Is USDA Organic the Real Deal?

Along with the articles that I post about technology, I will also provide information about the food industry. Technology and the food industry is constantly moving together, so I will occasionally write about this topic. Today I want to let you know some hidden items about the word ‘organic’.

What we put in our bodies is utterly important to our overall health. Even tiny amounts of certain molecules can make a huge difference to how we get through the day. When thinking about miniscule values, consider this shocking fact. It takes less than one-hundredth (.01) ounce of cyanide to be lethal. Sure, we’re not going around eating cyanide, but what about the other things that are in the foods we eat? How much of certain chemical substances are okay to take in before causing chronic illnesses?

Without getting too OCD about it, I take things in moderation. I remember back in the 90s hearing about the Oregon Tilth Certified Organic standard. It was the TRUE organic standard when it came to having purely natural food. Some years later, the USDA finally came out with its own organic standard (in the early 2000s), and it accommodates more industrialized farming.

Here are some little-known facts about the USDA Organic standard that we see on most of the food offered at common grocery stores.

• Organic pesticides are allowed, like neem oil and pyrethrin. A few synthetic chemicals are also allowed in organic farming. Examples include alcohols, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine items, copper sulfate, alcohols, and some man-made soaps. So best to properly clean organic foods before eating them.
• Up to 5% of products with this label may be outside of the standard.
• Roundup(TM) and other glyphosates are forbidden.
• Genetically modified foods are not allowed as part of this standard. Thus, non-GMO is already included.
• Sewage sludge is not allowed in the production of organic food. This means, yes, sewage sludge IS allowed in farming that is not organically grown.

Overall, I feel pretty good getting food with the USDA label. They are currently trying to tighten it up since there are some abused loopholes. If you want to learn more about the organic experience, take a look at the Oregon Tilth standard (link).

Here’s to your health!