What Is Organic Food?

Whole or natural food store chains and produce sections have been spreading like wildfire across the country. Organics is one effect of the environmental campaign that has been building momentum for the past few years. The harmful effects of pollution on both human health and the environment have caused more people to be concerned about how their food is grown.

Organic food is a positive step towards a more healthy and sustainable way of living.

Organic food is food that is produced without the use of artificial pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and genetically modified organisms. Growing food organically is considered an environmentally safe and health supportive method of farming and processing food. Using a blend of old and new techniques with scientific research, organic farming not only focuses on producing nutrient rich, toxin free food, but also focuses on protecting land, water, and wildlife from toxins. Weeds and pests are controlled using environmentally sound practices. Organic farming applies to both plant and animal foods.

Due to increase in demand for organic foods, the U.S. Department of Agriculture put in place a national system for labeling organic food in 2002. The governments' standards for organic foods prohibit the use of most synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, genetic engineering, growth hormones, irradiation, antibiotics, and artificial ingredients. Animal products certified as organic must come from livestock that has had access to the outdoors, has not been treated with hormones or antibiotics, and has been reared on organic food.

The USDA uses different labels to identify organic products. Food is labeled 100% organic if it contains 100% organically produced ingredients. While food labeled organic contains not less than 95% organically produced or processed agricultural products. Individual states can continue to maintain their own certification program, but their requirements for labeling a food organic cannot be less strict than the national guidelines.

More and more people are going organic. The demand for healthier food free from dangerous toxins and chemicals is increasing, especially as pollution levels in water and land continue to climb. Even the appearance of mad cow disease in United States livestock has made the public take more of an active interest in how their food is grown. The organic food movement not only sustains human health, but sustains the health of the entire planet.