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Old 09-01-2008, 07:09 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
Billy[_4_] Billy[_4_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Aug 2007
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Default What Is Organic Food?

In article
,
wrote:

"Organic" has some quite specific legal definitions in most developed
countries.

In the U.S, all farms or products claiming to be "certified organic"
must be guaranteed by a USDA-approved independent agency to be meeting
the following guidelines:

* Sound records kept of all operations
* No use of antibiotics or hormones in livestock
* No use of genetically modified organisms
* No irradiation
* Use sound soil conservation and crop rotation practice
* And most importantly, that there has been no useage of prohibited
materials within 3 years prior to certification, or at any time during
certification.

The USDA defines 'prohibited materials' as synthetic fertilizers,
pesticides and sewage sludge. It is also a requirement that there is
no cross-contamination during processing, which means organic wheat
for example cannot be ground in a flour factory that also handles non-
organic material.

Produce grown organically certainly tastes better than the usual
supermarket stock. It also contains higher levels of nutrients and far
lower residual pesticides. You can read all the latest Organic Food
articles and research at
http://www.ge-free.com/

In general food grown free of pesticides, herbicides and genetically
modified organisms (GMO) is organic to some extent. Certified organic
food is that

http://www.dontplayplay.com/html/Foo...925/16401.html


Somewhere around 2004, the USDA allowed non-organic ingredients to be
added to products certified as organic, if organic ingredients couldn't
be found. Mass organic producers are basically factory operations to
sell to Whole-Foods and their ilk. Your basic pig with lipstick. Learn
who your supplier is. If they state, under a letter head, that only
organic materials are used in their operation, then they are legally
obligated to their statement. Otherwise, presume it is B.S.
--

Billy

Bush & Cheney, Behind Bars
http://www.antiwar.com/eland/index.php?articleid=8282
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movemen...George_W._Bush