The buzz surrounding New York City's recent decision to ban the use of trans fats in restaurants highlights the latest strategy in America’s ongoing war against potentially harmful food. The relatively new movement to regulate or ban the use of trans fats is apparently fueled by the national rise in obesity-related illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease—not to mention the national rise in obesity. Healthier eating seems to be on everyone’s minds.
Now that healthier eating is entering the public consciousness and becoming a way of life for some, many more people are starting to believe what “health nuts” have been promoting for years: “organic” foods are better for you.[1] Organic food proponents argue that organic food production causes less detriment to the environment, ensures better treatment of animals, and results in foods with greater nutritional value.[2] The range of choices in organic products is increasing as the trend toward healthier eating grows, in spite of the high prices of organic food (often double the price of comparable conventional foods). Organic food is big business.
The exact definition of “organic” depends upon the standard of certification used. There are many, both international and local. The European Union and the U.S. have two of the most influential and powerful. According to the Organic Trade Association both systems are similar and share the following: (1) third party certification, (2) audit trails, (3) annual inspections, (4) accreditation (5) materials lists, (6) defined conversion periods, and (7) a sustainable farm plan. Within the E.U. and the U.S., individual countries and states may have their own certification standards as well. This means the process of producing and buying organic food can be complicated and confusing, for both farmers and consumers.
To attempt to clarify the USDA “organic” label (and to pick apart all those acronyms): the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture appoints a 15-member National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) comprised of four farmers/growers, two handlers/processors, one retailer, one scientist, three consumer/public interest advocates, three environmentalists, and one certifying agent. The NOSB members come from all four U.S. regions, and serve five-year terms. Based on the NOSB’s recommendations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) developed national organic standards and an organic certification program for farmers. Food labeled “organic” by the USDA must meet these standards, whether it is grown in the United States or imported from other countries. In the U.S., federal laws regarding organic standards supercede state laws.
These regulations prohibit the use of genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, and sewage sludge in organic food production and handling. Organic crops are raised without using most conventional pesticides, and without the use of petroleum-based or sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given organic feed and access to the outdoors, but are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. In general, all non-synthetic substances are permitted and all synthetic substances are prohibited in organic farming. Food products labeled with the USDA Organic Seal as 100 percent organic are certified as containing at least 95 percent organic ingredients.
The NOP defines organic farming as emphasizing “the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations,” a goal requiring use of “materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems.” The NOSB further defines organic agriculture as “an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.” This definition concludes, “The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people.”
Before a product can be labeled “organic,” a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food must also be certified.
