Basic Organic Food Standards

Organic food was much more than a set of regulations 20 years ago. Organic farming was a movement started by a group of small scale farmers in the 1940s in response to emerging high-tech, high-chemical farming that was being adapted on most large scale farms during this period. This was a self-policing group of farms, who relied on naturally occurring substances to build soil fertility and grow good, healthy vegetables. This included using compost and other organic fertilizers, rather than synthetic chemicals that were – and still are – being used on conventional farms. As the popularity of Organic foods began to explode in the early 90’s, it quickly became clear that the use of the word “Organic” needed to be regulated, so that consumers would know what they were buying. In 1990, the USDA invited leading figures in the Organic movement, as well as food industry leaders to discuss standards that needed to be put into place. The initial results were extremely watered down, but after a public outcry from supporters of the Organic movement, the higher standards were implemented in the official Organic Food Production Act, which remains largely the same today. In the most general terms, the OFPA emphasizes the following areas of food production: No Synthetic Sprays. In order to qualify for the organic label, food producers must not spray their fruit, vegetable, or grain crops with synthetic chemicals. Conventional farms lean heavily on the support of synthetic fertilizers to add fertility to the soil, and kill off unwanted weeds, pests, and fungus. There are countless debates going on at all times regarding just how bad these sprays are for our health, but it’s pretty well established that many of them are detrimental. Each spray has a different toxicity level, but some of them are dangerously high – many cannot be sprayed onto fields if there is anyone in the fields or close to them. These sprays build up on the skins of the food produced – and actually absorb into more porous produce and grains – making them potentially toxic when ingested by humans. As a result, Organic agriculture is seen as a healthier, safer product than conventionally grown food. Instead of synthetic sprays, they rely on compost, organic fertilizers, compost tea, and other amendments based on naturally occurring substances (all of which are not sustainable, but are at least better for our health). 3-years Synthetic Free. Any food that qualifies for the organic label must be grown on land that has been spray-free for three years, generally. If a farmer is currently using conventional means to produce their food, but is interested in becoming organic, they can label their food products as “In Transition to Organic”, but are not allowed to use the certified organic label until three years have passed. Maintain Detailed Documentation On All Land Inputs. Anything that is put into the soil needs to be documented. This includes: seeds, fertilizers, compost, structures built on the land, tractors used, and more. In addition, any on-site produced amendments (such as compost) need to meet certain minimum standards before they can be used. All of this is rigorously overseen by the organics division at the USDA or by a third-party certifier. On-site checkups are commonplace.