Julian Hall of Got-organic.com.uk says that organically grown food has less pathogens and E. Coli bacteria than with traditional farming. You can go to the USDA website ams.usda.gov and get info about the National Organic Program’s grading for safety and certification on dairy, poultry, fruits and veggies, but it’s a bit like reading a tech manual. *Update: As of 10/25/08, Julian Hall’s website is not available.*
After a frustrating trip to the local farm market, I realized that many food products say “all natural” or “natural ingredients” or “made with organic ingredients”. I wondered if those labels meant the products were “organic”.
On Shine, the yahoo! blogsite, there is a blog called thecradle.com (for expecting parents) with a Q&A article by EcoMom, aka Kimberly Danek Pinkson, titled Does “natural” and “organic” mean the same thing? As a weird but serendipitous co-inky- dinky, that was exactly the term that I googled to get to the site.
As I suspected “natural” and “organic” are not the same thing. EcoMom uses a new term to describe misleading labels: “greenwashing”. I think that’s clever. Non-food products do not have strict government labeling standards like food products do. We have to be careful not to pick household items with poisonous chemicals in them that are labeled as eco-friendly. Companies are using “green” as a marketing ploy.
Natural means a product is made from botanicals without the use of additives or preservatives. Organic means grown in a chemical-free environment. It’s a bit confusing.
EcoMom says to look for dependible labels like:
FSC Certified–by the Forest Stewardship Council pertaining to wood and wood products that are produced and harvested in a sustainable way.
Fair Trade–deals with social equity for workers around the world and strict sustainability standards. Especially relevant to the coffee trade.
USDA/Certified Organic–the little stickers on produce have numbers on them. If they number begins with “9” it’s a certified organic item.
Marine Stewardship Council–educates on sustainably harvested seafood, wild or farmed.
Thanks EcoMom!
Plant your own organic herb garden.
Image Retrieved October 22, 2008, from www.associatedcontent.com
Danek Pinkerson, Kimberly. (n.d.) Ask EcoMom. Retrieved October 22, 2008, from http://www.thecradle.com/eco-cradle/askecomom/naturalvsorganic
Hall, Julian. (n.d.) Retrieved October 22, 2008, from http://Got-organic.com.uk
Organic Food: Going Against the Grain 