Understanding Organic Food Labels

Dear Jessica,

When I am at the grocery store, I see different types of organic labeling on foods. Some say "USDA organic," others say, "contains organic ingredients" or "natural" etc. Could you please explain what the different labeling means and what to look for?

Thanks,

Curious Label Reader

Dear Want to Understand Labels,

Thank you for your question.  This is a confusing topic, especially since food labels are often misleading.  So let’s discuss some commonly found terms and labels on food. 

“100% Organic” – According to the USDA, products labeled as “100 percent organic” can contain only organically produced ingredients (excluding water and salt).  Additionally, these products cannot contain added sulfites (sulfites are commonly used as a food preservative and can cause serious allergic reactions in some people).  These products will usually contain the USDA organic logo and the certifying agent’s logo and will say “100% Organic.”

“Organic” – 95% of the ingredients must be certified organic (excluding water and salt).  The remaining 5% are non-organic ingredients approved by the National Organic Board or agricultural ingredients that are not commercially available in an organic form (e.g. cornstarch).  Similar to 100% organic, these products cannot contain added sulfites.  These products will often contain the USDA organic logo and the certifying agent’s logo.

“Made with Organic Ingredients” – Indicates that at least 70% of the ingredients are organic.  Again, the remaining 30% must be non-organic agricultural ingredients or ingredients approved by the National Organic Board.  These products cannot contain sulfites (wine, however, may contain added sulfur dioxide).  These products may display the certifier’s logo but not the USDA organic logo.

“Contains organic ingredients” – Means that the product contains less than 70% organic ingredients.  These products cannot contain the USDA organic logo or a certifying agent’s logo.

“Natural” or “All Natural” is often used as an advertising term and can be arbitrarily added to packaging at the discretion of the manufacturer.  It does not necessarily mean the food is organic or natural.  Only in regards to meat and poultry, the USDA defines it as containing no artificial ingredients, coloring ingredients, or chemical preservatives and that the product/ingredients can only be minimally processed.

Hope this helps!

Jessica

If you have a food-related question that you would like answered in the journal, please email me at JessicaT@healinggardenjournal.com