Not to burst anyone's bubble, but organic doesn't always mean healthy. Although organic food is synonymous with health food in some circles, the truth of the matter is that organic is nothing more than a certification – and there are many ways that sellers of packaged foods take advantage of terms like "organic" and "natural" to sell foods that aren't necessarily the best for health.
Organic Food – A Definition
Organic farming means that food has been grown and transported without chemical pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, or other additives, on land that conforms to the standards of an organic certification board. In the United States, it's the U.S. Department of Agriculture that controls the approval process for a farm's produce to be labeled "organic," while other countries like Japan and Australia have their own organic standards and regulatory bodies.
What this means is that organic meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables can only legally be called "organic" if the farm they come from has been checked and certified to produce organic food.
If produce, meats, poultry or milk products are called organic, it means fewer chemical additives (which have been linked to hormone disruption, cancer, and other diseases) and, usually, higher vitamin and mineral content, which is all to the good. Packaged foods, however, are a different story.
Organic Farming vs. Packaged "Organic" Foods
The conditions for labeling packaged foods with the term "organic" are a little different than those on raw food ingredients like meat or produce.
- A product can be labeled "organic" if 95% of its ingredients are organic.
- A product can be labeled "made with organic ingredients" if at least 70% of its contents are organic.
Think that's misleading? The term "all natural" on packaged food products means just about nothing. Phrases like "100% juice" can be used as long as one of the ingredients is 100% juice, and "all natural" is not regulated at all by the FDA.
What's more, even sugar or high fructose corn syrup can be "organic" as long as the sugar cane or corn was grown organically – and they turn up in all kinds of organic packaged food products. But organic sugar or HFCS is little better for health or for waistlines than their conventional counterparts.
Final Notes on Organic Definitions
There's a lot of misleading double-talk out there on packages and in health food stores. A few facts to keep in mind about organic foods:
- "Organic" packaged foods may – and almost always do – contain ingredients that are not organic. Read ingredient lists to be sure what's inside.
- "Organic" is a certification that farmers must pay for. Many farmers' markets sell produce that is organic in all but name. It's well worth asking small farmers how their food is grown.
- "All Natural" is unregulated and is meaningless marketing.
- "Organic" doesn't necessarily make food good for health; nor is conventional food always bad.
It's worth noting words like "free range" and "hormone free" that suggest meat or poultry has been raised more humanely or healthily than conventional beef or chicken farms. Take care: these terms don't mean the same thing as "organic." They have their own regulations and requirements. For instance, animals raised for "free range" meat must be given a certain area to roam in – but that area is often a cement kennel, little better than a cage.
On non-food items like cleaning products and shampoos, "organic" is often used for its chemistry definition. Most carbon molecules are considered "organic" by chemists, so watch for this duplicitous use of the word to sell health food store shampoos and cleaners.
It isn't that organic foods aren't healthy; the dangers of pesticides on conventional produce have been demonstrated and crusaded for many years. But an "organic" label doesn't necessarily make a product healthy, especially where processed and packaged foods are concerned.
Source
Essential Lifestyle Magazine, Lehi, Utah, June 2009.
Victoria Anisman-Reiner - Victoria Anisman-Reiner is a freelance writer with extensive experience in holistic health care and animal training.
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