I have been dazed and confused recently each time I venture into the food store and a vast percentage of the items claim to be organic.
The term "organic" has been both a socially and a legally defined category of food that is claimed to be more natural than artificial in both its production and its preparation. Organic foods are now the central element of American Health food. It was the the Progressive Era Legislation promoted by Theodore Roosevelt that led to the pure food and Drug Act (1906) and the establishment of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Most notable to its relationship to organic foods was the Delaney clause, part of the 1958 food additives amendment to the food, Drug Cosmetic act (1938). In short, the Delaney clause states that any additive in any amount that is demonstrated to cause cancer in laboratory animals will be banned from the market.
This clause introduces an organic food conundrum. If our food is deemed safe by government oversight, then why do we need to have a government oversight, then why do we need to have a separate category of organic food ? Is organic food any safer, more nutritious, or better tasting than conventional food. The answer is not a simple yes or no. The movement involved not only individuals who questioned the way food was being produced and its impact on the land, but those who were wary of the safety of the land.
Lady Eve Balfour, one of the early English founders of the organic movement, emphasized the importance of soil fertility and was concerned with the increased use of petroleum-based artificial or "artificial," chemical fertilizers. She promoted the adage that healthy soil meant healthy plants and in turn that translated into healthy people.
The National Organic Rule has very specific parameters. It should be noted that the terms "Natural" and "Organic" cannot be used interchangeably. Organic labeling laws are as follows: Labeling a product "100 percent organic requires that the product contain only organic ingredients; this product can carry the official USDA organic seal, but use it voluntary, labeling a product organic requires that 95 percent of the product by weight or by volume , contains organic ingredients.
I beg you please do not label your products organic if it really and clearly not organic. It is both misleading and companies should be fined for not following the guidelines.
Happy eating !
Sources of information
The Pleasures and Politics of Local Foods
The Organic Alliance
Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America
