The Organic Question (Part I)

"Organic Frozen Waffles" caught my eye in the grocery store yesterday. Organic Waffles? Really? How important is it that my frozen waffles be organic? I thought that I knew what organic ment, "grown without pesticides", but the frozen pastries made me wonder what all this "Organic" business is really all about. In this three part series I'd like to share what the term Organic means and what the current research says about what Organic means for your health and the health of the planet.

Part I : What Does Organic Mean?

Organic is a term monitored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and all foods using this claim must follow specific guidelines [1] :

1. Organic Meat - (includes eggs and dairy products) means that the animals providing the product
have not been given any antibiotics or growth hormones.
   
2. Organic Plant Products - the plant cannot be sprayed with most conventional pesticides, cannot have been fertilized with synthetic ingredients, and cannot have been fertilized with sewage. The plants must also not be bioengineered or exposed to ionizing radiation.

Other Organic regulations apply to food processing and can carry one of the following three labels:
100% Organic- Products that are completely Organic or are made only from completely Organic
ingredients.
Organic- Products that are made from at least 95% Organic ingredients
Made with Organic Ingredients- Products that are made from at least 70% Organic ingredients

Therefore, according to the USDA labeling regulations, my Organic Frozen Waffles were waffels that had been made with at least 95% Organic ingredients. Tune in next week for Part II when we will explore the current research on the health benefits of choosing Organic foods.


References:
1- American Dietetic Association. What does Organic on a Food Label Mean? http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442451536&terms=organic