Before 1888, every straw was natural. The factory took that market — not because factory straws were better, but because they had the paperwork. We are doing the paperwork. Every certification below is a territory reclaimed.
The only product-level certification in the world specifically for natural grass straws. Issued by the Global Council on Food Service Straws (GCFSS). Provides chain-of-custody documentation, QR verification, and independent quality assurance. Naturally Straws is the founding certified supplier.
Certifies that the product is made from 100% biobased content — material derived from plants. Recognised by US government procurement offices, Amazon, Costco, and Walmart. No application fee; requires ASTM D6866 biobased content laboratory test.
Documented compliance with FDA Good Manufacturing Practices and Food Contact Safety Guidelines. Required by airlines, hotel chains, and US enterprise procurement as a pre-qualification condition. Includes independent laboratory testing for heavy metals, chemical residues, and BPA.
Documented compliance with Health Canada's Canada Consumer Product Safety Act for food contact materials. Required by Air Canada, WestJet, Canadian government procurement (DND/PSPC), Loblaws, and Sobeys as a supplier pre-qualification condition.
EU food contact material migration test compliance. Required by UK and European enterprise buyers. Natural grass straws are expected to pass with no detectable migration given the absence of chemical additives. HAY Straws holds this compliance — Naturally Straws will match and exceed it.
RangeMe is the leading B2B product discovery platform used by retail buyers at Costco, Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, Sobeys, and 4,000+ other chains. A Premium profile with verified certifications increases buyer visibility by up to 7× compared to a free profile.
The Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certification is the North American gold standard for commercially compostable products. Required by municipalities, composting facilities, and retailers with zero-waste mandates. Certifies to ASTM D6400 standard. Valid for 3 years.
Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) certification to 10 ppm — stricter than the FDA's 20 ppm threshold. Unlike wheat-stem straws (HAY Straws), Naturally Straws are not wheat-derived and have no inherent gluten risk. GFCO certification confirms and publicises this critical differentiator.
North America's most trusted third-party non-GMO verification. The butterfly logo is one of the most recognised sustainability marks in North American retail. Required for placement in Whole Foods, Sprouts, and natural food retailers. One of the most searched certifications on RangeMe for food and beverage buyers.
Halal certification for the global Muslim consumer market. Natural grass straws are inherently halal (single-ingredient plant product with no additives), but formal certification is required by airlines serving Middle Eastern routes, UAE and Southeast Asian hotel chains, and Canadian halal grocery retailers.
Kosher certification for Jewish community venues, kosher hotels, and consumers who use kosher as a quality proxy. Natural grass straws are inherently kosher. Kosher certification is also a strong signal of product purity and ingredient integrity to a broad consumer base beyond the Jewish community.
Forest Stewardship Council certification for the kraft cardboard packaging. Verifies that packaging materials are sourced from responsibly managed forests. Required by hotel chains and airlines with ESG reporting requirements. HAY Straws holds FSC packaging certification — Naturally Straws will match this.
B Corp certification from B Lab verifies rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Increasingly required or preferred by enterprise buyers with strong ESG commitments — particularly premium hotel chains, airlines with sustainability programmes, and corporate office coffee counters.
Membership commits 1% of annual revenue to approved environmental non-profits. The 1% for the Planet mark is recognised by Whole Foods, REI, and sustainability-focused retailers. The company will direct its contribution to Indigenous land stewardship organisations, creating a coherent brand narrative aligned with the partner farm model.
Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognised certification. Costco requires all food-contact product suppliers to hold a GFSI-recognised certification as a condition of supply. SQF Level 2 is the typical entry point. Without it, the company cannot be listed as a Costco supplier regardless of product quality.
International standard for food safety management systems, applicable to all organisations in the food chain. A prerequisite for several enterprise procurement programmes globally. Also underpins the GCFSS certification standard, giving the GCFSS scientific and procedural credibility that no competitor can match.
Verifies net-zero carbon footprint through direct emissions reduction and verified carbon offsets. The company's locally grown model already has a significantly lower carbon footprint than factory-manufactured alternatives. Carbon neutral certification quantifies and verifies this advantage for enterprise buyers with net-zero commitments.
Rainforest Alliance certification for partner farms in tropical and subtropical regions (Southeast Asia, Central America, East Africa). Relevant as the partner farm network expands internationally. Strong signal for premium hotel chains and specialty coffee operators who already use Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee and tea.
Enterprise procurement officers speak in certifications. Here is the minimum certification stack required to pass pre-qualification for each priority sales channel.
| Sales Channel | Minimum Certifications | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| RangeMe / Grocery Retail (Loblaws, Sobeys) | RangeMe PremiumUSDA BioPreferredHealth Canada CCPSA | Tier 1 |
| Costco Canada | Health Canada CCPSAGFSI (SQF/FSSC 22000)RangeMe Premium | Tier 1+3 |
| Air Canada / WestJet | Health Canada CCPSAFDA GMPFSC Packaging | Tier 1+2 |
| Emirates / International Airlines | EU 10/2011HalalFDA GMPFSC Packaging | Tier 1+2 |
| Canadian Government (DND/PSPC) | Health Canada CCPSAUSDA BioPreferredISO 22000 | Tier 1+3 |
| Hotel Chains (Marriott, Hilton, Four Seasons) | EU 10/2011FSC PackagingB Corp (preferred)GCFSS Passport | Tier 1+2+3 |
| Whole Foods / Natural Retail | Non-GMO ProjectGFCO Gluten-FreeBPI Compostable1% for Planet | Tier 2+3 |
| UAE / Middle East Hospitality | HalalEU 10/2011GCFSS Passport | Tier 1+2 |
| Cruise Lines | FDA GMPEU 10/2011FSC PackagingGCFSS Passport | Tier 1+2 |
| University / Stadium Catering | Health Canada CCPSAFDA GMPBPI Compostable | Tier 1+2 |
For over a century, the factory straw held the beverage market not because it was better, but because it was certified and the farm straw was not. Paper straw manufacturers had FDA approval, food safety audits, and retail buyer relationships. The grass straw had none of these things — not because it was unsafe, but because no farmer had ever bothered to get the documentation.
Naturally Straws is doing the documentation. Every certification in this roadmap is a territory reclaimed. The USDA BioPreferred mark reopens the US government procurement territory. The Health Canada compliance documentation reopens the Canadian airline and grocery territory. The Halal certification reopens the Middle Eastern hospitality territory. The GFSI audit reopens the Costco territory. The B Corp certification reopens the premium hotel territory.
The GCFSS Straw Passport is the master key. It is the only certification in the world that says: this straw was grown in a field, dried by the sun, cut to length, tested for safety, and verified by an independent body. No factory straw can make that claim. No paper straw can make that claim. No bamboo straw can make that claim.
"Paper straws suck. Naturally Straws sip. And now we have the paperwork to prove it."
We can provide grower declarations, ingredient statements, laboratory test reports, supply chain documentation, and GCFSS Straw Passport certificates for procurement and sustainability reporting purposes. Email us with your specific requirements.
We are a transparent operation. If you need to know something about our product — what it is, where it comes from, how it was grown, what it tested at — ask. We will tell you.
Ask the Mixologist
Just Gerald's
Ask me anything about cocktails, our straws, wholesale pricing, partner farm programme, or available territories. I'm Just Gerald — mixologist's best friend, farmer, and straw obsessive.
Ask the Mixologist · Naturally Straws