptations which are so heavily advertised and consumed in America today.

20. Your slogan is “Every ingredient has a story.” Does this have a specific meaning?

We’re proud of our honestly-sourced grains and other ingredients, and we love to share not only the story of each glorious veganic harvest, but also the stories of the hardworking family farmers who grow our crops. We tell these stories in videos and articles that you can access via a smart phone or on our Web site. You can explore farms that have been in families for generations, and meet farmers of high integrity who have chosen veganic cultivation over easy profit. You can learn about the smart veganic planting techniques that made the grain so nutritious, flavorful and safe. From seed to harvest to your table, you can know your food. And isn’t that the way it should be? Form #1