Organic Food Defined
What Does It Take to Call a Food Organic
It would appear that organic food production and consumption has become a hot trend in recent times, with the organic food industry averaging 15 to 21% growth per year since 1997 (when comprehensive data became available). Mainstream supermarkets are setting up organic food sections, and major food suppliers are jumping onto the bandwagon by offering organic versions of their popular products.
The curious part is that what we now call organic farming is actually centuries old. Up until recently all food was organic, although it was not known as such. Traditional farming methods were simply the conventional way of doing things. It was the relatively recent introduction of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, as well as antibiotics, growth hormones, and related processing techniques, that created a new form of food that is now called, ironically, conventional. Organic food is treated as the non-conventional approach.
As people become more knowledgeable about the effects of non-natural food processing, they are driven to seek out foods that are produced using time-honored and less industrial practices. Hence, the growth of the organic trend, which is really just a return to tried-and-true methods that have been used for millennia.
Organic Food Defined
The term organic is credited to Lord Northbourne, who introduced it in his book Look to the Land, published in 1940. He believed that natural methods of producing food are part of a broader holistic approach to living and interacting with the land. He referred to modern techniques as chemical farming, which he considered incompatible with a healthy and balanced way of life.
When referring to food production in the U.S., organic practices include the following:
- Promote sustainability for both farmland and the surrounding environment
- Encourage soil and water conservation
- Reduce pollution
- Promote the healthy and humane treatment of animals
- Dictate a minimal use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers
- Avoid the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides
- Rotation of crops
- Use of mulch or manure to control weeds
- Feed animals with organic feed and give them room to move around
- Control animal disease using clean housing, rotational grazing, and a balanced diet
- Detailed record keeping
- Using fields and soil that have been free from chemical application for a specified number of years (usually three or more)
U.S. Federal Standards
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) maintains the National Organics Program (NOP), which went into effect in 2002 and defines standards for organic foods. Food producers selling more than $5000 of organic food per year must be USDA certified to label and sell their foods as organic. Those selling less than $5000 per year do not have to be certified, but they must still meet the USDA standards if they wish to label and sell their food as organic.
- The NOP specifies that completely organic foods can be labeled “100% Organic.” These are usually single-ingredient foods like fruits, vegetables, and eggs.
- If foods contain some non-organic ingredients, they can be labeled “Organic” as long as at least 95% of the ingredients are organic.
- Foods containing at least 70% organic ingredients can display “Made with organic ingredients” on their labels.
Certifying Agencies
It is important to remember that while the USDA has established standards for organic food, it does not certify food producers itself. Instead, it accredits various state and private organizations, as well as individuals, as certifying agents who perform the actual certification process. Foreign organizations are also certified by the USDA to guarantee that organic standards are met by foods imported into the U.S.
The Department of Agriculture in a number of states has been accredited and can perform the certification process directly. Organic producers can also turn to private organizations to get certified. Some of the more established organizations include the California Certified Organic Farmers; Quality Assurance International; the Organic Trade Association; and the Organic Crop Improvement Association.
These certifying agencies cannot offer consultative services to coach food producers on how to achieve organic status.
Maintaining Standards
The organic food industry originally consisted of small, local farmers whose reputation for truth and integrity was the key to developing trust with their customers. Since those times, organic food has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Inevitably, pressure now exists from major food manufacturing interests to compromise on the standards in order to lower costs and increase profit margins.
Critics of the USDA contend that standards have been relaxed, and that some of the organic certifying agencies—including a couple of the ones listed earlier—have compromised on their standards in order to grow the industry and serve the desires of major food processing interests. Thus, the tension between economic interests and the desire to keep the standards pure will continue to fuel controversy.
Although many consumer advocacy groups are working hard to stay aware of conflicts of interest, it is ultimately up to consumers to perform sufficient investigating to determine if the foods they buy meet their own standards. Interestingly, the best approach to achieve that goal might be to return to the practice of dealing only with local farmers who are known and trusted.
References:
Look to the Land (1940) by Lord Northbourne
mayoclinic.com article on organic food, accessed on Sept. 7, 2009
organicfoodprocessing.org page on certification agencies
National Organics Program (NOP) web site as of Sept. 7, 2009
qai-inc.com as of Sept. 7, 2009
organicconsumers.org as of Sept. 7, 2009
National Organic Program logo
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