What are organic foods? Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers, or sewage sludge-based fertilizers, bio-engineering, or ionizing radiation. Organic systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, eliminate the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture.

As of October 21, 2002, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has put in place a set of national standards that food labelled organic must meet, whether it is grown domestically or imported from other countries. To determine whether a food meets the USDA's standards, a U.S. Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the necessary rules. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets distributed to stores or restaurants must be certified as well.

Organic foods of all kinds have nutritional characteristics similar to their conventionally produced counterparts. Essentially the same amount of protein, fat, carbohydrate, and dietary fibre in a glass of organic milk is found in a glass of milk produced non-organically.

What types of organic products exist? Organic foods are available in all food groups.

Organic vegetables, fruits, and grains:

• Any certified organic plant product must come from fields that have remained free of chemical application of fertilizers and pesticides for at least three years, and must follow regulations outlined above.
• Foods grown on lands not yet meeting organic standards may receive a "transitional" label if they follow the strict requirements for conversion.
• All crops have specific regulations for post-harvest handling; this results in a paper trail that includes the date of sale, purchase, and origin of the commodity.

Organic dairy products:

• Milk from all dairy animals, including cows, goats, and sheep, may be certified organic. Certified organic products cover nearly the full dairy spectrum, including milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter, cottage cheese, sour cream, ice cream, and more.
• At no time may organic milk be blended or otherwise come into contact with non-organic milk.
• Standard hygiene and dairy safety procedures are followed, including pasteurisation. Certification requires humane treatment of the animals, clean water and bedding, and access to the out-of-doors for pasture, exercise, and fresh air.
• To qualify for organic certification, a dairy farmer must feed 100% certified organic feed produced on land untreated with synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides for at least three seasons prior to harvesting the crop.
• The farm on which the herd is pastured must be certified organic as well. In addition, organic dairy products must be free of drugs, including growth hormones or antibiotics.

Organic meat and poultry:

• Organic provisions require animals to be raised without receiving antibiotics, hormones, or growth stimulants.
• Humane treatment and access to the out-of-doors are stipulated, and the animals must be fed 100% certified organic feed and must graze in certified organic pastures.
• All meat and poultry processing must be done according to strict USDA standards in a plant certified and regularly inspected for organic production. Animals designated for dairy may not be sold for slaughter.
• At the packing plant, animals are isolated from conventional herds and fed organically. Few plants process exclusively organic products, so the entire line is cleaned to organic specifications before any meat or poultry product is run.

Is organic food better-tasting or more nutritious? The USDA makes no claims that organically produced food is better tasting or more nutritious than conventionally produced food, only that it is grown, handled, and processed differently. Many people believe organic produce has an excellent taste; some believe it contains more nutrients. Hundreds of chefs across the country use organic produce because they think it both tastes better and helps create agriculture sustainable for generations to come.

Why does organic food cost more? Organic agriculture is not subsidized to the same extent as conventional agriculture, and organic practices, such as hand weeding, are often labour-intensive, and therefore more expensive. Organic farms and industry are also generally small, so they cannot take advantage of economies of scale. Organic agriculture utilizes conservation practices that protect soil, water, and air; while they do cost more, those who employ and support these practices view the extra cost as an investment in the future.

One way to get the best prices when purchasing organic products is to buy organically grown fruits and vegetables at the peak of the local growing season. In addition, many health food stores, large and small, have bulk sections, particularly for grains; buying products in bulk and dividing among families may also provide a cost savings.

What is organic certification? The certified organic label is the consumer’s guarantee the product has been produced according to the USDA's specific national standards for farmers and food handling organizations.

All these standards must be met for certification:

• A public or private certifying organization conducts annual inspections of farms and food handlers and periodic testing of soil and water to verify that a farm meets or exceeds defined standards.
• Organic farmers are required to keep detailed records of purchases and practices, which inspection agencies examine systematically. All farmers and handlers are also required to maintain written organic management plans.
• Most farms are required to farm organically for at least three years before the food they produce can be labelled certified organic. An exception to this rule are farms that have not been growing organic products for the past three years, but that have not used unapproved chemicals during that time either. All farms, however, must have been under the supervision of a certification agency for the past 12 months before producing food that can be labelled certified organic.
• No prohibited substances may be applied to the land during that period.
• Not more than 5% of any organic-labelled processed food may contain non-organic ingredients (excluding water and salt).

How can I tell whether food has met the USDA's national standards for organic food? Along with the national organic standards, the USDA has developed strict new labeling rules to help consumers know the exact organic content of the food they buy. The USDA organic seal, increasingly common after October 2002, indicates a product is at least 95% organic.

Use of the seal is voluntary, however, farmers who knowingly sell a product labelled organic that fails to meet USDA standards can be fined up to $10,000 for each violation.

Single-ingredient foods

The USDA label may appear on stickers on the packaging, outer skin, or display signs for single-ingredient foods such as produce, milk, meat, eggs, or cheese.

Foods with more than one ingredient

There are four categories for organic foods with more than one ingredient. The first three categories prohibit the inclusion of any ingredients produced using genetic engineering, irradiation, or sewage sludge.

• 100% organic: Only products that have been exclusively produced using organic methods carry this label.
• Organic: At least 95% of the ingredients (by weight, excluding water and salt) in products carrying this label must be organically produced.
• Made with organic: Products with 70 to 95% organic ingredients may display “Made with organic [with specific ingredient or ingredients listed]” on the front panel.
• Less than 70% organic: Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may list these specific items in the ingredient panel.

The actual percent of organic content may be displayed on all products, regardless of label category. However, the rule specifies the actual dimensions that are allowed in displaying the content, and, as noted earlier, the percentage for products with less than 70% organic ingredients can only be displayed in the information panel. In all four labeling categories, the product cannot use both organic and non-organic versions of the same ingredient.

Note that labels may also make other truthful claims about their food content, such as “natural,” “free-range,” and “hormone-free,” but these claims are not interchangeable with “organic.”

What are organic production techniques? Most organic techniques have evolved from traditional agricultural practices, modified to fit appropriate scale, resource availability, and technology. Organic agriculture approaches production with a strong emphasis on building healthy soil and making plants and animals stronger and more resistant to pests and diseases, and with a belief in prevention rather than cure.

Organic production techniques include:

• Using cover crops, such as green manure, to add nutrients and prevent weeds. Green manure—derived from clover, rye, soybeans, and other crops—is plowed into the soil for the purpose of soil improvement. (Green manure does not mean raw manure.)
• Composting manure and plant wastes to help soil retain moisture and nutrients.
• Crop rotation and diversification.
• Cultural and mechanical weed control. Cultural methods may include early or late planting and harvesting, variety selection, plant spacing, companion planting, and clean-up of crop debris. It also includes crop rotation (the practice of alternating the species or families of annual and/or biennial crops grown on a specific field in a planned pattern or sequence to break weed, pest, and disease cycles and to improve soil fertility and organic matter content). Mechanical weed control includes using cultivation equipment, such as a hoe or tractor-mounted cultivator (a plow-type device), to get rid of weeds without disturbing the crops.
• Use of botanical and biological pest control, including beneficial insects to prey on pests.
• Close observation and adoption of natural soil, plant, and wildlife systems.

Organic farmers and gardeners have also been leaders in collecting and preserving heirloom seeds (open-pollinated seeds that were introduced 50 or more years ago) and unusual seed varieties, thereby maintaining genetic diversity and reflecting, says Kenny Ausubel in Seeds of Change, “billions of years of evolution and at least twelve thousand years of human selection for agriculture.”

What is happening in the organic marketplace? There has been an explosion in the demand for organic products, and the varieties available in every food category has increased dramatically in the last decade. The most recent additions include meat and poultry, seafood items, beer and wine, baked goods and snacks, soups and sauces, spices, and more. The number of organic farmers is increasing by about 12% per year.

New trends include organic certification of retail outlets themselves, for the ways they handle, process, and display organic foods. Large food companies are acquiring many small organic manufacturers. General Mills has released a certified organic cereal under its own label. On a smaller scale, organic CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), farm-based programmes selling to consumer subscribers, and direct grocery delivery operations are emerging in many locales. The first certified organic restaurant, Nora’s in Washington, D.C., was announced in 1999.