What is Organic?
The word “organic” refers to the way farmers and food producers grow and process food crops and products, including vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy products, and meat. With the introduction of fish farms, we can now include fish as well, although standards are not in place. Organic farming methods use nonchemical means to fertilize, control weeds, and prevent livestock disease. An organic farmer, for example, may use beneficial insects in the fields to control pests, conduct crop rotations, and spread mulch or manure to discourage weed growth rather than use synthetic chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established an organic certification program that regulates how organic foods are grown, handled, and processed. Any farmer or food manufacturer who wants to sell products labeled as organic must meet USDA standards.
Three Classifications for Organic Foods
- 100 percent organic: These products are completely organic or made of all organic ingredients. This means that all the ingredients were grown or processed without the use of synthetically made chemical pesticides or fertilizers, sewage sludge, or irradiation, and that no ingredients are the product of genetic engineering, which may introduce new allergens, viruses, toxins, and proteins into food crops.
- Organic: These products contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients.
- Made with organic ingredients: These products contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. The organic seal cannot be placed on these packages.
Words like “free-range,” “hormone-free,” and “all natural” are often used on food products and are important descriptors. However, they can also be misnomers and are not the same as organic, as is explained below.
Is Organic Better than Nonorganic?
In a report commissioned by the Food Standards Agency in the United Kingdom, the researchers said that there was no significant difference in nutritional content between food grown organically versus that grown nonorganically (conventionally). The report was released in July 2009 and involved a review of fifty years worth of research on the topic. (Dangour 2009)
Naturally, organic food advocates have research to dispute these findings. In a 2008 study released by The Organic Center, the researchers had focused on the nutrient quality of plant-based organic foods versus nonorganic foods. (Benbrook 2009) To make sure the playing field was equal, they used matched pairs, “crops grown on nearby farms, on the same type of soil, with the same irrigation systems and harvest timing, and grown from the same plant variety.” They reported that “Across all the valid matched pairs and the 11 nutrients included in the study, nutrient levels in organic food averaged 25% higher than in conventional food.” The report was the first major, in-depth review of the published scientific literature on the nutritional benefits of organic food completed since 2003.
Results of a four-year European study also uncovered some impressive benefits of organic foods, showing that fruits and vegetables are more nutritious than conventionally grown food and may contain higher concentrations of heart-healthy antioxidants and anticancer nutrients. Early results of the study found that organic fruits and vegetables contain up to 40 percent more antioxidants than nonorganically grown produce, and that organic milk contains up to 60 percent more antioxidants and healthy fatty acids than conventionally produced milk. (Quality Low Input Food; “Organic Milk”)
The findings of the study were reported by Professor Carlo Leifert of the Tesco Centre for Organic Agriculture based at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom as part of a project funded by the European Union called the Quality Low Input Food project, the largest ever to investigate the pros and cons of organic farming and the food produced. (Leifert) Professor Leifert noted the research suggests that eating organic food is equivalent to consuming an extra portion of fruits and vegetables daily. Given that most people do not eat enough fruits and vegetables per day, this added portion can be a great health advantage.
4 Reasons to Eat Organic
Reasons why people turn to organic foods typically fall into several categories.
- Nutrition: Organic food is reported to be more nutritious than conventionally grown food. Experts report that because organic food is virtually free of artificial ingredients and toxins and is more nutrient rich, it may strengthen the immune system, reduce the risk of cancers and heart disease, improve sleep habits, help children avoid allergens, and promote weight loss.
- Pesticides: Most people buy organic foods because they want to limit their exposure to pesticides. Some studies indicate that children are especially susceptible to pesticides. A study in the Journal Environmental Health Perspectives showed that children are critically vulnerable to the impact of environmental pesticides up to age seven and possibly longer because they lack sufficient levels of an enzyme most responsible for detoxifying pesticides. See Pesticide contamination in food
- Environment. Organic farming methods are designed to benefit the environment by conserving water, replenishing the soil naturally, and reducing pollution.
- Taste: Proponents of organic food insist organic produce tastes better. Regardless of whether produce is grown organically or conventionally, the freshest fruits and vegetables are most likely to have the best taste.
Choosing Organic and Natural Foods
When choosing organic and natural foods from the different food groups, here are the factors you need to consider. Remember, “natural” does not necessarily mean “organic.” In fact, there are no guidelines for use of the term “natural,” and many people mistake foods labeled as natural to mean they are organic or are healthier than other foods. Neither of these assumptions is necessarily true.
Beef, Chicken, Other Meat, and Seafood
- To meet the requirements for organic, meat animals must be fed only 100 percent organic feed and never have been given antibiotics or growth hormones. They cannot be the offspring of cloned animals, and the meat cannot be treated with irradiation.
- Meat and poultry can have labels stating “no hormones administered” or “no antibiotics added” only if the producer can document these claims. These products are not necessarily organic.
- Meat and poultry labeled “natural” or “all natural” contain no artificial ingredients and are minimally processed. However, they are not necessarily organic.
- The terms “free-range” or “free-roaming” can apply to meat, egg, and dairy farming. It means the animals have access to the outdoors, although there are no minimum time or space requirements. The USDA has no specific definition for “free range” beef, lamb, or other non-poultry products; all USDA definitions of “free-range” refer only to poultry. Labeling and claims of “free-range” are unregulated.
- Currently there are no USDA guidelines for organic seafood, although the agency is working on criteria, as is the Canadian government. (Washington Post; Consumer Reports) Worth noting is that much seafood is raised on fish farms and is treated with pesticides, antibiotics, and other chemicals, and the farmed fish are fed food that contains wild fish, which may contain toxins.
Milk and Eggs
- To meet the requirements for organic, milk must come from animals fed 100 percent organic feed. The animals must not have received any antibiotics, prophylactic drugs, or recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) for at least the last year before being brought to market. Recombinant bovine growth hormone is a synthetic, genetically engineered chemical protein hormone that increases milk production.
- Organic eggs must come from hens that are fed 100 percent organic feed and that have never received any growth hormones or antibiotics.
- Eggs classified as coming from “cage-free” or free-range chickens are from animals that are not confined in cages. In the United States, there is no legal definition of free-range chicken eggs, therefore egg produces have no common standards to follow. Cage-free or free-range chicken eggs are not necessarily organic.
Fruits, Vegetables, Beans, and Grains
- Fruits, vegetables, and beans are classified as organic if they have been grown and processed without exposure to synthetic chemical pesticides or fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, or genetic engineering. Organic fruits and vegetables can bear a small USDA seal that says they are 100 percent organic.
- Some breads, cereals, and other grain products are available as organic. However, most cereal and grain crops are treated with pesticides that can accumulate in the grain’s outer layers.
References
Benbrook C, McCullum-Gomez C. Organic vs conventional farming. J Am Diet Assoc 2009 May; 109(5): 809, 811
Consumer Reports: http://blogs.consumerreports.org/health/2010/09/organic-label-on-fish-would-mislead-under-proposed-standards-mercury-and-pcbs.html
Dangour AD et al. Nutritional quality of organic foods: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr 2009 Sep; 90(3): 680-85
Leifert: At http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/86972.php
“Organic milk is cream of the crop”: http://www.qlif.org/grafik/Organic20Milk20Release1.pdf
Quality Low Input Food: Improving sustainability in organic and low input food production systems. At https://www.fibl-shop.org/shop/pdf/hb-1455-organic-food-production.pdf
Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/19/AR2008111903787.html
