Certified Organic - What's the big deal?
Have you ever wondered if those more expensive items are really Certified Organic or are they just labeled that way? A little labeling education may help you answer that question.
As consumers become more aware of the benefits of a healthy diet you can see an increase in the amount or fruits and vegetables in the grocery store shopping cart. I'm sure like all of us that you have stood in the produce section evaluating which greens you should add to your cart.
Did you know that it really matters which ones you select from the variety that is available?
Have you ever wondered if those more expensive items are really Certified Organic or are they just labeled that way?
A little labeling education may help you answer that question.
To start, here are a few facts to make informative decisions about which products to consume.organic-food-usda-9451
1. Conventionally grown produce is usually picked when unripe and then allowed to ripen enroute to the store. This may take several days if not weeks depending upon where it was picked.
2. Each day the produce is away from the root system it grew on decreases the amount of precious enzymes, needed for digestion, contained in the item.
3. Conventionally grown foods are often irradiated to kill pathogens on them, which also kills all living plant enzymes.
4. The FDA states that conventionally grown imported food is three times more likely to contain illegal pesticide residues.
The term CERTIFIED ORGANIC indicates that the grower adheres to specific standards, and is certified by a state organic-farming board or by Quality Assurance International. To become certified, the farmer must have farmed organically for at least three years.
Because these guidelines are unique to each state, the transporting of vegetables from other states may affect the purity you are accustomed to. Part of the criteria for being labeled organic is that you may only use organic standard approved pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizer. These cannot come from the petrol fuel industry. This is a big key when working to avoid toxic estrogens contained in the petrol fuel sprays.
ORGANIC REGULATIONS by the USDA require any product labeled “organic” to contain at least 95% organically produced ingredients. Products labeled “made with organic ingredients” (like salad dressings) must contain at least 70% organic ingredients.
New labeling is in place that may help you make better choices. Any produce sold commercially will now have a sticker or product code associated with it. For example, a bunch of bananas will indicate the company that harvested it and a four or five digit number. That number is key in determining whether the food is conventionally grown, genetically engineered or organic.
If that bunch of bananas has the code 4011 for example, you know they are conventionally grown. This means that no one paid much attention to being sure the sprays used on them were non-toxic. A four digit code beginning with the number “4” simply means it was conventionally grown.These products will frequently be found in grocery stores not concerned with health. They are also found, in increasing numbers, in many large health food store chains.
If the produce code is 5 digits and begins with an “8” (84011 for example) it says that the food has been genetically modified. The seller is not required to state this in words on the label; however the presence of the "8" does tell you it is GE or GMO*. In other words it may also be GMO and only have the 4 digit code but the presence of the "8" says it definitely was GMO.
The five digit code beginning with a “9” tells you these foods are organic, so those bananas when grown organically would have the code 94011.
“9” - Organic
“8” - GMO or GE
“4” - Conventional
We understand that you cannot always find organic so the following information may be helpful:
WHEN TO BUY ORGANIC: The list below shows the fruits and vegetables that the USDA claims have the most pesticide residues. You should always look for organic versions of the following foods: Apples, Apricots, Bell Peppers, Blackberries, Cantaloupe, Carrots, Celery, Cucumbers, Imported Grapes, Green Beans, Nectarines, Parsnips, Peaches, Pears, Peppers, Plums, Potatoes, Radishes, Red Raspberries, Rutabagas Spinach, and Strawberries and Turnips.
If you are unable to purchase organic produce, you should try to choose from the following list of foods that are not as heavily sprayed with toxins and therefore safer when you must choose conventionally grown: Asparagus, Avocados, Bananas, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Sweet Corn, Kiwi, Mangos, Onions, Papaya, Pineapples, and Sweet Peas.
GMO or GE refers to Genetically Modified Organism or Genetically Engineered. These foods have been altered at the gene level. We are constantly being made aware of the dangers of eating these foods. We have somehow become the lab rats in the food industries studies. For very enlightening information on the subject you might read “Seeds of Deception” by Jeffrey M. Smith. In his book he documents significant health dangers of genetically modified (GM) foods and the intense industry influence and political corruption that allow them on the market, all at the cost of our health.
One simple example of the yet undetermined affect of GMO/ GE foods follows:
“A new Russian study found that genetically modified (GM) soy negatively affects the offspring of rats. A group of mother rats with newborn babies who were fed standard soy had three of their offspring die in three weeks. A similarly sized group of mother rats who were fed GM soy had 25 of their babies die in the same three week period.”
Taken from ORGANIC BYTES #68 Health, Environment and Consumer News Tidbits with and Edge! 10/28/2005 For free subscription to this Bi-weekly Email Newsletter:
Perhaps the most frightening fact about this kind of information is that the average American has no idea what is in the food they are eating. The labels certainly do not boast GMO ingredients used in the production of food!
As consumers become more aware of the benefits of a healthy diet you can see an increase in the amount or fruits and vegetables in the grocery store shopping cart. I'm sure like all of us that you have stood in the produce section evaluating which greens you should add to your cart.
Did you know that it really matters which ones you select from the variety that is available?
Have you ever wondered if those more expensive items are really Certified Organic or are they just labeled that way?
A little labeling education may help you answer that question.
To start, here are a few facts to make informative decisions about which products to consume.organic-food-usda-9451
1. Conventionally grown produce is usually picked when unripe and then allowed to ripen enroute to the store. This may take several days if not weeks depending upon where it was picked.
2. Each day the produce is away from the root system it grew on decreases the amount of precious enzymes, needed for digestion, contained in the item.
3. Conventionally grown foods are often irradiated to kill pathogens on them, which also kills all living plant enzymes.
4. The FDA states that conventionally grown imported food is three times more likely to contain illegal pesticide residues.
Because these guidelines are unique to each state, the transporting of vegetables from other states may affect the purity you are accustomed to. Part of the criteria for being labeled organic is that you may only use organic standard approved pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizer. These cannot come from the petrol fuel industry. This is a big key when working to avoid toxic estrogens contained in the petrol fuel sprays.
ORGANIC REGULATIONS by the USDA require any product labeled “organic” to contain at least 95% organically produced ingredients. Products labeled “made with organic ingredients” (like salad dressings) must contain at least 70% organic ingredients.
New labeling is in place that may help you make better choices. Any produce sold commercially will now have a sticker or product code associated with it. For example, a bunch of bananas will indicate the company that harvested it and a four or five digit number. That number is key in determining whether the food is conventionally grown, genetically engineered or organic.
If that bunch of bananas has the code 4011 for example, you know they are conventionally grown. This means that no one paid much attention to being sure the sprays used on them were non-toxic. A four digit code beginning with the number “4” simply means it was conventionally grown.These products will frequently be found in grocery stores not concerned with health. They are also found, in increasing numbers, in many large health food store chains.
If the produce code is 5 digits and begins with an “8” (84011 for example) it says that the food has been genetically modified. The seller is not required to state this in words on the label; however the presence of the "8" does tell you it is GE or GMO*. In other words it may also be GMO and only have the 4 digit code but the presence of the "8" says it definitely was GMO.
The five digit code beginning with a “9” tells you these foods are organic, so those bananas when grown organically would have the code 94011.
“9” - Organic
“8” - GMO or GE
“4” - Conventional
We understand that you cannot always find organic so the following information may be helpful:
WHEN TO BUY ORGANIC: The list below shows the fruits and vegetables that the USDA claims have the most pesticide residues. You should always look for organic versions of the following foods: Apples, Apricots, Bell Peppers, Blackberries, Cantaloupe, Carrots, Celery, Cucumbers, Imported Grapes, Green Beans, Nectarines, Parsnips, Peaches, Pears, Peppers, Plums, Potatoes, Radishes, Red Raspberries, Rutabagas Spinach, and Strawberries and Turnips.
If you are unable to purchase organic produce, you should try to choose from the following list of foods that are not as heavily sprayed with toxins and therefore safer when you must choose conventionally grown: Asparagus, Avocados, Bananas, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Sweet Corn, Kiwi, Mangos, Onions, Papaya, Pineapples, and Sweet Peas.
GMO or GE refers to Genetically Modified Organism or Genetically Engineered. These foods have been altered at the gene level. We are constantly being made aware of the dangers of eating these foods. We have somehow become the lab rats in the food industries studies. For very enlightening information on the subject you might read “Seeds of Deception” by Jeffrey M. Smith. In his book he documents significant health dangers of genetically modified (GM) foods and the intense industry influence and political corruption that allow them on the market, all at the cost of our health.
One simple example of the yet undetermined affect of GMO/ GE foods follows:
Taken from ORGANIC BYTES #68 Health, Environment and Consumer News Tidbits with and Edge! 10/28/2005 For free subscription to this Bi-weekly Email Newsletter:
Perhaps the most frightening fact about this kind of information is that the average American has no idea what is in the food they are eating. The labels certainly do not boast GMO ingredients used in the production of food!
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