Learning Center

There is a great deal of confusion regarding “organic” and “natural” label claims. In order to be clear, food labels are given guidelines for what words and phrases actually mean. These regulations are designed to ensure that you have enough information to make informed choices about what you eat.

Organic
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) now has national standards for the use of the word “organic” on any food in the United States. These standards and regulations are covered under the National Organic Program (NOP). Consumers buying organic products, whether produced in the United States or imported, can be assured there is a watchdog looking out to ensure that the word “organic” is used properly.

According to these new regulations, Organic foods are produced without antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, irradiation or bioengineering. Organic farmers are required to adhere to certain soil and water conservation methods and to rules about the humane treatment of animals.

When reading food labels, you may notice there are several different levels of Organic. Below is an explanation of what each label means:

Single Ingredient Foods

100% Organic: This certification is used on single ingredient foods such as fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy and eggs (excluding water and salt). Since this certification is the highest standard a food can receive, you can be assured products labeled 100% Organic are as “organic” as they can be.

Multiple Ingredient Foods

100% Organic: This statement is reserved for foods made with only 100% organic ingredients. This is the highest standard of organic and your assurance that the product is as organic as possible.

Organic -These foods must contain between 95% and 100% organic ingredients (the percentage is measured by weight). Any non-organic ingredients, up to 5%, often are not available organically but must still be approved by the NOP. These products may display the USDA Organic seal.

Made with Organic Ingredients - Multiple ingredient foods that claim “Made with Organic Ingredients” must contain between 70% and 94.9% organic ingredients to qualify for this claim. The specific organic ingredients are allowed to be named on the front of the label.

Products containing less than 70% organic ingredients cannot make any claims on the front label of a product and can only list its organic ingredients on the back label.

Natural
The USDA published definitions for the word “natural” with respect to fresh produce (fruits and vegetables), dairy and meat. Foods labeled “natural” cannot contain any artificial ingredients or added colors and must be minimally processed. Unfortunately, the USDA does not provide a definition for what “minimally processed” means and therefore leaves a grey area with respect to labeling. For example, meat from animals raised with the use of artificial hormones can also be labeled natural since “hormone-free” is not included in the USDA’s definition of “natural”.