So, What Does This All Mean?

So, we hear the word organic and what are we to think? I assumed that it was healthy, but I really didn't know much more than that. If fruits, vegetables, and meats are to be considered organic by the USDA, those products must have come in little or no contact with synthetic properties during its growth and production. This means no growth hormones, pesticides, or other chemical agents. This also refers to the way livestock are treated. Apparently, many of the animals that we eat are treated so poorly and given food that they are not naturally suppose to eat, just so they can grow larger, faster. This, in turn, allows the farmer to make more money, quickly. This sounds like more money, more problems to me and is a topic I'd like to look into and discuss further in a future blog.

How do we know which foods are organic and which are not? The USDA has created an organic label that is printed on the front packaging of produce and processed foods or may appear on a sign above your favorite fruits and veggies in your grocer's produce section. In order to carry the organic label, a food must be at least 95% organic. For products containing at least 70% organic ingredients, the packaging cannot display the organic label, but may say "made with organic ingredients" and may list those ingredients on the front of the packaging. For those products that are less than 70% organic, the word "organic" may only appear in the ingredients section, specifying those ingredients as such.

Ok. I think I got it. So organic is natural? No. Different. What? Many food manufacturers will use the word "natural" on their packaging to allure consumers trying to make a healthy difference in their lives, or at least that is the way it appears to me. The word "natural" is not recognized by the FDA or USDA. These foods may use plant and animal products, but those ingredients are not necessarily organic. There are no legal repercussions for this misleading marketing, however, it is frowned upon. Wow. That is sad and unfortunate.

With this new found knowledge, I wish you happy shopping during your next visit to your local grocery store.

Have a Healthy Day,

Jessica 

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3004443&acct=nopgeninfo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_foods