Organic food is grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, chemical weed killers, or other chemical products. They must meet the same quality and safety standards as any food.

So What Makes Food Organic?

According to the USDA Organic Regulations the following standards apply to food production:

• No use of conventional pesticides, petroleum fertilizers, or sewage based fertilizers
• Land used for crops can have no unapproved chemicals applied to it for 3 years prior to crop harvest.
• The use of hybridizing and irradiation is prohibited.
• Fertile soil is managed through crop rotation, cover crops, tilling and cultivation. This may be supplemented with natural (animal and crop) waste and certain synthetic fertilizers.

Farm operations with a gross organic income of greater than $5,000 must be certified by USDA officials to label products USDA Organic.

Farmers who use organic means to grow food spread mulch or manure to fertilize or keep weeds from growing. They also practice crop rotation to allow the soil time to recuperate the nutrients used during the last crop season. Instead of pesticides, the use of beneficial insects, birds and pest traps are used.

Conventional industrial farming makes use of chemical fertilizers for optimum growth, insecticides to kill pests, and chemical herbicides to stop weeds from depleting the soil of nutrients needed for the crop.

When you eat the peel or skin of an organically grown vegetable or fruit you’re getting the highest concentration of nutrients in the food, but not chemical pesticide that can penetrate the peel. There is no conclusive data that indicates organically grown fruits and vegetables are any different in nutrient count or type, but removing the peel to be sure you aren’t consuming unwanted chemicals certainly detracts from the nutrient and fiber content.

Organic produce still should be washed or scrubbed thoroughly to reduce dirt and bacteria.

Things to Remember When Buying Organic Food

Also remember that Organic produce will spoil faster than conventional produce because there are no preservatives or wax on the food. So to use organics you must plan ahead, knowing they have a shorter shelf life.
There are three types of organic products with the USDA approved seal, so read the fine print. They may be labeled:

• 100% Organic (self explanatory)
• Organic – This label is used if the food is at least 95% organic.
• Made With Organic Ingredients – This label is used for foods that are at least 70% organic.

The USDA does not certify any food less than 70% to be organic.

There are many foods labeled Hormone Free, All Natural or Free Range, but these foods are not organic. Only foods grown and produced according to the USDA organic standards can carry the Organic label.

Organic foods typically cost more that comparable items, due more expensive farming techniques, the smaller crops, and tight government regulation. This is something each consumer must decide. Is organic food worth the extra money?

Some consumers say they can taste the difference between organic and conventional foods. The only way to be sure is to take your own taste test. Have you eaten a real tomato lately?

When you see the packages of meat marked “organic” next to the less expensive “regular” meat, do you wonder if there is any real difference? Why is organic so great? Is one or the other actually better for your family? You might be surprised at some of the facts about the difference in these meats.

Organic beef is raised without antibiotics, hormones, or other medication. The animals are allowed to graze in open pastures, provided a balanced diet of organic feed that contains no animal products, and clean housing to minimize disease.

Conventional beef is fed animal byproducts (totally against their vegetarian nature), kept in close quarters,  given growth hormones to increase size, administered antibiotics and other disease preventative medicine. The antibiotics are necessary because the cattle are kept so close together. They are fed animal byproducts as a cheap source of protein, which comes from the left-overs of beef, chicken, pork, and horse slaughter houses. They are also fed grain, usually laced with pesticides, which cause a change in the PH balance in their intestine (it becomes more acidic) which in turn encourages an increase in the numbers of E-coli.

A cow raised in a natural state on pasture land has room to move around decreasing the fat content of the animal. They eat a natural diet as nature intended. Mad Cow Disease does not develop because they are not supplemented with animal products in their feed.

A cow raised in a feed lot is packed in with up to 100 other cows. If one gets sick, they all get sick, which is why they are all routinely given antibiotics. The industry for general beef production wants the cattle as large as possible as quickly as possible, hence the growth hormones. These hormones and medications are passed through with the animals’ waste. As the waste is absorbed into the ground, the hormones and medications are taken with it eventually ending up in the area’s water table.

Organic Meat is Healthier

Organically raised beef is healthier. It contains less overall fat, and has more Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin E content. It doesn’t have to walk around in its own waste, which dramatically reduces your risk of eating E-coli contaminated meat. When you eat organic meat you are not consuming hormones or other medications, and their waste isn’t contaminating our water supply with hormones and antibiotics.

Packages are now displaying cooking instructions to kill any E-coli in the meat with high temperatures. But I’ve seen E-coli under a microscope, and I prefer not to eat those little worms living or dead.

When looking for Organic meat, the package should be clearly marked with a round organic seal. The National Organic Program has a regulation that requires all organic livestock to be traceable. This means that if you have a problem with the meat on your table, it can be traced back to the farm and even the individual animal.

The USDA Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards:

• Animals must have access to the outdoors, including access to pasture for ruminants.
• Meat animals and poultry may be vaccinated.
• Meat animals and poultry may not be given de-wormers for any period of production. Dams cannot be given de-wormer during the last third part of gestation or during lactation.
• Meat animals and poultry cannot be growth-implanted, given growth proponents, fed urea, or given antibiotics for any reason.
• These animals must be fed 100% USDA organic feed. The standards allow for certain vitamin and mineral supplements.
• Meat animals are raised under organic management from the last third of gestation, or no later than the second day of life for poultry.

Here’s some more information on organic beef from Dr. Greene.

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