The Truth About Organic Food

Should I Buy Organic?

A common misperception is that organic food is more nutritious than conventionally-grown food. If you prefer organic foods, and they fit in your budget, then buy them. But, to date, there is no evidence that organic foods have different nutritional values. Regardless of the type of fruits and vegetables you buy, always wash them with water before slicing, peeling, or eating.

Rinsing will wash away any residues left from the growing process or the fingers of anyone who handled it between harvesting and your home. You may see lists of foods that suggest the top dozen foods always to buy organic and those you don’t. You can skip these lists—even foods with a “high” pesticide residue are still far below what is considered acceptable.

According to the pesticide residue calculator at www.safefruitsandveggies.com, a person likely would have to eat several servings of that food daily even to come close to an unsafe level. It’s better to eat many fruits and vegetables rather than skip them because they are not organic.

What Does Organic Mean?

People will say or use the term “organic” quite a bit, but I often find that people are not using it correctly, leading me to think that people don’t even really know what this term means. 

Let’s define the term and its many meanings; what it is and what it isn’t. 

Organic: relating to or derived from living matter; relating to or denoting compounds containing carbon and biological origin. Or, more simply, any compound containing carbon.  

In chemistry, when we are referring to the term “organic,” we refer to something carbon-based – the substance has carbon. It is that simple. 

Does it have carbon in it? Yes = organic. No = inorganic. 

So, some science nerds will joke that our entire diet is “organic” because ALL the food we eat is carbon-based. That’s a fact. Carbohydrates, protein, fat, and vitamins are organic nutrients because they all have carbon. Minerals and water don’t have carbon; therefore, not organic. We refer to organic substances in the science world concerning biology, chemistry, and nutrition.

Now, most people don’t even know this part of the definition of organic, but this other part is very amusing to those of us who do.  

Organic: (relating to food or farming methods) produced or involving production without using most synthetic substances, including fertilizers and pesticides. 

This definition is how most people are using the term “organic.” But even then, I encounter many people who do not entirely understand what it means. The term “organic” only refers to how the food is grown, fed, and raised. It does not refer to the nutritional value of the food or whether that food is healthy.  

Those who produce/grow organic foods also must go through a lengthy certification process. The process includes filing paperwork, inspections, and certifying agent. According to the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, there are “five basic steps to organic certification.” Considering that USDA is a government agency, we use the term “basic” loosely. 

There are five basic steps, but each is complex and time-consuming. First, the farm has to be in the practice of being organic and certifying that the land has not had any banned chemicals or pesticides in the last three years. Then additional steps require a certifying agent, fees, facility inspections, and review or audit of paperwork. It is a process that takes several years.

The point of me saying this is, there can be things that have been grown organically, like the apples that I get from my neighbor’s tree; they just let the tree grow; they don’t use anything on it. We’ve lived here for nearly 20 years, so the soil hasn’t had any other substances used on it. So that apple is organically grown, but it is not certified organic because nobody’s gone through the costly and cumbersome process of getting it certified. And mostly, I don’t care. I’ll eat apples from my neighbor’s tree—no big deal.

The bottom line here is to clarify organic is a chemistry term referring to carbon-based. When people refer to it in the general public, it is only related to how it is grown, brought up, or raised. That doesn’t mean that something that is not labeled “organic” is not organically grown. I hope this is clear as mud now.

But I want to make sure that people understand that just because it’s “organic” does not make it a healthier product. There’s lots of junk food that has organic ingredients in it. That doesn’t make it more nutritious.

If you have questions about this because there are many nuances about this, reach out and ask me. But, again, I’m not knocking organically grown food. I’m just saying be clear on what it means. 

USDA organic logo and “organic” on the food label meanings.

Many people assume that if the word is on the label, the food is entirely organic. 

When referring to a single crop such as spinach or milk, then the food is indeed organic. There isn’t anything else in the food, so no worries about anything besides that spinach or dairy. 

But if you are buying brownies from the “natural” grocery store or choosing your organic energy bar, what exactly are you getting? 

If the food is 100% organic, meaning ALL the ingredients are organic, the label may claim 100% organic and use the organic logo seal. 

If the food had at least 95% organic ingredients, the label may claim “organic” and use the organic logo seal.  

If the food has at least 70% organic ingredients, the label may list up to three organic ingredients on the front panel. For example, the brownies’ flour, sugar, and eggs could be on the front, but it will not have the organic logo seal.  

If the food has less than 70% organic ingredients, then the label can list them on the side or back of the package but not make the front of the package claims. 

So, if you see the word organic on the front of the package and the organic logo seal, then the food is 95% or more organic ingredients. 

But keep in mind that even if the ingredients are not labeled organic, they can still be organically grown (see this post about the difference between organic and organically grown). 

If you are purchasing products but aren’t entirely sure if it is organic, check out the sticker/code. 

Most produce has a four-digit code to identify it (see the sticker). For example, Rainier Cherries are code 4258. 

If the code is 94258, then you would know that the Rainier Cherries are organic. It is that simple. Four-digit code equals conventionally grown. A five-digit code starting with 9 equals organic. 

There is no need to know the actual codes; look for the “9” to tell whether your product is certified organic or not. 

While knowing this information is excellent, is it essential to choose organic? 

Maybe. Maybe not.

Ask yourself this: if you choose organic foods, why do you? Is it related to nutritional value? That they are healthier for you? Or something else – such as pesticide residue? Or disease risk? Just don’t pay more for the health halo of it.