Hi BW,
Yes this is fairly recent news and continues the trend of amalgamation that is so common in the industry.
Some of the VI Spring such as the Coronet are fairly reasonable when you consider the amount of hand building that goes into them for those where how they feel “about” the mattress is just as important as how they feel “on” the mattress (see post #2 here and post #2 here).
There are not a lot of mattresses like this and of course lower cost mattresses that use similar materials may not have the same degree of hand building or craftmanship in the construction. This may not change how you feel “on” them in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) but it may change how you feel 'about" them.
For most people a mattress is not a luxury item but a utilitarian item that is designed to perform a specific function and past a certain point the function it performs may be subject to the law of diminishing returns.
These are certainly among the most “natural” and “safe” materials available but in some cases among the most costly. If latex is a significant part of the mattress then the cost of hand building can be reduced (even though latex itself is among the more costly types of foam). There is more about the different types of latex including organic versions in post #6 here and post #2 here which may help you decide whether organic is worth it to you. In most cases organic is a “personal” choice based on lifestyle and beliefs and not so much a choice based on the “safety” or performance of the materials. The importance of organic would depend on the person.
There is an increasing number of sources for organic latex as the number of Dunlop manufacturers that make it increases. Some of them are significantly less costly that what you are looking at but of course may also not have the thick layers of natural fibers or the same type of hand building methods that are in the more premium versions. The certification itself adds to the cost of the product regardless of any safety or performance benefits that may be attached to it vs 100% natural Dunlop that is not certified as organic.
I’m not sure if you’ve seen this but the Los Angeles area list in post #2 here includes several retailers or manufacturers that make or sell mattresses that have organic latex and fibers as well as latex that is all natural if the actual certification isn’t as important to you. Looking through their websites and a few phone calls should provide you with some good options.
Phoenix