What Makes Organic Food, Organic?

People walk down store aisles looking for little label stickers on food products. These stickers, which were designed by the FDA, indicate that the food is an organic food.
To be called Organic Food, the food has to pass a standard set by the FDA. These standards include things like - it has to be grown without the use of chemicals or the livestock must be raised without the use of growth hormones and antibiotics. The list goes on.
What are some requirements for certified organic food?
The demand for organic food has risen and it's caught the attention of the government. The government has stepped in to make sure everything goes according to plan by issuing certain criteria. Certified organic food involve more than not using pesticide and chemical fertilizer.
Every part of the process has to meet stringent criteria to earn the certification, starting from when the seeds start growing to how they're handled, even until the time they reach the consumers.
Before a product can be called a certified organic food, any business directly involved in the food's production process has to be certified. This includes the seed providers, farmers, the companies that process the food, even the food retailers and restaurants.
Something worth taking note here: these standards differ by country. Just because a certain practice is allowed in the United States, it doesn't mean the same applies to different countries.
In essence, when a food product is grown and delivered without the presence of synthetic products, chemicals, pesticides, and artificial growth hormones, during any stage of the production, the food product can safely be labeled an organic food. Imagine if sewer sludge were used as fertilizer; certainly, that would exempt the food from being called organic.
Production Participants Have Standards, Too
Companies that are involved in the supply chain hoping to remain certified organic food providers must maintain meticulous records of the products' production and sales. In addition, records must be kept for any equipment that is used in their manufacturing process. They're also required to maintain a solid border between organic growing areas and those that are not going to used for certified organic food.
As mentioned earlier, all the fields used by these companies must be kept free of pesticides and other chemicals that would violate standards. Usually, the initial number of pesticide-free years is three, but this number varies by country.
Of course, the land used are subject to periodic inspection to maintain the status of a certified organic food producer.
Due to these high standards, certified organic food providers must take that extra mile to ensure quality products. Although it may seem cumbersome, the certification process ensures the health promised by organic foods.

Article Source: http://menshealthtoday.com

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