Organic?
July 22nd, 2008 by john
Sitting here eating some delicious organic dark chocolate from Green & Black’s (left over from a chocolate tasting party we hosted last weekend), I wondered about that little organic label and what it actually meant. We’ve all seen the organic sections appearing in supermarkets, and labels on products announcing that they’re organic, but what does that really mean?
US Standards
In the USA, the standards body for labeling food is the USDA, and they have three grades of organic product:
- 100% Organic
- Organic
- Made with organic ingredients
A product that is 100% organic must contain only organically produced ingredients and processing aids. Salt and water are excluded, but that’s all. Products that are labeled organic must contain at least 95% organically produced ingredients, and the remaining 5% must be things not available in organic form (and must be on the National List maintained by the USDA). Products claiming to be made with organic ingredients must contain at least 70% organic ingredients.
In all three cases, the product must not be produced using excluded methods, sewage sludge, or ionizing radiation. They may not use genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and in the case of meat and poultry products, only organic feed may be used. Livestock may not be given antibiotics either.
European Standards
The EU standards for organic products are very similar to the USDA standards (see comparison). The same three basic grades exist, at the same percentage levels with with the same limitations on the use of the relevant seal (the English version of the EU seal is shown to the right). The main differences are that products with less than 70% organic ingredients may not use the word organic at all under EU regulations (in the US, they are allowed to indicate which specific ingredients are organic still), and there are some differences in the allowed non-organic products and the farming processes (particularly the transition time from non-organic to organic).
As with the US, there are many different organisations that certify products. Each of those is identified by a code, and may also have a logo. They may also use standards that are stricter than the regulations require. The Green & Black’s organic chocolate I’m enjoying while I write this is certified by the Soil Association in the UK (code UK5), an example of a certifying body with stricter requirements than the government regulations.
Other Countries
Countries all around the world are creating regulations to control the use of the organic term, and make sure that consumers are not being mislead when they buy products labeled as organic. Wikipedia has an excellent list of the certification bodies for other countries.
Tags: chocolate, eu, green and black's, organic, soil association, usda
