Congress Passed The Organic Foods Production Act

Is there a federal standard for what "organic" means when it comes to farm fresh milk?

According to The Atlantic Magazine, organic means, “Organic means crops are grown without artificial pesticides, fertilizers, GMOs(genetically modified organisms), irradiation, or sewage sludge, and animals raised without hormones or antibiotics”(The Atlantic, Defining Organic: The Difference Between Sustainable and Local). The industrial organic food chain does not use harmful chemicals such as pesticides or herbicides. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan says, “Organic farming rules do not allow chemical weed killers, so Greenway has to use other methods to fight weeds”(Pollan 140). The fields are watered to get any weed seeds to grow before the plants are to be grown. Then, the farmers uses a tractor to plow the weeds. The farmers do this several times. Later, the farmers use propane torches to burn any remaining weeds. “The result of all this hard work is fields that look just as clean as if chemical weed killers had been used"(Pollan 140). When Michael Pollan says this, he is explaining that, because they plow the fields and do not use toxic chemicals, there are no harmful chemicals which can seep into the food and water supply and poison the consumers. Also, industrial organic farmers are changing. They are drifting away from the industrial way of only growing one or two crops per farm and are slowly starting to grow many crops per farm. “"The efforts of organic farmers to

As an alternative to the industrial food chain which is now prevail in the US, the organic food chain emphasis that “nature rather than the machine should supply the proper model for agriculture” (Pollan 131). The idea of “organic” is best demonstrated by farms that raise diversified species in a traditional way and target at the local market. However, most of the “organic food” people consume today is produced from the “industrial organic” farms which belong to the industrial food chain instead of the ideal organic food

As a part of the American Marketing Service (AMS), the NOP was founded in 1939 and strives to develop “national standards for organically-produced agricultural products” (“National”). Their mission is to ensure goods with an organic seal are controlled and distributed as uniformly as possible, and they take every complaint with a heavy hand to keep irregularities to a minimum. In 1990, the USDA was instructed to “establish uniform national standards for organic food and farming, fixing the definition of a word that had always meant different things to different people” (Pollan 154). Since then the term organic has been manipulated and distorted by large companies in order to push their products to as big a market as possible, leaving consumers dazed and confused about the actual standards of the foods they were purchasing. Often times, the true meaning of the extravagant or misleading words on the packaging is hard to translate for the average consumer-organic being no different. The seal that dawns certified organic products provides no insight into the qualifications needed in order to receive that stamp nor is the USDA very forthcoming about the actual meaning of the word organic. Any retailer can slap an “organic” label on their product so long as “at least 95% of the farm-grown ingredients are organic and you sell direct to customers in

Organic products meet stringent standards
. Organic certification is the public 's assurance that products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures without persistent toxic chemical inputs."

1.What requirements must be met in order to label a food product “certified organic?” What is meant by the food labels “free range,” “natural” and “fair trade?” Are foods labeled “natural” considered organic? In order for a food product to be labeled as certified organic, the farm it is being produced on must preserve its natural recourses, as well support animal health, not use genetically modified foods (GMOS) as well as going threw the process of annual onsite inspections, keeping its organic products secluded from non-organic products. “Free range” is defined as that the animals being kept as livestock are allowed to access the outdoors in the day ay some point, and not be confined indoors 24/7. Natural means that the food product

An important industry driving force is marketing innovations. "In October 2002 the U.S. Department Agriculture (USDA) officially established labeling standards for organic products, overriding both the patchwork of inconsistent state regulations for what could be labeled as organic and the different rules of some 43 agencies for certifying organic products." By establishing labeling standards for organic products concerning what could be called organic insures that people are receiving pure organic products. "The new labeling program was not intended as a healthy or safety program (organic products have not been shown to be more nutritious than conventionally grown products, according to the American Dietetic Association), but rather as marketing solution." By creating stricter standards it made it harder for growers, processors, exporters, importers, shippers and merchants to prove that their product were

1. Whole Foods philosophy states a value in education and an informed society. They market themselves to a buyer with a slightly higher income and education level because they feel that these people are more conscious of their overall health. The demographics of an area guide’s Whole Foods in the selection process of each location. They seek out highly dense, urban areas that have high foot traffic, where at least 40% of the residents have a college degree. 2. Overall demand for natural and organic products has increased and with that rise in demand, came a rise in competition. As a result of the competition, Whole foods became the first “Certified Organic” grocer by a third party inspector. As many of their competitors continued to follow the guidelines of the USDA’s Organic Rule, Whole Foods was willing to take the extra step to become certified and have their products authenticated. Their hope is to deter consumers from buying the competitor’s products that are not certified and may not even be labeled “USDA Organic.”

In order to have certified U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) the product must be at least 95% or 100% organic, and at least 70% organic will not have USDA label. The industry also provides their customers with natural foods by not adding these chemical such as: pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, synthetic chemical, artificial fertilizes preservatives, dyes or additives, or genetic engineering. Another company’s key success factor is that they take great care of their employees by provided them with stock option, health insurance, dental & vision plan, and employees will have 50% discount. By taking care of employees, the employees will work harder, focus and employees feel comfortable and enjoyable at their work.

Organic farming methods avoid the use of these chemicals and rely on natural method to control crops (“Farming, Organics”). Examples of these methods are crop rotation, which consists of planting different crops every year and disrupts the life cycle of pests and provides a natural fertilizer (“Farming, Organics”). Organic farmers also use natural fertilizers such as sulfur and interplanting methods that alternate crops in the field, which discourages pests to live there (“Farming, Organics”).

1). These are the standards that are set by the USDA, and stay rather consistent on the domestic side of organic food production. In addition to this definition of organic food, the USDA has also created three subcategories to classify how to label their organic products. A food may be labeled as ‘100% Organic,’ meaning that it was made entirely of organic products; a food may also solely be labeled as ‘Organic’, meaning that it is made of at least 95 percent organic products; or a food may be labeled as ‘Made With Organic Products’ stating that the food contains a minimum of 70 percent organic materials (“Organic FAQ” par. 3). All of these categories are authorized to display the USDA Organic seal on their product, but as for the Organic label with 95 percent organic product, there is some gray area in what makes up the other five percent. Peter Laufer, a journalism professor at the University of Oregon, states that “there are about 200 non-organic substances producers can to add to food without sacrificing the organic claim” and that the “non-organic 5% could be sprayed with herbicides and pesticides” which completely contradicts the

Organic farming is becoming an increasingly popular market throughout the world. (Adam, 2004, p. 666). The aims of organic farming are, to decrease pollution, maintain soil fertility and biodiversity, be more sustainable, and have increased nutritional benefits than conventionally grown foods (Yaping et. al., 2003, p. 298). While the aim of conventional farming is to provide safe, proficient supplies of food, in abundance and at low prices (Trewavas, 2001, p.409). Since 1996, the amount of land in the UK dedicated to organic farming has risen tenfold (Adam, 2004, p. 666). As well, from 1992 to 1997, the amount of certified organic cropland in the US more than doubled (Tafel et al, 2007, p.182 ). The main difference between organic and

Although organic foods are found in nearly every grocery store, the average person is unable to differentiate between organic and non-organic food products. Many consumers purchase organic products in the hopes of gaining positive health benefits. (Chhabra, Kolli, et al “Organically Grown Food Provides”) “The current demand for organic foods outstrips the domestic supply, causing retailers in the United States to import $2 billion worth of organic foods annually.” (Crandall, Seideman, et al. ”Organic poultry: Consumer perceptions”) In this paper, I want to define what it means for food to be organically produced, while also exploring the requirements necessary to deem a product ‘Organic”.

The word Organic can be defined in multiple ways but what the word basically means that the product is derived from living matter. Organic farming produces organic food. The goal is to encourage soil and water conservation, reduce pollution, and constrain conventional methods to fertilize and control weeds. According to the U.S Food and Drug Administration “The term "organic" is not defined by law or regulations FDA enforces.”

The National Organic Standards Boards defines organic agriculture is ìan 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. The primary goal of organic