6 Surprising Facts About Organic Foods - Page 4

Think you know organic? Find out what's behind the label.

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Photo: Nicole Neil/Istock/Photo Illustration

By Brian Clark Howard

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Organic Foods Can Contain Some Non-Organic Ingredients

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture standards, a food product can be labeled as "100% Organic," "Organic," or "made with organic ingredients." To be 100% Organic, the item can only contain organically produced ingredients. "Organic" means that 95% of the ingredients listed must be organically grown.

Except... a few years ago the USDA formalized their list of ingredients that are exempt from the above, as a result of petitions from suppliers alleging that they are too difficult to source in organic forms. So there is a list of 38 ingredients that don't have to be organic even if a food is labeled as such. These include celery powder, sausage casings, some colorings, fish oils, hops and others. The ultimate goal is to have all these ingredients sourced organically, although we are currently in a transition period.

In addition, there is still heated debate about how, and if, organic rules should be applied to other products besides food. The program is overseen by the USDA, which does not have jurisdiction over cosmetics (that's the FDA) or clothing. There are a number of other certification systems that touch on these areas, including fair trade and sweatshop-free, but currently it isn't clear how manufacturers can apply the term "organic" to other things (some have gone so far as to voluntarily meet the food-grade standards, while others argue that different sectors need different rules).

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More Surprising Organic Facts and Myths

Page 1: When organic doesn't always make sense
Page 2: Learn the secret behind many of your favorite organic brands
Page 3: Learn what some farmers think of organic
Page 5: Get the truth about organic yields
Page 6: Is organic really healthier?

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Unfortunately, this all means that even the well-known term "organic" has some limitations. (Yes we know it has a different meaning in chemistry, but this is the term the current movement has inherited.)

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