Organic versus natural food: What's the difference?
By Laura Rillos KVAL News and KVAL Web StaffEUGENE, Ore. -- Organic. Natural. On food labels, these two words speak to consumers willing to spend a little extra on food they think is healthier. But only one of those claims has any real meaning, and the other may not mean what you think it does. Organic "The pesticides that are used in organic agriculture are much less toxic than pesticides used in other types of agriculture. And also the pesticide use is much less," said Andrew Black, an organic certifier for Oregon Tilth. When Black inspects a farm, he looks for natural pesticides, crop rotation, organic seeds and other elements. Inspections also take place at organic packing facilities like Truitt Brothers in Salem, Ore. "They will come in, look at your cleaning methods, cleaning supplies, lids, things like that," said Barney Dardis with Truitt Brothers. So just how much organic food is in an organic product? It's strictly regulated by the USDA. 100 Percent Organic means it's all organic. Products with the label "organic" consist of at least 95 percent... And any product saying it's "made with organic ingredients" must have at least 70 percent. Any less than that and you can't call it organic. If you really want to know if something's organic, grab the package. If it says organic on the front, you should be able to turn it around and see who certified it on the back. USDA Organic Labeling and Marketing Information National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances Natural Natural sounds good for you, but unlike organic food, there's no federal definition for "natural" when it comes to food. The FDA only says they don't object to using the term if "the product does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances." The USDA does define natural when it comes to meat and poultry, though -- it must be minimally processed. |
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