What's USDA certified - and why do I care?

After I figured out the milk situation, everything snowballed from there. The googling could not (would not) cease.

The first thing I started to figure out was the difference between USDA certified organic, natural and locally grown.

USDA Organic approved food is defined by the USDA as: Organic is a labeling term that indicates that the food or other agricultural product has been produced through approved methods that integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not be used.

USDA Organic Farmers must adhere to: Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.  Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.  Before a product can be labeled ‘organic,’ a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards.  Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.” Consumer Brochure, USDA National Organic Program 

  

If you’re like me you just read all of that and said WHAT?!

After I read all this I took a trip to Trader Joes to see what this was all about. If you’ve ever been to Trader Joes, have you noticed everything that is 100% organic has yellow tags and the rest of their shelf tags are blue? I found several foods that had that USDA Organic logo on the front. Who knew? Sometimes the label is smaller but it will always been on the front (at least in my experience so far).

What I have figured out so far is the USDA Organic label is VERY difficult for companies to obtain. (to grasp the full depth check out this site: http://afsic.nal.usda.gov/organic-production) Knowing these farmers and producers have to go far above and beyond just to get these labels makes me feel a lot better about putting their products into my body.


(Natural and Locally Grown - up next)

Green Challenge: look for foods that have the USDA Organic label on them the next time you are at the store – bonus points if you buy it rather than the non-organic version!