Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of research on organic farming, organic businesses, and what it means to call something “Organic.” There are all kinds of products and businesses popping up these days that are labeled ‘Green,’ ‘All Natural,’ ‘Organic,’ and ‘Eco-Friendly,’ but what exactly do those labels mean? How do you know that the food you’re eating, the clothes you’re wearing or the beer you’re enjoying are as devoid of chemicals and pesticides as they claim…

Defining Organic

First of all, it’s important to understand how the US government, specifically the USDA, define something as “Organic.” With so much emphasis on organic food these days, it’s logical to think that this information would be readily accessible when visiting the USDA website, and well-organized once found. Sadly, this is not the case.

Located deep within the USDA, the National Organic Program (NOP) (a program under the umbrella of the Agricultural Marketing Service agency) is listed as a program (not an agency or an office) that:

…develops, implements, and administers national production, handling, and labeling standards for organic agricultural products.

Unfortunately for consumers, the NOP site isn’t really designed to answer basic questions about organic products. The site does include a Reading Room with fact sheets that outline the history of the National Organic Standards Board and labeling requirements for organic products, but overall doesn’t really present broad-base consumer information about organic goods.

Within the Reading Room I did find one helpful document – the Organic Labeling and Marketing Information fact sheet. Using this fact sheet, I was able to put find official definitions for 3 types of organic standards:

“100% Organic” – Products labeled as 100 percent organic must contain (excluding water and salt) only organically produced ingredients and processing aids.

“Organic” – Products labeled organic must consist of at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients (excluding water and salt).

“Made with Organic Ingredients” – Processed products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients can use the phrase made with organic ingredients and list up to three of the organic ingredients or food groups on the principal display panel.

While doing this research however, I kept thinking about the fact that the label on my Honest Tea bottle says “USDA Organic,” not 100% Organic. This led me to wonder, does a label that says “USDA Organic” mean that the product it’s certifying is 100% Organic? And if so, why doesn’t it say so on the label?

After digging a little deeper on the NOP site, I found a Labeling Preamble document – the regulatory text defining USDA Organic Labeling – and this informative fact: “…the labeling requirements for “100 percent organic” products are the same as requirements for 95 percent organic products.” Ah ha – mystery solved!

Apparently, the logo (above) can be used on goods that meet both “100% Organic,” and “Organic” certifications – and does not necessarily indicate that the product within is made from fully organic ingredients.? So what’s a consumer to do when they want the assurance that the goods they’re buying are all organic – and not just 95% organic? The difference may seem small, but to some of us, it still matters!

Stay tuned for more on this subject as I explore the meaning of Organic Goods in future posts.

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