Why Organic Product Colour Can Vary Between Batches

What actually causes it

• Different harvests, even from the same farm, can vary slightly in colour depending on rainfall, soil and growing conditions that season.
• Without synthetic standardisation, natural colour variation is simply allowed to show rather than being corrected artificially.
• Processing methods, like cold pressing an oil, also let more natural colour variation through than heavily refined processing does.
• This variation does not indicate a quality problem, and is discussed in more depth for specific products like mustard oil elsewhere on this site.
• Batches from different regions or farmer groups, common under smaller scale organic production, can also show more variation than a single large uniform source.

Our standards

Batch colour variation questions

Is colour variation a sign a product is not really organic?

No, if anything it reflects the natural conditions organic production does not artificially standardise away.

Does colour variation affect flavour?

Not necessarily, colour and flavour can vary somewhat independently depending on the specific product and process.

Should I expect the same colour every time I buy?

Some variation between batches is normal for organic products, more so than for heavily processed conventional ones.

Does this happen with packaged grains and pulses too?

Yes, though it is often less visually obvious than with a liquid product like an unrefined oil.