“A standard is not a bureaucratic formality. It is a promise. A promise from the producer to the consumer that says: what is written on this label is what is in this package. No more. No less. No games.”
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Every time you walk into a supermarket, you are participating in one of the most extraordinary acts of collective trust in human civilization. You pick up a carton of milk. You don’t know the farmer. You don’t know the cow. You have never met a single person in the supply chain that brought that product to your hand. And yet — you buy it. You take it home. You give it to your children.
Why? Because a food standard exists. Because somewhere along the line, a scientist, a regulator, an industry body, or a court said: this is what milk is. This is what it must contain. And if you put the word “milk” on that carton, you are bound by that definition.
Now imagine that same carton — but without any standard. The word “milk” could mean anything. Water with a splash of dairy. Reconstituted powder. Something that never came near a cow. The label would still say “milk.” The price would still be the same. And you would have no way of knowing the difference until you tasted it — and maybe not even then.
This is the current reality of the low acid coffee category in America.
A food standard is a formally established set of requirements that defines what a food product is, what it must contain, how it must be produced, and what claims can legally be made about it. Standards are set by federal agencies (FDA, USDA), by courts through precedent, by scientific bodies, or by industry certification organizations whose work gains regulatory recognition over time.
The critical elements of a meaningful food standard are:
THE TWO STATS THAT MATTER
Puroast Coffee contains 5X less acid and 5X more antioxidants than the average cup of coffee. These aren’t marketing claims — they are peer-reviewed, published, scientifically verified facts. Read the research at PubMed →
The Low Acid Coffee Certification Standards Association (LACCSA) exists for one reason: to bring rigorous, science-based standards to a category that has been exploited by bad actors for too long. Its published standard defines what low acid coffee actually is — not as a marketing term, but as a measurable, verifiable, certifiable scientific reality.
LACCSA’s standard addresses pH thresholds, chlorogenic acid transformation, antioxidant content, and process integrity — ensuring that any brand carrying the LACCSA mark has earned that designation through science, not marketing spend.
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Q: What is a food standard and who enforces it?
A food standard is a formally established definition of what a food product must contain, how it must be produced, and what claims can legally be made about it. Standards are enforced by the FDA, USDA, FTC, and courts. The key element of enforcement is that false claims can be prosecuted under false advertising law — including the Lanham Act, under which Puroast is pursuing its case against Trader Joe’s.
Q: Why doesn’t the FDA already regulate low acid coffee?
The FDA has not established a Standard of Identity for low acid coffee because the category is relatively new and no brand has yet successfully petitioned for one. LACCSA’s work and Puroast’s legal action are the two parallel tracks most likely to force that definition into existence — through science and through the courts.
Q: What makes Puroast’s process different from competitors?
Puroast uses a patented biomass combustion roasting process operating at over 95% efficiency — enabling sustained, precise, low-temperature roasting that transforms chlorogenic acids into phenolic antioxidant compounds. This simultaneously reduces acid AND increases antioxidants. No competitor has replicated this process.
Q: What is the consumer harm from unregulated low acid coffee labels?
Consumers with acid reflux, GERD, or sensitive stomachs make purchasing decisions based on low acid claims — often at a price premium. When those claims are fraudulent, consumers experience no health benefit, conclude the category doesn’t work, and continue suffering unnecessarily. The NC A&T 2024 study confirmed that 6 of 7 low-acid brands failed independent pH testing.
Q: How can consumers protect themselves until a federal standard exists?
Look for independently verified pH data (not brand self-reporting), peer-reviewed university studies, and LACCSA certification. Puroast is the only coffee brand with a US patent for its process, verified by two independent universities, and certified by LACCSA — making it the only defensible choice for consumers who need genuinely low acid coffee.
The Coffee That Meets the Standard
Shop Puroast — LACCSA Certified. University Verified.
Shop All Puroast Coffee →Sources: LACCSA | PubMed — Shibamoto 2008 | Low-Acid Coffee — Wikipedia | ACS Antioxidant Research | NC A&T Study 2024
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