All Natural Food
When it comes to buying foods at the supermarket, anything labeled “organic” seems like a safer option. Organic apples, organic cheese, organic strawberries, and even organic meat seem like a healthier option than anything with the title “GMO” on it. (In fact, many companies choose not to label their products as GMOs, because who would want to buy something like that? However, most people don’t have a clear understanding on what exactly it means for produce to be organic. Of course, a product being organic means that there are no GMOs in it, but what else is there to know about it? In this post, we will go into a deeper dive on (1) what exactly quantifies a product as organic and (2) what that can mean for you and your overall health and nutrition.
As defined by the USDA, any organic crop can be called organic if it has grown on soil that has had no prohibited substances applied to it three years prior to harvest. Of course, this does not mean that no synthetic substances have been used at all; it just means that the substances used have been approved according to a certain criteria. Some of the substances that are not allowed to be used for a crop to be considered organic are potassium chloride and alcohols such as ethanol, magnesium sulfate, to name a few.
The label of organic is slightly different in meats as the process of raising animals is more complex than growing crops. For meat products to be called organic, the animals (such as cows and pigs) must have been raised in natural conditions where they are allowed to show their natural behaviors. One such example would be the ability to graze in pastures as many animals have the ingrained instinct to do so. To be restricted from doing that would make the animal unhealthy and therefore the meat substandard. Not only that, the animals must also be fed 100% organic foliage, making the process much more complicated, as it means that higher-quality foods have to be provided to these animals. Another important part of an animal’s life to ensure that the meat is organic would be the antibiotics and hormones administered to them. While non-organic animals are more loosely restricted and are therefore able to have antibiotics and hormones administered to them, animals raised to produce organic meats are restricted from any administrations.
The range of various kinds of organic foods, especially for processed goods and multi-ingredient foods, may also not be well known. While organic foods are restricted from containing artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors, there may be small exceptions especially when the foods are multi-ingredient. One such example would be the enzymes in yogurt or even the pectin in fruit jams (they’re an essential part of the product). Packaged products are also more difficult to classify with there being two main types:
- “made with organic [specific ingredient or food group]” and
- “made with organic.”
While these two labels may seem like the product is organic, it does not mean 100% of it actually is. When products are labelled “made with organic [specific ingredient or food group],” it means that 70% of the product is made from organic foods, and the remaining 30% is made with ingredients that are produced without using prohibited practices. When products are labelled “made with organic,” it means that they do not hold the official USDA organic seal but rather are identifying the USDA-accredited certifier.
Starting with the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 and now enforced by the USDA through the National Organic Program (NOP), organic foods are continuously regulated to ensure that all standards are met. However, before anyone goes to blindly buy whatever has the USDA label stuck on it, it is important to understand what exactly that label means and whether it is the correct product to buy.