Organics
What is the issue here?
The increased popularity of consuming organic food (or those made with organic ingredients) has created a convoluted idea of what eating organically really means. For some, this means buying food grown without pesticides. But for others, it may mean buying food that is grown in a sustainable environment, or food that isn't genetically modified, or is grown locally... Because of these varied ideas of what organic means, the USDA has created organic certification guidelines called the National Organic Program to regulate organic food.
Why is this important?
Not all organic foods are created equal, and the varied ideas of what organic is can be misleading. Under the USDA guidelines, some organic labeled food can still contain pesticides, processed ingredients, and genetically modified organisms. In order to clarify, there are three main categories of organic food that the USDA demands be labeled as such:
"100% Organic": Can only contain organic ingredients, meaning no antibiotics, hormones, genetic engineering, radiation or synthetic pesticides or fertilizers can be sued. The products can display the USDA organic logo and/or the specific certifying agent's logo.
"Organic": Contains 70-95% organic ingredients, with the balance coming from ingredients on the approved National List. These products can also display the USDA organic logo and/or the certifier's logo.
"Made with Organic Ingredients": Must be made with at least 70% organic ingredients, three of which must be listed on the package and the balance must be on the National List. These products may display the certifier's logo but the USDA organic logo.
How does this effect you?
Buying organic labeled food in the grocery store means that you may still be buying food with processed ingredients, hormones, and pesticides. Remember that the only true way of buying organic products is buying those with the 100% organic label.
While there is still benefit in buying USDA defined organic products, it is important to realize that these standards may differ from what you expect organic food to be. Eating sustainably, naturally, and organically are not always the same thing. In fact, many of the companies that produce popular organic products are large scale industrial farms. Because of this, the best thing to do is research where your organic labeled food comes from in order to be sure that you agree with how your food was made.
The increased popularity of consuming organic food (or those made with organic ingredients) has created a convoluted idea of what eating organically really means. For some, this means buying food grown without pesticides. But for others, it may mean buying food that is grown in a sustainable environment, or food that isn't genetically modified, or is grown locally... Because of these varied ideas of what organic means, the USDA has created organic certification guidelines called the National Organic Program to regulate organic food.
Why is this important?
Not all organic foods are created equal, and the varied ideas of what organic is can be misleading. Under the USDA guidelines, some organic labeled food can still contain pesticides, processed ingredients, and genetically modified organisms. In order to clarify, there are three main categories of organic food that the USDA demands be labeled as such:
"100% Organic": Can only contain organic ingredients, meaning no antibiotics, hormones, genetic engineering, radiation or synthetic pesticides or fertilizers can be sued. The products can display the USDA organic logo and/or the specific certifying agent's logo.
"Organic": Contains 70-95% organic ingredients, with the balance coming from ingredients on the approved National List. These products can also display the USDA organic logo and/or the certifier's logo.
"Made with Organic Ingredients": Must be made with at least 70% organic ingredients, three of which must be listed on the package and the balance must be on the National List. These products may display the certifier's logo but the USDA organic logo.
How does this effect you?
Buying organic labeled food in the grocery store means that you may still be buying food with processed ingredients, hormones, and pesticides. Remember that the only true way of buying organic products is buying those with the 100% organic label.
While there is still benefit in buying USDA defined organic products, it is important to realize that these standards may differ from what you expect organic food to be. Eating sustainably, naturally, and organically are not always the same thing. In fact, many of the companies that produce popular organic products are large scale industrial farms. Because of this, the best thing to do is research where your organic labeled food comes from in order to be sure that you agree with how your food was made.
