What You Should Know About Organic Foods - Healthy Eating Series | 8/03/2008
By Debra Mazda
Toward a Healthier You!
What does it mean when foods are called “organic”? There has finally been a new seal issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to designate foods that are certified organic. It took 10 years to create the standards for this certification, and it should help clear up some of the mystery in defining true organic products.
The only foods that will qualify for the seal are those that are at least 95% organic. That means produced with the use of growth hormone, antibiotics, most pesticides, and toxic fertilizers. The rules take effect on October 21, 2008, but it could take a number of months after that to start seeing the stickers in grocery stores.
Until now it was up to the consumer to sort through often confusing product information to decide if an item was truly organic. Regulation had been left up to states and private organizations.
The new guidelines will place foods in one of the following categories:
1) Food that is 100 percent organic may carry the new “USDA organic” label and say “100% organic.”
2) Food that is at least 95 percent organic may carry the new seal.
3) Food that is at least 70 percent organic will list the organic ingredients on the front of the package.
If a product is less than 70 percent organic, the organic ingredients may be listed on the side of the package but cannot say “organic” on the front.
