Certified Organic: How to Know if It's Really Organic
Obesity is on the rise and people are turning to organic and healthy food. You can buy lots of organic products at the farmers’ market or in your favourite local store or supermarket. But the question there is: how do you know if the food is real organic? There are extensive ways in determining how organic the food really is. To completely know if the produce is grown organically or conventionally, you should not only be a keen observer but also an effective scrutinizer. Always check the label and ask questions. Below are sure-fire techniques you can use in recognizing real organic products.
When you buy food at a farmers’ market, the first thing that comes to mind is who and how the crops are grown. The best bet to know the real thing is to talk to the seller and ask open-ended questions about how the produce is grown.
Take a look at the series of questions you may want to ask when buying produce at the farmers’ market:
“Who grew this food?”
When buying produce in a farmers’ market, make sure these are locally grown and sold by the farmers who grew them. In some venues that resemble farmers’ markets - and perhaps present themselves as such - buyers resell produce they bought wholesale.* Another important thing to look into is to check what foods are in season. If the farmer sells more of those which are not in season, they are probably not locally grown.
“Is it certified organic?”
It is a need for every farmer to get certification set by an accredited certifying body that follows the Australian National Standard before selling organic produce. However, some farmers opt-out of certification because of the cost, even if they use purely organic farming methods. If such is the case, do not hesitate to ask if they have other national or local certifications required for selling organic produce.
“How do you control weeds or pests?”
We all know that farmers using conventional methods spray harmful chemicals to kill pests and prevent the growth of weeds. Organic methods, on the other hand, use various unconventional methods for killing pests and preventing the growth of weeds. Organic methods for weeding include using cover crops, mulching, cultivation, and if it’s a smaller operation, even hand-weeding.** Oftentimes farmers use organic-approved pesticides for pest control.
“Can I visit your farm?”
This is a make-or-break question that can sometimes put farmers in a difficult situation. Farmers are very open to their production methods if they know they have nothing to hide. You may find some getting uneasy with such questions, while there are others who are very much open to the idea of you visiting their farm.
At the supermarket
Labels are very crucial in determining if the product is organic or conventional produce. Below are the labels you should look into when buying food in a grocery store:
Organic
This is of course the first word you should look for when buying food at the supermarket. When it says organic, the item must have an ingredients list and the contents should be 95% or more certified organic, meaning free of synthetic additives like pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and dyes, and must not be processed using industrial solvents, irradiation, or genetic engineering.***
Certified Naturally Grown
This may be an alternative to organic. Both may use more or less the same farming methods, yet the difference lies in food regulations and labeling. Organic farming needs certification to sell their produce while natural does not need such certification. When it comes to labeling, the organic label means that the product contains at least 95 percent organically produced and processed ingredients. You might also see a label with a percentage indicating how much of the product qualifies as organic. A label of natural does not indicate anything about the raising, feeding, or care of the animals. On other products, the natural label ideally means minimal processing and no artificial additives.****
Look out for brands that use the word ORGANIC on their brand name as some have less then 1% of organic ingredients in their product. The best thing if you wish to purchase an organic product is to look for an accredited organic logo.
Being sure your food is healthy makes all the difference. You may find all these labels glued in your favourite food’s package when you buy them, but there is no harm in asking if it is real or not. These days, it is better to be safe than be sorry.