Organic Food:
 There
are differences between "Certified
Organic Foods", "Organic
Foods", "Made
with Organic Ingredients", and
conventionally produced food. These differences
refer to the ways food is grown, processed
and labeled. These products may display
the Department
of Agriculture (USDA) Organic seal on
the label.
On October 21, 2002, the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) put into effect the
national organic standards ensuring consistency
for all organic products marketed in the
U.S. Along with the new standards, the U.
S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has
developed strict labeling rules to help
consumers know the exact organic content
of the food they buy.
“Certified Organic
Food”
Raw products are allowed to carry
the USDA's organic seal (Certified Organic
Food) if they are 100 percent organic.
Certified Organic foods are grown without
the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers
or sewage sludge and haven't been genetically
engineered or irradiated. Organic farmers
focus on soil improvement and rely on biological
systems to produce high quality food and
reduce environmental impact.
The "certified organic"
food label identifies food grown through
the following practices:
• Discard of synthetic pesticides,
herbicides and soil fumigants.
• Discard of genetic engineering.
• Discard of sewage sludge as fertilizer.
• Improvement of the quality and
fertility of the soil.
• Protection of water quality .
• Reduction of soil erosion .
• Utilization of natural biological
systems for pest and weed control.
• Reduction of the impact of agriculture
on our environment.
• Production of high quality, great
tasting food.
"Organic Food":
Processed products listed as "Organic"
contains only 95 percent organic ingredients.
These products may include some minerals
and vitamins that are not certified organic.
"Made with Organic
Ingredients":
A product listed as "Made with
Organic Ingredients" is processed food
and contains only 70 percent of certified
organic ingredients.
Conventionally Produced
Food:
Foods without any organic label
may be treated with pesticides, synthetic
fertilizers, and sewage sludge and may be
genetically engineered or irradiated.
Organic Linens:
Organic linens and cloth are produced using
a fiber crop (cotton, for example) grown
without the use of pesticides. Additionally,
the fiber/yarn/cloth is not bleached with
toxic chlorine.
Cloth and thread is dyed using natural
dyes, and garments are usually made with
additional attention to environmental and
health details like nickel-free snaps and
buttons made of natural materials. Additionally,
low-environmental-impact farming practices
are applied.
According to some estimations of The
Organic Trade Association (OTA):
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Cotton
uses approximately 25% of the world's
insecticides and more than 10% of the
pesticides (including herbicides, insecticides,
and defoliants). |
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Approximately
10% of all pesticides sold for use in
U. S. agriculture were applied to cotton
in 1997, the most recent year for which
such data is publicly available. |
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Eighty-four
million pounds of pesticides were sprayed
on the 14.4 million acres of conventional
cotton grown in the U.S. in 2000 |
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Over
2.03 billion pounds of synthetic fertilizers
were applied to conventional cotton
the same year, making cotton the fourth
most heavily fertilized crop behind
corn, winter wheat, and soybeans. |
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The Environmental
Protection Agency considers seven of
the top 15 pesticides used on cotton in
2000 in the United States as “possible”,
“likely”, “probable”,
or “known” human carcinogens
(acephate, dichloropropene, diuron, fluometuron,
pendimethalin, tribufos, and trifluralin).
It takes roughly one-third of a pound of
chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) to
grow enough cotton for just one T-shirt.
Sources:
United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
USDA
Economic Research Service
USDA
Economic Research Service: Organic Production
The
Organic Trade Association (OTA)
Environmental
Protection Agency |
