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What are organic foods? Organic refers to agriculture that produces food and products, such as cotton, using methods that respect the balance of nature and create minimal impact on the environment. Organic foods are processed without the use of artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation. Organic is not a claim of “more nutritious” or “residue free.” In April 1995, the U.S. National Organic Standards Board passed this definition:

“Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain, and enhance ecological harmony.”

Organic systems replenish and maintain soil fertility; eliminate the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers; and build biologically diverse agriculture.

Organic foods of all kinds have nutritional characteristics similar to their conventionally produced counterparts. Essentially the same amount of protein, fat, carbohydrate, and dietary fiber 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.
• Some organic produce, particularly tree fruit, requires application of biodegradable natural products to counter disease problems; these products must be approved by the certification agency.
• Some states and agencies allow a “transitional” label for foods grown on lands not yet meeting organic standards.
• 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, yogurt, 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 pasteurization. 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 meats 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 (some states permit a lower percentage) and must graze in certified organic pastures.
• Some certifiers allow medicine to be administered for treatment of a specific malady, but not within 90 days of slaughter.
• All meat and poultry processing must be done according to strict U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards in a plant certified and regularly inspected for organic production.
• 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? Well-balanced soils grow strong healthy plants. Many people believe organic produce has an excellent taste; some believe it contains more nutrients. At this time there is insufficient research to support the claim of a higher nutrient content. 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. To quote Alice Waters, creator of the famous Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, CA:

“Although we’ve been able to have as much cosmetically perfect, out-of-season fruit and vegetables as anyone could possibly want, the flavor, freshness, variety and wholesomeness of produce have been terribly diminished – Organic and naturally raised ingredients happen to be consistent with both what we want for our kitchen and what we want for our community and our larger environment.”

Why does organic food cost more? Organic agriculture utilizes conservation practices that protect soil, water, and air; while these practices cost more, they’re also an investment in the future. Organic practices, such as hand weeding, are often labor-intensive. Organic agriculture is not subsidized to the same extent as is conventional agriculture. Organic farms and industry are still generally small and cannot take advantage of economies of scale.

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 specific 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 labeled 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 oversight of a certification agency for the past 12 months before producing food that can be labeled certified organic.
• No prohibited substances may be applied to the land during that period.
• Not more than 5% of any organic-labeled processed food may contain non-organic ingredients (excluding water and salt).

Who does organic certification? Dozens of public and private agencies throughout the United States and the world certify organic products. Certifying agencies must by accredited by the USDA.

Major agencies certifying organic food in the United States
California Certified Organic Farmers, http://www.ccof.org/

Departments of Agriculture in the following states:

• Arizona, http://agriculture.state.az.us/
• Colorado, http://www.ag.state.co.us/
• Idaho, http://www.agri.state.id.us/
• Kentucky, http://www.kydirect.net/
• Louisiana, http://www.ldaf.state.la.us/
• Maryland, http://www.mda.state.md.us/
• New Hampshire, http://www.state.nh.us/agric/aghome.html
• Oklahoma, http://www.state.ok.us/~okag/main/main.html
• Rhode Island, http://www.farmlandinfo.org/fic/states/rhode_island.html
• Texas, http://www.agr.state.tx.us/
• Washington, http://www.wa.gov/agr/fsah/organic/ofp.htm

Demeter Association, Inc., http://www.demeter-usa.org/

Farm Verified Organic, http://www.ics-intl.com/fvo.html

Northeast Organic Farmers Association (chapters in several Northeast states), http://www.nofa.org/

Organic Crop Improvement Association, http://www.ocia.org/

Organic Growers and Buyers Association, http://www.organic-growers.com/

Oregon Tilth Certified Organic, http://www.tilth.org/

Quality Assurance International, http://www.qai-inc.com/

Other key groups involved with organic issues
Ecological Farming Association (formerly Committee for Sustainable Agriculture), http://www.csa-efc.org/

Community Alliance with Family Farmers, http://www.caff.org/

Mothers & Others for a Livable Planet, http://www.igc.org/mothers/

Organic Farming Research Foundation, http://www.ofrf.org/

Organic Trade Association, http://www.ota.com/

The National Organic Program, http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/index.htm

What about national organic standards? The Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) of 1990, adopted as part of the 1990 Farm Bill, required the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop national standards for organically produced agricultural products to ensure that products marketed as organic meet consistent, uniform standards. The OFPA and the National Organic Program (NOP) require that agricultural products labeled as organic originate from farms or handling operations certified by a state or private agency that has been accredited by the USDA.

In December 1997, USDA published a proposed rule for national standards. It received 275,603 public comments, explaining why and how the rule should be rewritten. In response, a revised proposal was published in March 2000. An additional 40,774 comments were received, many of which were incorporated into the final rule that became effective February 21, 2001. As a result, effective August 2002, there will be consistent standards for all organic products marketed in the United States. This 18-month implementation period was granted to give farmers and handlers the time they needed to comply with the national standards.

The new national organic standards allows four different labeling options based on the percentage of organic ingredients in a product. The first three categories prohibit the inclusion of any ingredients produced using genetic engineering, irradiation, or sewage sludge:

1) 100 percent organic: Only products that have been exclusively produced using organic methods will be allowed to carry a label stating that it is “100 percent organic.”

2) Organic: At least 95 percent of the ingredients (by weight, excluding water and salt) in products carrying this label must be organically produced.

3) Made with organic: Products with 70 to 95 percent organic ingredients may display “Made with organic [with specific ingredient or ingredients listed]” on the front panel. Formerly, the minimum percentage of organic ingredients in products bearing such labeling was 50 percent.

4) Products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients may list these specific items in the ingredient panel.

To help consumers easily identify organic products, the USDA has created a seal that may be used only on products labeled as “100 percent organic” or “organic.”. Use of the seal will be voluntary. 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.

What are conventional agriculture’s environmental impacts? Some consumers have been concerned about the key role agriculture plays in planetary health.

These concerns include:

• We are losing our soil. The United States loses billions of tons of topsoil yearly due to chemical-intensive, single-crop agriculture.
• Our water quality is suffering. The EPA reported that agriculture is the biggest polluter of America’s rivers and streams, fouling more than 173,000 miles of waterways. An Environmental Working Group report estimates that 23 million Americans drink water contaminated with herbicides and that 1,000 deaths occur annually as a result. Water-related issues, such as surface and ground water contamination, top the list of items concerning environmentally sensitive consumers.
• Our children are at risk. According to a National Academy of Sciences study, the regulation and monitoring systems for pesticides are outdated and flawed, needing particular revamping with regard to the risks children face in their diets.
• Chemicals are used today in every stage of commercial food production. Despite applications of nearly one billion pounds of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fumigants in agriculture alone (more yet is used domestically, on golf courses, etc.)—a tenfold increase since 1945—annual crop loss due to diseases and pests has actually doubled. In addition to runoff, some pesticide residue remains in soil for decades.

What are organic production techniques? Most organic techniques have evolved from traditional agricultural practices, modified to fit appropriate scale, resource availability, and appropriate 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? Organic sales have been expanding in double digits for more than a decade, reaching 20% or more annually over the last five years, making it the fastest growing sector of agriculture. Nonetheless, starting from a small base, organic sales have just passed 1% of total food sales. The USDA estimates that the value of retail sales of organic foods in 1999 was approximately $6 billion.

The organic customer base has broadened beyond its initial “baby boomer” constituency. The Hartman Report, a 1996 national study, found that 40% of all households claimed purchase of organic/natural foods or beverages in the past month, primarily in regular supermarket settings. Most supermarkets carry some organic products, though not to the extent found in health food supermarkets and stores.

The variety of organic products 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.

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 programs 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.

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The information presented in VitaminLore is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of U.S. registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications.

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