Organic ingredients have grown increasingly popular over the past two decades, thanks to strict USDA guidelines addressing soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control as well as no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors being added during processing.
However, choosing organic doesn’t guarantee a healthier diet – many organic products may still contain high amounts of sugar, salt and fat.
Better Health
Opting for organic ingredients has far-reaching ramifications on both you and your family’s health. Organic certification ensures that any food products sold to you have been produced without synthetic chemicals; over time this reduces exposure to potentially hazardous materials that could negatively affect long-term health outcomes.
Organic regulations also forbid livestock or poultry from receiving hormone injections, guaranteeing you natural meat and dairy options from grocery stores or farmers markets.
When you see the USDA organic seal on a product, it indicates that all agricultural ingredients used are certified as 100% organic – it’s the highest level of certification available! In order to use it themselves, businesses must set up an organic only production line and implement special procedures to prevent cross-contamination with non-organic ingredients.
Environmentally Friendly
Organic ingredients have become an increasingly popular trend for good reason – beyond personal health considerations alone. When you purchase and cook with organic products, you are helping support more eco-friendly food practices which reduce environmental impact.
Nonorganic food products are typically manufactured using chemicals that use synthetic fungicides, herbicides and insecticides that leave harmful residues behind on and in your food. Consuming such nonorganic items over an extended period can do harm both to you and our planet.
Organic produce and meat are grown and produced without using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, or genetically modified components – which helps preserve biodiversity while also supporting local economies.
To qualify as organic foods, packaged products must contain 95% or more certified organic ingredients. To be labeled organic, products must either have only 100% certified organic ingredients, or all their components be certified organic by a USDA-accredited certifier – such as the “organic” seal on their package displaying their certifier’s name and seal.
Better Taste
“Organic” claims can be misleading on food packaging. But organic produce, grains and meat tend to have more flavor compared to conventionally farmed ones due to local farmers growing and harvesting food as soon as it ripens versus shipping thousands of miles with unripened produce in boxes before harvest. Plus producers use natural substances instead of irradiation and preservatives – all benefits that add up for better tasting produce, grains and meat products!
When shopping packaged food products, look for products with the USDA organic seal to verify they contain at least 95% organic ingredients and no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers; additionally they must not contain antibiotics, growth hormones or GMOs.
Search products marked “made with organic” to find those containing at least 70% organic ingredients (excluding salt and water). Although they don’t carry an official USDA seal, the ingredients should still be listed on the ingredient list as organic ingredients. Also consider joining a co-op or community supported agriculture that can offer lower prices on organic food options.
Ethical Animal Welfare
Organic food is produced by farmers adhering to certain standards established by the National Organic Program (NOP), such as restricting synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, forbidding GMO use, providing sufficient outdoor space for animals, and not using antibiotics or growth hormones in any form.
Organic farms tend to be smaller in scale than their conventional counterparts, so choosing organic ingredients helps support local farmers while strengthening community resilience and economic diversity.
“100% organic” labels indicate that all ingredients used are certified organic. A product may also be labeled “made with organic” if at least 70% of its ingredients are organic; in this instance, at least 70% must be listed on its ingredient list as being certified organic by an independent certification body such as NOP. Both labels carry their respective seals from USDA.
Consumers typically assume the organic label indicates high animal welfare standards; however, according to Verain et al.’s recent study on menu choice by consumers with regard to sustainability measures they place a strong value upon.
