There are many requirements that the USDA has in place when it comes to organic foods. Under these guidelines products have to be grown a certain way in order for them to get the right certification. It is illegal to label foods as organic in nature without that certification in place. The guidelines are quite strict and the cover many areas including how the food is grown, how it is processed, and all of the handling throughout those processes.



This is all in place because the term organic can be interpreted many different ways. By clarifying them the way the food industry is held to certain standards that they must abide by. The USDA continues to evaluate products and to strive to make sure that their guidelines are covered. Those entities that intentionally don't follow the guidelines can be fined.

There is a loophole though that you want to become aware of. It allows those entities that sell less than $5,000 annually in organic foods to not have the certification in place. However, they are supposed to be following the same strict guidelines so make sure you know how you are buying products from and their reputation. For example if you buy them at a farmers market and you are told that they only offer organic foods they may not have the certification to back that up.

When an entity earns a certificate from the USDA stating that they have been approved to label foods at organic, they aren't necessarily 100% organic. That is what most people assume though. Instead it means that they have to be at least 95% organic in all of the areas. When you are reading the labels make sure that you keep that in mind. You will find many labels that clarify that they are 100% organic and that is why they do so. They want consumers to know they have gone the distance and aren't falling short.

Another type of labeling that you need to be aware of are those that state they are made with organic ingredients. While they may be that doesn't mean they are up to the same level as you are expecting from them. For a product to carry that particular label they have to be at least 70% organic in nature.

There are other terms out there that you will see but they don't mean the foods are organic. When you see words such as hormone free or all natural it can indicate that they are good products in some ways. Yet it doesn't mean that they haven't used other methods of growing the foods that the USDA deemed unworthy of the seal of approval to be considered as an organic type of food.

You have to become an avid label reader as many producers know that they can charge more for organic foods than conventional ones. They also know there is a demand for them. While they can't put a label on it that it is organic when it isn't they know how to use wording to get consumes to assume things. While this is legal it doesn't seem very ethical.

Yet we all known when it comes to marketing people are going to do what they can to sell a product. Being an informed consumer is your way to ensure that you don't fall for these types of marketing and pay too much for items that in reality aren't completely organic. By taking the time to read what the labels say and understanding what they mean you can put the ball back into your own court.