When we go out and demo our products in stores, we get a lot of tasters who say “OK, this sounds great, but what does organic actually mean?” This is a great question! Trying to get a clear answer from Google will make your head spin. There’s a lot of confusing information out there and we hope to clear some of it up in this post.
The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 laid out an extensive legal definition, the gist of which was that an “organic” product cannot contain any synthetic chemicals, it can’t come from animals treated with synthetic chemicals within the last three years, and it can’t come from land treated with synthetic chemicals within the last three years. Little subparts of this definition are constantly being tweaked, but there are some consistent and general rules you can count on.
Certified organic foods WILL NOT contain:
- Chemical fertilizers or sewage sludge
- Chemical insectides, pesticides, & herbicides
- Antibiotics or added hormones
- Bioengineered or genetically modified ingredients
Also:
- Organic foods cannot be sterilized by irradiation.
- Organic farmers are strongly encouraged to use methods that help conserve soil and water resources.
About the USDA Organic Seal:
The “organic” label and the USDA seal require a third-party certification, so if you see a food with the above logo on its package, you can be sure that the farmer and processor are held accountable to the standards listed above.
To carry the USDA seal, a product MUST contain at least 95% organic ingredients. If it’s completely and totally organic, it will say “100% organic.” If it contains at least 70% organic ingredients, it will say “made with organic ingredients.” Otherwise, it can’t have the word organic or the USDA seal anywhere on its label. Don’t just look for the seal, read carefully too.
Also worth noting:
“Organic” is a claim about how the food is grown and processed. It has not (yet) been proven to confer a better taste or greater nutritional value.
You may have heard that the USDA Organic Seal is a scam. “Scam” is not the right word. The simple fact is that it’s impossible to please everyone with such a broad label.
Purists argue that megafarms and large corporations technically follow the organic rules but still cut corners in terms of the overall well-being of their land and their animals. Some small farmers and processing companies feel the label is unfair because despite being absolutely committed to the principles, they cannot afford certification.
At Ohio Organic Family Farms, we do feel it’s worth the expense to give consumers extra peace of mind about the quality and origin of our milk. However, in the end it all comes down to your personal convictions about your food… the USDA Organic Seal is a helpful tool and we are proud to display it, but it should not necessarily be the end-all of your buying decisions.
SOURCES/LEARN MORE:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/ofp/ofp.shtml
http://www.organic.org/home/faq#faq1
http://usda-fda.com/Articles/Organic.htm
