Organic Labeling

As organic growing practices become more important to the consumer, it's curious to know what it means when something is labeled as "organic." How organic, exactly, is "organic"?

According to the USDA, 100% Organic is anything produced using organic methods, but it excludes salt & water which are not required to be organic. So typically, something labeled "100% organic" can be 95% organic and equally as little as 70% organic -- something like a drink, for example, where water and salt might constitute a considerable amount of the end product can still be labeled "100% Organic".

Any product that is less than 70% organic can still identify and emphasize organic ingredients on their labels, so it's important to really look at what you're buying at the grocery. Something made with one organic ingredient and 10 chemical ingredients can appear to be organic, but may actually be an amalgam of chemicals with a splash of something certified organic.

The best plan is to purchase products with only a few recognizable ingredients and better still to avoid labels all together. Even large-scale operations that grow organic produce is harvested using tractors and other mechanical equipment that run on oil. A layer of exhaust on the produce or on the soil is inevitable in corporate as well as some small-scale farming, but at it's a small fraction compared to the exhaust put out by factories producing plastic, processing, packaging and affixing labels to processed foods.

Regarding small farms: the monetary and temporal cost of becoming "certified organic" is sometimes not worth the expense. As small farmers run on tight budgets and community support, word-of-mouth is a far more valuable currency. For example at our Farmer's Markets, many of the farmers are not certified organic, but they practice organic methods. When people ask about the issue, farmers will kindly explain that if they put the money into becoming certified, the price of their produce will need to reflect that investment to offset the cost of the application. Considering they already must compete with upscale box grocery stores (like Whole Foods), they could face a significant drop in their clientele, a risk that, frankly, isn't worth it. So many of them, while they are not certified, grow both local and organic produce.

Most small farms will give guided tours of their operations to explain their farming practices when asked. Because small farms are more easily damaged by poor reputations and farming communities are gabby,  they are far more likely to nip rumors in the bud and explain their practices rather than chance a poor reputation.

Further, if a small farm chooses to use the labeling they are equally required to be truthful in their advertising; if found misrepresenting their products, they can be handed a hefty fine of $11,000USD, which could easily destroy a small farm, whereas a large corporation could easily risk the fraud with little setback.

So what usually happens is many small farms practice organic farming, but don't bother with the certification. Instead, they use their good name and community standing as valuable currency. The state and federal fines and labels are important for making choices in a box-store environment, but they're not really necessary when you can take a drive no further than your work commute to a farm and see for yourself what you are putting into your body.
Photo credit: earth911