What does "organic" actually mean?

The last couple weeks one question has been in the back of my mind:

“What does organic actually mean?”

Everyone knows organic means it’s better for you. It usually costs about 50% more. The food might look or taste slightly different. But if you go and ask anybody, most couldn’t tell you what it actually means.

I haven’t done any research on this yet. But in my mind, organic means: No pesticides, fed real food, no hormones, or fakeness.

I could definitely be wrong but that’s just how I’ve always thought of it.

Now I’m going to do some research and I’ll write the rest of this post. I’ll make sure to give my sources too so you can read it for yourself.

What is “Organic”?

First thing I have learned is what the Organic labels mean on food.

(I’m talking about the United States just so you are aware)

“Organic” must be certified by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and it must follow their guidelines. I’ll get into those guidelines and explain them later.

These are all the oragnic-like labels you will see:

100% Organic — Every ingredient is certified organic except water and salt. Salt is generally alright. But water is a scary one — It can still be filled with contaminants. But 100% Organic is your best buying option.

Organic — Only 95% of ingredients must be organic. The other 5% can be anything.

Made with Organic Ingredients — 70-94% of ingredients are organic. The rest can be anything.

Contains Organic Ingredients — Less than 70% of ingredients are organic. This label is NOT USDA certified. It can mean anything. This label is still truthful if 0.01% of ingredients are organic. Watch out for this.

This information is from https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means (2012 unfortunately)

I also talked to ChatGPT a bit about being organic. It gave me some rules:

1) No synthetic pesticides or herbicides

You may use natural forms, but no synthetic forms of pesticides or herbicides. Natural forms of these include crop rotation, helpful insects, or organic-approved substances.

Organic-Approved Substances is a little scary. From a quick Google search, here’s what “Organic-Approved” could potentially be:

There’s a lot of extra stuff that can still be put onto crops. Some of these are not to worry about. But others like Copper, Boric Acid, and Oils could be a little nerve-wracking.

These still aren’t as bad as the synthetic versions obviously. The best option would be to grow your own food or find a local farmer, ask what they use, and make a decision from there.

2) No Synthetic Fertilizers

Synthetic Fertilizers also include Petroleum-based, and sewage sludge (human waste) so that’s a huge plus.

Natural Fertilizers like bone meal, manure, or compost are allowed. These are good things.

The land must have NO prohibited substances for the last 3 years for it to be certified organic.

3) No GMOs, ever.

GMOs are not allowed in organic products. Not when they are seeds or any other time.

4) Animal Standards

The source animals for organic products must also be eating 100% organic feed. Honestly, I didn’t expect this but it’s a welcome surprise! (It is stated that animals are still allowed additional vitamins and minerals)

These animals are required to have no antibiotics or growth hormones.

They also must have access to outdoors to perform their natural behaviors. The rule is spending at least 120 days a year outdoors. They must also get 30% of feed from pasture. They are required to have access to the outdoors year-round and may never be confined unless there is a health or environmental issue.

Unhealthy organic animals treated with something non-organic are not allowed to be certified organic anymore.

One concerning thing I read was: “Nonorganic dairies have a one-time opportunity to transition nonorganic animals to organic production (over a 12-month period).” This means that one time, a non-organic dairy can go through a 12-month transition phase. During this 12 month phase they are treated like an organic animal. Once the 12 months are up, that animal now certifies as organic. I don’t like this because it’s hiding the non-organic factor of it. At least there is the 12-month transition period.

5) Multi-Ingredient Foods

When a multi-ingredient food is labeled “Organic,” that means that the agricultural ingredients of the food must be organic. The rest doesn’t have to be. (Multi-ingredient foods are already processed and fake anyways).

Honestly, if you’re buying a packaged food, don’t waste money and spend more on the “Organic” label because it’s all processed and fake anyway. Don’t buy packaged food in the first place - But when you do, I wouldn’t worry too much about organic or not.

Organic snacks can also not include artificial dyes, artificial preservatives, or artificial flavors. But still be careful… “Natural Flavors” is an unknown chemical blend that can include hundreds of secret ingredients.

Information in this section came from HERE

I’ll make it into a simple breakdown:

• If it came from an unmodified and natural plant, animal, or rock, it’s probably organic

• Organic means nothing synthetic.

• Organic packaged foods are a waste of money

I got every source from the USDA government website. I talked to ChatGPT a bit and it sourced the same sites.

This all took about an hour of research. You can research anything and find out TRUTH even with a limited amount of time. As long as you’re curious and value the truth you can find anything with a bit of effort.

I’m happy to have shared this with you.