Making Sense Of Organic Food Labeling

• “100% Organic” – Foods bearing this label are made with 100% organic ingredients and may display the USDA Organic seal.
• “Organic” – These products contain at least 95–99% organic ingredients by weight. The remaining ingredients are not available organically but have been approved by the NOP. These products may display the USDA Organic seal.Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy that display the USDA Organic seal come from animals that are not given any antibiotics or growth hormones.
• “Made With Organic Ingredients” – Food packaging that reads “Made With Organic Ingredients” must contain 70–94% organic ingredients. These products can not bear the USDA Organic seal; instead, they may list up to three ingredients on the front of the packaging.Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may only list organic ingredients on the information panel of the packaging. These products can not bear the USDA Organic seal.

Keep in mind that not all producers go through the rigorous process of becoming certified organic – especially smaller farming operations – as it can be quite costly and time consuming (the reason why organic food tends to cost more than its conventional counterpart).

Many growers and food producers voluntarily adhere to organic farming practices and will gladly share their growing practices with consumers. When shopping at local grocers and farmers’ markets, don’t hesitate to ask the vendors how your food was grown. Also noteworthy – if a producer is in fact Certified Organic by the USDA, the use of the USDA Organic label is voluntary.

Is organic really better for you? There’s much debate on the topic, but consider what your organic food DOESN’T contain – like pesticides, growth hormones and antibiotics – as opposed to whether or not it contains more nutrients. The organic-is-better-for-you debate is for another blog post, another day

Other food labeling terms include: