A lot of this blog will pertain to ways to decrease the amount of toxins in our lives. One way commonly known to do that is by going organic. But there’s also a lot of consumer confusion over what organic really is. So, what does organic really mean?
By definition, according to Merriam Webster organic means:
1) of, relating to, or derived from living organisms (so it’s naturally occurring).
2) of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides organic farming organic produce
3) of, relating to, or containing carbon compounds
So, if organic means natural then are natural and organic products interchangeable? While the words may be interchangeable by definition, unfortunately this isn’t the case when it comes to products we buy. Here’s where the consumer confusion comes in: terms like “natural” and “authentic” are not regulated. While I would like to say that everything with a label that says natural on it is actually organic there are a lot of companies that greenwash their products and say it’s natural for marketing purposes when it is not at all organic. The only way to really know if a product is organic ( unless you grew it yourself) is if it has a certification to verify it. That’s why the organic label on a product is so important to me.
For following this blog, when I refer to organic products on this blog or in discussion, what I usually mean is that it is a certified organic product and when I say natural I mean, well not certified but still natural as opposed to synthetic.
Requirements for organic certifications vary from one country to another (Here’s a List of countries with organic agriculture regulation), and generally involve a set of production standards for growing, storage, processing, packaging and shipping products. In the United States, the USDA certification is the one we are the most familiar with.
Here’s
what the USDA says about their certification:
“USDA certified organic
foods are grown and processed according to federal guidelines addressing, among
many factors, soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control,
and use of additives. …Produce can be called organic if it’s certified to have
grown on soil that had no prohibited substances applied for three years prior to
harvest. Prohibited substances include most synthetic fertilizers and
pesticides.
As for organic meat, regulations require that animals are raised in living conditions accommodating their natural behaviors (like the ability to graze on pasture), fed 100% organic feed and forage, and not administered antibiotics or hormones” (b).
While this description may make us think that organic food means pesticide free that’s not actually the case. What it does mean is that if there are pesticides used, they are natural and not synthetic(c). Not as well known, products other than food can also be certified organic such as supplements, cleaning products, beauty and skin care products as well as textiles (if made from organically grown fibers).
It’s also good to note that not all natural products can be labeled as organic because not all products are made of materials that are gown. For example, both clay and salt are natural products that cannot be certified organic. This is because the only products that can be certified organic a are grown as opposed to mined.
There are 4 categories of organic certified labels that can be marketed to consumers:
- 100% Organic – these products were grown and processed using only organic methods and organic ingredients (excluding water and salt but including processing aids). These products cannot contain any ingredients from the National List of Prohibited Substances. The USDA Organic Seal is permitted on the front panel. Typically, these products are a single ingredient as it’s very difficult to make a product that is 100% organic. (a)
- Organic – this means that the product was produced using only organic methods and contains a minimum of 95% organic ingredients. The other 5% of ingredients must be non-GMO and included on the National List of non-organic ingredients permitted in certified organic agriculture and processing. These products can also carry the USDA Organic Seal on the front of the package. The majority of organic items found in stores today fall within this category. (a)
- Organic Ingredients – Products contain between 70% and 95% organic ingredients. They can use the wording “made with organic” and list up to three ingredients or foods on the front panel. Unlike “organic” and “100% organic,” these products cannot include the USDA Organic Seal anywhere on the package, even though the product is certified organic. The non-organic ingredients in these products must be non-GMO and produced without irradiation or sewage sludge. (a)
- Also, products with fewer than 70% organic ingredients or less can use the word “organic” to specify organic ingredients in the ingredient panel. These products are not permitted to have the USDA Organic Seal or make any front panel claims about organic certification. (a)
So, now we know that if we want an organic product then it must be certified. Organic products are not allergen free, they are not chemical free (H2O is a chemical) but it does include non-GMO. To summarize, organic when referring to plants and plant based products means all- natural. They are naturally grown as opposed to grown with synthetic methods. This is not meant to discourage you from buying organic. I’ll discuss the health benefits of going organic soon! I absolutely still try to choose organic products when possible as a way to reduce toxins in my life. Yes, it is a lot to navigate but understanding and educating ourselves is a great start to a healthy lifestyle.
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