What does “Organic” Mean in the U.S.?
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Organic labels are becoming more and more popular in the United States but what do they mean?
If something is certified with a “USDA Organic” it has been produced and processed with less than 5% of ingredients or methods that the USDA deems to be “toxic.” This covers a lot of things as I’m sure you’ve guessed. Most people are pretty surprised about these guidelines. Some are pleasantly surprised while others are not so impressed. The basic rule of these standards is to not allow synthetic ingredients and to allow natural ingredients.
There is a published list of exceptions to this rule however, that does allow the use of certain specific synthetic ingredients and methods. These exceptions are determined and regulated by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The exceptions are weighed against several other rules that attempt to maintain the environment, nutritional value of the food, to reduce preservatives, to reduce unnecessary dyes, and to ensure safe consumption of the food.
“(1)The substance cannot be produced from a natural source and there are no organic substitutes;
(2) The substance’s manufacture, use, and disposal do not have adverse effects on the environment and are done in a manner compatible with organic handling;
(3) The nutritional quality of the food is maintained when the substance is used, and the substance, itself, or its breakdown products do not have an adverse effect on human health as defined by applicable Federal regulations;
(4) The substance’s primary use is not as a preservative or to recreate or improve flavors, colors, textures, or nutritive value lost during processing, except where the replacement of nutrients is required by law;
(5) The substance is listed as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when used in accordance with FDA’s good manufacturing practices (GMP) and contains no residues of heavy metals or other contaminants in excess of tolerances set by FDA; and
(6) The substance is essential for the handling of organically produced agricultural products.
(c) Nonsynthetics used in organic processing”
7 CFR Part 205 subpart g – The National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. (n.d.). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-M/part-205/subpart-G/subject-group-ECFR0ebc5d139b750cd
The list of synthetic substances that are allowed for use in organic production. These are listed as only allowed for use if there is not a suitable natural substitute. The allowed substances are then broken down by specific usage including disinfectants, sanitizer, composts, animal repellants, insecticides, plant disease control, seed preparations, and so forth.
This document also includes some non-synthetic substances that cannot be used in organic crop production. This list includes:
Ash from manure burning, Arsenic, Calcium chloride, Lead salts, Potassium chloride—unless derived from a mined source and applied in a manner that minimizes chloride accumulation in the soil, Rotenone, Sodium fluoaluminate, Sodium nitrate (unless the use is restricted to no more than 20% of the crop’s total nitrogen requirement), Strychnine, and Tobacco dust (nicotine sulfate).
The list goes on to detail synthetic substances allowed for use in organic livestock production. These are detailed per the intended usage of the substance much like that of the synthetic substances allowed for growing crops including substances used for: disinfectants, sanitization, medical treatments, topical treatments, feed supplements, feed additives, pesticides, and so forth.
Next the document details “non-agricultural” or “non-organic” substances that are allowed as ingredients in “organic” or “made with organic foods” labeled processed foods. This does include some natural flavorings and gums, and also includes some synthetic substances including cellulose, chlorine, vitamins, and synthetic gums.
Some non-organically produced products are allowed as ingredients in foods labeled organic. Some of these that stood out to me were celery powder, intestine casings, fish oil, and seaweed.
Any person may seek to have a substance evaluated to ban or to add to the official list of approved substances. The guidelines for this are merely to reach out to the NOSB and request a copy of the petition procedures and send the petition to the Program Manager for the NOSB.
So that’s that! Another thing you should know is who regulates the use of organic labeling. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a subpart called the National Organic Program (NOP). The NOP is responsible for enforcing the laws that we just discussed and accrediting companies that produce compliant organic foods.
The NOP’s home page is a great place to dig into how it is all enforced. https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/programs-offices/national-organic-program
Essentially, there are a whole lot of standards for the use of the word “Organic” on food packaging. You can use “Organic” on the packaging of foods that have not been certified by the USDA/NOP but it can only be in the information panel/nutritional facts and you cannot use the USDA-certified organic label (shown below).
There is a handbook that can be used for reference and clarity. It is not a binding document and refers back to the USDA’s organic regulations. You can check that out at the following website to learn more. https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic
About Organic Labeling. (n.d.). United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved August 11, 2024, from https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/labeling#labeled%20no%20cert
There are currently 4 different organic labels that can be used if you are certified by the USDA. These labels are “100 Percent Organic”, “Organic”, “Made with Organic______”, and “Specific Organic Listings.” Let’s break those down.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture,“100 Percent Organic” labeled products have to be 100% organic and are usually raw foods. The exceptions to this rule are salt and water as they are considered natural and do not need to be listed as ingredients. Food that is produced by a certified party may use this wording and the USDA’s Organic seal.
About Organic Labeling. (n.d.). United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved August 11, 2024, from https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/labeling#labeled%20no%20cert
The United States Department of Agriculture defines “Organic” as products that have 95% organic ingredients (also excluding salt and water). The remaining 5% are allowed to be synthetic as long as they comply with the rules and regulations of the federal laws and are on the national list of approved substances. These foods may also contain the USDA Organic seal.
About Organic Labeling. (n.d.). United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved August 11, 2024, from https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/labeling#labeled%20no%20cert
United States Department of Agriculture deems that products labeled “Made with Organic ______” must be made up of at least 70% organically produced ingredients. These products can NOT have the USDA Organic Seal, claim the finished product is organic, or generally state that the product was made with organic ingredients.
“Specific Organic Ingredient Listings” can be included on the packaging of products in the Ingredients section of the product. This statement is used for products containing less than 70% of organically produced ingredients. These products are not allowed to say only “Organic” or have the USDA Organic seal.
About Organic Labeling. (n.d.). United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved August 11, 2024, from https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/labeling#labeled%20no%20cert
In summary, “Organic” foods are regulated by the USDA and the NOSB through federal laws that determine what determines that raw and processed foods are organic, what synthetic and natural materials are allowed and not allowed in organic food production, regulations for the use of the term “Organic” on food labeling, and regulations for the use of the USDA Organic Seal.
Most processed organic foods are produced with or contain up to 30% of ingredients that are not natural or organic while most raw organically grown foods can have up to 5% of unnatural or synthetic substances unless they are labeled 100% organic.