Understanding Food Labels: ORGANIC defined

The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 created the National Organic Standards Board. This board defined organic and set up a certification system for organic growers and handlers. Today the USDA strictly regulates what foods can use the organic label. Crops, livestock and processed products can all be labeled as organic if they follow specific standards. From the USDA website:

Organic crops: The USDA organic seal verifies that irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, and genetically modified organisms were not used.

Organic livestock: The USDA organic seal verifies that producers met animal health and welfare standards, did not use antibiotics or growth hormones, used 100% organic feed, and provided animals with access to the outdoors.

Organic multi-ingredient foods: The USDA organic seal verifies that the product has 95% or more certified organic content. If the label claims that it was made with specified organic ingredients, you can be sure that those specific ingredients are certified organic.

The USDA regulates the following labels:

100% Organic:  
- All ingredients must be certified organic
- Any processing aids must be organic
- Product labels must state the name of the certifying agent on the information panel
-If a product is 100% Organic it will often be labeled to include the 100% if it is a product that included multiple ingredients

Organic:
- All agricultural ingredients must be certified organic, except where specified on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances
- Non-organic ingredients allowed per National List may be used, up to a combined total of five percent of non-organic content (excluding salt and water). 
- Product labels must state the name of the certifying agent on the information panel

To earn this label, products must be made up of at least 95% organic ingredients.








The USDA regulates the use of these other labels as well:

Made With Organic: Multi-ingredient agricultural products in the “made with” category must meet these criteria: - At least 70 percent of the product must be certified organic ingredients (excluding salt and water). - Any remaining agricultural products are not required to be organically produced but must be produced without excluded methods (see page 1). - Non-agricultural products must be specifically allowed on the National List. - Product labels must state the name of the certifying agent on the information panel. May state “made with organic (insert up to three ingredients or ingredient categories).” Must not include USDA organic seal anywhere, represent finished product as organic, or state “made with organic ingredients.” Must identify organic ingredients (e.g., organic dill) or via asterisk or other mark.

Natural: As required by USDA, meat, poultry, and egg products labeled as “natural” must be minimally processed and contain no artificial ingredients. However, the natural label does not include any standards regarding farm practices and only applies to processing of meat and egg products. There are no standards or regulations for the labeling of natural food products if they do not contain meat or eggs.

Free-Range: This label indicates that the flock was provided shelter in a building, room, or area with unlimited access to food, fresh water, and continuous access to the outdoors during their production cycle. The outdoor area may or may not be fenced and/or covered with netting-like material. This label is regulated by the USDA.

Cage-Free: This label indicates that the flock was able to freely roam a building, room, or enclosed area with unlimited access to food and fresh water during their production cycle.

Grass Fed: Grass-fed animals receive a majority of their nutrients from grass throughout their life, while organic animals’ pasture diet may be supplemented with grain. Also USDA regulated, the grass-fed label does not limit the use of antibiotics, hormones, or pesticides. Meat products may be labeled as grass-fed organic.

In the past decade, many consumers have become concerned with where there food comes from. Non-profit organizations have started regulating certain issues that the USDA doesn't address. I repeat, these labels are NOT regulated by the US government but by non-profit organizations. Most of these groups have been around for years now and I believe them to be reliable. 

The Non-GMO Project: 
-An Action Threshold of 0.9% is used. This is in alignment with laws in the European Union (where any product containing more than 0.9% GMO must be labeled)
-Absence of all GMOs is the target for all Non-GMO Project Standard compliant products. Continuous improvement practices toward achieving this goal must be part of the Participant’s quality management systems.
-Rigorous trace ability and segregation practices are required to ensure ingredient integrity through to the finished product.

Certified Humane:
-Supported by the ASPCA and Center for Food Safety 
-Strict standards spelled out for each type of livestock

The Leaping Bunny:
-International organization that worked to get Europe's ban on animal testing
-Cruelty free products that have not been tested on animals, whose ingredients have not been tested on animals
-Online search engine for certified companies





The labels are intended to help consumers make informed decisions. It's important to know what we are buying, what practices our money is supporting and what chemicals we are putting in our bodies.

Whole Foods Markets and PBS have partnered to help educate consumers about buying organic foods through the Fantastic Organic website which serves as a resource for recipes and healthy eating tips.