Organic products offer consumers healthy, pesticide-free and unaltered foods. The USDA states that organic practices increase the focus on renewable resources, soil and water conservation, and management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological balance. The USDA National Organic Program enforces strict standards to ensure that the organic foods you purchase are properly labeled and safe.
Definition of Organic
According to the USDA, organic foods are agricultural products -- including fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, and dairy -- produced by farmers who recognize and emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality. The use of natural plant nutrition and traditional cultivation methods, such as crop rotation, lets farmers work to maintain biological diversity of crops and replenish soil fertility naturally.
Organic Facilities
The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 required the U.S. to develop standards for organically produced products. This act, along with National Organic Program regulations, requires that organic products come from farms and facilities that are certified by a state or private entity that has been accredited by the USDA. To become certified, a facility must submit an organic system plan that describes all production practices and substances used during production. It must also describe how it will prevent organic and nonorganic product contact.
Production and Handling Standards
According to the National Organic Program regulations, all crop production, wild crop harvesting, organic livestock management, and processing and handling of organic agricultural products must be done without pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers, or sewage-sludge-based fertilizers. All animals must be fed organic feed and must be given access to the outdoors. Animals cannot be given antibiotics or growth hormones. The use of genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, and sewage sludge is prohibited during production and handling of organic products.
Organic Food Labels
USDA National Organic Program product labeling is based on the amount of organic ingredients in a product. If a food is made with 100 percent organic ingredients, its labeling can state that it is 100 percent organic, and it can display the USDA organic seal. A product that is labeled as organic must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients. These products may also display the USDA organic seal. If a product is made with at least 70 percent organic ingredients, it is allowed to say that it's made with organic ingredients and list up to three of these ingredients on the main package label, but cannot use the USDA organic seal. Foods containing less than 70 percent organic ingredients can only use the term organic to identify the specific organic ingredients on their ingredients lists.
