Confused about what is organic and what is not? No worries, there is a lot of information and classifications that makes it a bit confusing to know what is truly organic.
There are many lingering questions when it comes to organic food like, what makes it organic and is it safer than conventional foods? These unanswered questions are some of the reason why people are still purchasing conventionally produced foods instead or organic foods.
Here are the answers to some of these lingering questions.
What makes a food organic? When a product is organic, it is referring to the way in which it was produced.
With organic food, farmers do not use conventional methods of fertilization or preventing livestock disease.
Instead of using weed killers, organic farmers may use manure or other natural fertilizers to hinder weed growth.
Using such methods reduces pollution and conserves water and soil.
How do I know if my food is organic? When at the market the only way to know that your food is organic is by a label produced by the U.
S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
When the USDA sticker appears on your food you can rest assure that is has past governmental standards and is certified organic.
So, if you go to purchase food that claims to be organic, if it does not have the USDA sticker you can be sure they are green washing.
The USDA sticker provides consumers with the comfort of knowing that the food was produced and processed according the USDA standards and is at least 95% of the food's ingredients are organically produced.
100% organic vs.
organic vs.
made with organic ingredients? This is where many people get confused about how organic their food is.
When products say they are 100% organic this means that the product is completely organic or made of all organic ingredients.
When it simply says organic, this means that the product is at least 95% organic.
When a product says, made with organic ingredients, it means that 70% of the ingredients are organic.
These products cannot bare the organic seal.
My product says 'All-Natural', does this mean it's organic? When a product says it is all-natural it means that less than 70% of the product is organic.
They cannot use the words organic on the product label so words like "all-natural" and "hormone-free" are used instead.
Is organic food better for me? It is hard to answer this question because it is still be debated.
There are some out there that say because there are no pesticides being used it is safer, less pesticides being used on food the less there are going into the body.
However, some say that there are natural toxins making its way into organic foods.
There is still a lot of research needed in order to conclude which is better when it comes to pesticides and natural toxins.
In terms of nutrients, some claim that organic foods contain higher levels of vitamin C, certain minerals and antioxidants.
These are small increases and up to the consumer to decide if, these small differences will make a larger impact on their overall health.