My bf and I love trying new juice. We love trying juice from tiny little underdog juice companies b/c--like tasting craft microbrews sold almost nowhere--it's an adventure, you never know how it's going to turn out and sometimes we find really really awesome juice (...and sometimes not...). Most of the juice we love right now we have heard about from new companies self promoting on various forums.
Any way, though, this game has gotten me thinking a ton about juice making standards and protocols. I know there are larger juice companies that have whole lab-like facilities devoted to their juice making. However, these new juicers definitely do not. We totally expect the vast majority of them to be mixing out of their kitchen, or maybe a home office or something. And we are okay with that. However, even in these instances, there should still be standards...right? Like wearing gloves, for example, or using food grade ingredients.
It would be rad if there was a way that even smaller brands could be accountable for following minimal safety standards. However, I was just on the AEMSA's website, and noticed that while their mission is totally awesome and admirable, their cost is most likely prohibitively expensive to new juice companies. Besides a nonrefundable application fee of $500, there is also a $1500 inspection fee AND a $758 monthly fee. I wonder if some of the juice brands we like even make $758 in a month...haha. It's like AEMSA only wants to work with companies who are already making a .... load of $.
Hence my question: are they the only *independent e-juice regulating body* in the States, or are there others that are less expensive that smaller juice companies can be encouraged to join? Or is there a way to get AEMSA to lower their fee? I'm no psychic, but I am willing to bet that the large fees are whats stopping at least some of the juice companies from applying.
I don't know. We just started talking about this the other night, after ordering juice from this random company Cloud Pusher Labs--and now the thought has been bother me.
Any way, though, this game has gotten me thinking a ton about juice making standards and protocols. I know there are larger juice companies that have whole lab-like facilities devoted to their juice making. However, these new juicers definitely do not. We totally expect the vast majority of them to be mixing out of their kitchen, or maybe a home office or something. And we are okay with that. However, even in these instances, there should still be standards...right? Like wearing gloves, for example, or using food grade ingredients.
It would be rad if there was a way that even smaller brands could be accountable for following minimal safety standards. However, I was just on the AEMSA's website, and noticed that while their mission is totally awesome and admirable, their cost is most likely prohibitively expensive to new juice companies. Besides a nonrefundable application fee of $500, there is also a $1500 inspection fee AND a $758 monthly fee. I wonder if some of the juice brands we like even make $758 in a month...haha. It's like AEMSA only wants to work with companies who are already making a .... load of $.
Hence my question: are they the only *independent e-juice regulating body* in the States, or are there others that are less expensive that smaller juice companies can be encouraged to join? Or is there a way to get AEMSA to lower their fee? I'm no psychic, but I am willing to bet that the large fees are whats stopping at least some of the juice companies from applying.
I don't know. We just started talking about this the other night, after ordering juice from this random company Cloud Pusher Labs--and now the thought has been bother me.
