The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) sets strict national standards on how any food product must be grown, harvested, prepared and packaged before it is allowed to wear the USDA Organic Seal. Beginning with organic seeds, a crop must use earth-friendly methods that conserve the quality of the soil and water and discourage erosion while encouraging true sustainable land use that naturally supports the biodiversity that makes the ecosystems of earth work together.
Many products don’t begin to meet this standard. In addition, to classify as organic, the farmland must have had three years with zero use of non-organic fertilizers or pesticides before a crop can begin to meet the USDA standard. Even then such marginal items as chemically treated fence posts cannot be used close to an organic field without a barrier to prevent harmful chemicals leeching into the crop-producing soil.
So, what do all the different terms on a label mean? The USDA has very specific standards it applies to what may (or may not) be called "100% Organic": |
