Is this really organic? Should I care?
May 11, 2008
So, you’ve decided to go organic. You go down to the grocery store and proudly fill your cart with all these lovely products shouting ORGANIC in bold colors, and it makes you feel better.
As it should. Well, at least it should if those products are REALLY organic. The problem is that they might not be all organic at all.
Organic food has the following benefits:
- Grown or raised by a producer whose methods are in balance with nature, and do not harm or destroy the environment.
- The farmer is committed to the environment and the quality of his produce and fostering healthy soil and growing conditions.
- Land on which organic food is grown has been free of toxic and chemical pesticides and fertilizers for three years prior to certification.
- Sustainable farming practices arte in use, like crop rotation to allow fields to recover from year to year, and cover crops are planted to add nutrients to the soil and hold back weeds.
- Organic meat, poultry and egg products come from farms that do not administer antibiotics or hormones, use organic feed, and give animals access to the outdoors.
- Processed food has been minimally processed, with no artificial ingredients, preservatives, radiation or genetically modified organisms.
So, how do you know?
Ask. Ask the farmer at the farmer’s market, the local grocer or the butcher if their food is organic. Read the labels, especially on packaged foods.
Only USDA certified-organic foods are allowed to use the word “organic” in the product name.
BUT, organic ingredients can be listed on the packaging of products that are not organic (for instance, “contains organic barley”).
In addition, if a company is certified as an organic producer, it can use the word “organic” in its company name, even on products the company makes that are not organic.
Regulation
Since 2002 Organics have been regulated by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program.
The National Organic Standards Board defines organic agriculture as “an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.”
All that said, the regulations are getting stretched now that big business is getting interested in providing organics to the customers. The Organic Consumers Association tells us about these “sneak attacks” to try to bring more conventional ingredients into organic products.
Oh, and speaking of regulation, you may find farmers at the local market who bristle at the idea that their produce is not worthy of notice because it’s not organic. The fact is tht getting certified can be prohibitively expensive for a small farmer, and some have simply opted out. They grow their produce as if it were certified though, and they will happily share with you how their produce is raised. Some farmers use the natrual certification instead for this reason.
A recent article in the Loudount Times noted “To be certified organic, a farmer must go through a rigorous certification process by the United States Department of Agriculture, typically a three-year initial process with certified agents and inspectors studying the land, extensive documentation and daily record-keeping. In 2002, the USDA established the program to federally regulate farming with no chemical substances.”
To buy organic or not is still a good question. Automatically buying something because it says organic on the label is probably not the best answer. You still have to think about your purchases and know where they come from and what’s in them. Take the time to educate yourself about local products and make your choices based on what is healthy for you.
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