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.

Eggs

Growing up I never liked eggs. I think I was mostly given scrambled eggs or omelets. I've just never liked the texture so I avoided eating eggs. Last semester at Queens College, I took my first cooking class. We cooked eggs in a variety of ways including hard boiled, soft boiled and poached. I had never tried poached eggs before but I love them now. I had to practice making them at home. Our final exam for the class was cooking our own eggs Benedict. I have been ordering poached eggs when I eat out and cooking it at home as well. I like them with toast and a side of hash browns.

I believe in using my choices as a consumer to support farming and agriculture practices that I support. I buy organic, free-range/cage-free, humane verified, and non gmo whenever possible. So the eggs I buy from the local grocery store usually look something like this:

The recipe for poached eggs that I was given in class and have been following at home is as follows:
The Perfect Poach
-2 large eggs
-1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar

Break the eggs into individual cups. Fill a pot halfway with water. Add vinegar, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Swirl water in the pan creating a whirlpool or vortex. Pour the eggs into the vortex, remove pot from heat and cover with a lid. Allow the eggs to sit for 3-4 minutes. White should be set or firm, yolk should be giggly and runny.

This morning I made breakfast: Poached eggs with whole grain toast, a hash brown and banana slices

As I continue to cook and learn about food I have found I also like my eggs over-easy. It took me a week or so to get the flipping right but over-easy eggs are quick and may be easier than poached.

Get a frying pan hot with butter. When the butter stops bubbling add one egg. I tilt the pan to keep the egg in on spot on the edge. The hard part is flipping which I got down with a bit of practice. some pepper and toast go great with over easy eggs.