How to tell if you are really buying organic

You want to do the right thing for your toddler. You want to protect the environment. And you are willing to pay extra for it. Yet, when you pick that box of crackers with colorful graphics and catchy slogans, you are not sure if at $3.49 the crackers it contains are really organic.

You can take comfort in the fact that you are not the only one with this dilemma. And the good news is that the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) has now established labeling guidelines for organic food. Still, there can be a lot of confusion. The devil, as they say, is in the details; so you need to fully understand these guidelines before you can make an informed decision about your organic food purchase.

The USDA NOP has outlined three different types of labeling requirements based on the percentage of organic ingredients in a product:

Agricultural products labeled “100 percent organic” and “organic”
Processed products labeled “made with organic ingredients”
Processed products that contain less than 70 percent organic ingredients

Foods in the first category contain at least 95% organically produced ingredients(excluding water and salt). You can easily recognize them by this USDA organic certification seal on the package. Any remaining product ingredients must consist of nonagricultural substances approved on the National List including specific non-organically produced agricultural products that are not commercially available. Also, the side panel will explicitly show a list of organic ingredients and other non-agricultural substances.Here is an example from Earth’s Best (we obviously like their products!). Also notice that the name of the certifying agent must be shown on the side panel.

Foods in the second category must contain at least 70% organic ingredient. They do not show the USDA organic certification seal. However, they can claim that the food is “made with organic ingredients”. They can list upto three organic ingredients or food groups on the main panel. The side panel should show a list of organic and non-organic ingredients and the name of the certifying agent. Here is another example from Earth’s Best:

Foods in the third category cannot use the term “organic” anywhere on the main display panel. However, they may identify specific ingredients that are organically produced on the side information panel. They cannot show the USDA organic certification seal anywhere on the package.
Here are a few useful links for more information:

How to Choose Organic Baby Products: A Knol by Erica Jones
Certified organic label guide: an article on Organic.org
Natural and organic foods: a good article on USDA.gov

What kind of questions do you face when you go shopping for organic foods? What is your experience in the aisles when you browse the various products?

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