organic products typically have a higher price point and may

even be smaller in size or different in taste.

But what exactly does organic mean? Regulations vary from

country to country. But according to the USDA, "organic"

by itself isn't necessarily a health claim. It just means the

food was produced using organic methods. These methods include a

list of federal standards addressing things like soil

fertility, pest and weed control, and animal grazing

practices.

But most people aren't actually aware of what it takes for a

product to receive the USDA Organic seal. In 2014, brand

consultancy BFG surveyed 300 shoppers. 70% purchased organic

food and only 20% could define organic.

Despite a lack of knowledge, demand for organic food is at a

record high among consumers. And it's only going up. U.S. organic

sales surged in 2020, jumping by 12.4% to $61.9 billion.

With consumers being more health conscious than ever, they're

willing to pay more for what they perceive as better, even if

they're not quite sure that it is.

In 2018, organic food and beverage items cost an average

24 cents more than conventional food. Some shoppers are doubtful

of U.S. organic food claims. Several investigations over the

years uncovering organic label fraud have exacerbated consumer

suspicion. The USDA's National Organic program, or NOP, has

been stepping up on investigations and enforcement,

suspending or revoking 370 operations in the U.S. in 2020

alone, but some say it's not enough.

On the fraud issue, they have not been the ones that have been

in the forefront. They're supposed to be preventing fraud

by the enforcement of the rules a,nd time and time again, the

horse is long out of the barn before the National Organic

Program is even aware that there's a problem.

Despite efforts to reduce fraud amid rising demand, any

consumers still question: are organic food safer? Are the more

nutritious? And are they worth the price?

Organic farming was first introduced as a concept called

humus farming in the early 20th century, in order to address

soil erosion and depletion. These practices included

composting, rotating crops and applying animal manure. During

World War II, food shortages accelerated agricultural

advances by improving mechanization, fertilization and

pesticides. Synthetic fertilizers were affordably

produced, and machineries were quickly replacing manual labor.

The term "organic" was coined in 1940 by Lord Northbourne in his

book "Look to the Land," where he talked about taking a natural

and ecological approach to farming. He drew inspiration

from Sir Albert Howard, whose decades of research led him to

the concept that using waste material was vital for soil

health.

The Industrial Revolution helped the farmer far more with a

better plow and with a tractor and an engine instead of a horse

drawn. And then we move to how do we package and salvage and

save the stuff for longer post World War TII. And oh, look at

these chemicals, they work to decimate a jungle, what could a

small amount of that do on a field, you know, that kind of

thing. So, and we saw how great these chemicals were. But then

we realized somewhere along the line probably in the 60s, I'm

assuming and into the 70s that hey, maybe we're doing detriment

to ourselves.

By the 1970s, environmental concerns increased, and

consumers began to demand more sustainable produce. In

response, Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act in

1990 to develop a national standard for organic food and

fiber production. The final rules were written and

implemented in Fall 2002. This regulation defines organic

agriculture as an "ecological production management system

that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles

and soil biological activity."

Organic isn't a health claim, it's simply a labeling term that

indicates the food has been grown following the federal

guidelines the OFPA. According to the USDA, organic farming

entails the use of manures crop rotations, biological control

,and emphasis on biodiversity, the use of rotational grazing, a

reduction and elimination of synthetic pesticides and

fertilizers and a focus on renewable resources. As for

livestock and poultry, the standards require that animals

have access to the outdoors year round, fed 100% organic feed and

not administered antibiotics or hormones. Consumers looking to

shop organic may look for the USDA seal of approval.

So let's talk about the different kinds of labeling

categories. You can have a 100% organic product. So for example,

that organic apple that you take off the shelf and eat that's

100% organic. You can also have products that are 95% or more

organic composition. And a product needs to have more than

95% in order to carry that USDA seal. And so you might be

talking about, for example, a granola bar that has different

kinds of ingredients in it. If more than 95% of those

ingredients are organic, it can use the organic seal. There's

also a made with organic category. So for example

macaroni and cheese, it may be that the cheese or the macaroni

or some other component of a product is organic, but the rest

of the product is not.

Multi-ingredient products with less than 70% certified organic

content cannot use the organic seal or use the word "organic"

on the front of the food package. However, they can list

certified organic ingredients in the ingredient list and the

percentage of organic ingredients.

Consumer demand for organic products is rising quickly,

showing double digit growth over the past decade in the U.S. As

of February 2021, organic products in the U.S. can be

found in nearly 20,000 natural food stores and nearly 75% of

conventional grocery stores. And organic sales account for 4% of

total US food sales.

The booming organic market in the U.S. can be attributed to a

few things, mainly the declining price gap between organic and

conventional products. In 2018, organic food and beverage items

cost an average of 24 cents more than conventional food. That was

down from 27 cents in 2014, a nearly 2% drop.

Organic produce seems to be getting cheaper for a number of

reasons. For one, arising dependency on fossil resources

is causing the price of conventional foods to increase

while government subsidies keep the prices artificially low. And

more private label retailers are getting in organic foods,

creating a downward pressure in the industry to reduce prices.

There are tons of reasons why organic food is more expensive

in the first place. But it all boils down to the fact that it

costs more to produce. It takes more money and labor to adhere

to the USDA strict standards regarding production, handling,

labeling and storing. Not to mention demand beats out supply.

Farmers are just not that interested in the organic

standard. They don't they see higher land costs, higher labor

costs, and so not too many make the make the switch and that

restricts the supply of organic and that's why the price is so

high.

Over the past decade, shoppers have become increasingly more

mindful of their health and COVID-19 has accelerated those

trends. According to a 2020 survey.,54% of all consumers

cared more about the helpfulness of their food and beverage

choices in 2020 than they did in 2010. Some health conscious

consumers gravitate toward organic over conventional

products due to concerns about highly processed foods,

artificial ingredients and the effects of pesticides, hormones

and antibiotics.

According to a study by Pew Research, 76% of adults surveyed

bought organic foods for their health value, followed by

environmental concerns at 33% and convenience at 22%. But

there is conflicting data about whether or not organic foods are

healthier or safer. Take for instance pesticide residue. The

consumption of pesticide contaminated food is a major

source of human pesticide exposure. And according to a

2017 review in Environmental Health, our current levels of

exposure to pesticides can lead to adverse effects on children's

cognitive development. In adults ,exposure to pesticides may also

lead to the development of Parkinson's disease, fertility

issues and cognitive decline. It also mentioned that antibiotics

used in the conventional animal production is a key driver of

antibiotic resistance in society.

The average conventional apple in the United States today

contains about four different pesticide residues. And science

science is is not at the stage where we can say with certainty

what daily exposures to four or five pesticides from food is

doing to our children. But there is a broad consensus that it's

probably not doing anything helpful.

However, there is some data that says otherwise. Organic does not

mean that the produce is grown without any pesticides. A few

naturally occurring pesticides are approved by the USDA.

Research in 2005, at the University of California

suggests that the negative public perception of pesticides

is overblown, and that the pesticide residue in both

organic and conventional crops are too low to have any adverse

effects on health.

Maybe conventional food has a very low exposure for pesticide

residue, and it's not a problem. But maybe organic food has an

exposure level that's even lower. So it's not a problem

either. I conclude that both are safe. And you should be making

your your food choice on on the basis of something more

substantial.

While there's a lot of discrepancy about whether

organic is safer and healthier long term, many agree that

organic food isn't better in terms of nutritional value, the

Environmental Health review concluded that there was no

significant difference in nutrition between organic and

conventional crops.

An orange that's grown conventionally and an orange

that's grown organically. I think they're gonna have the

same vitamins in them, I really do. I've been an orange grower

all my life. And we haven't changed much from when when dad

did it.

Organic food is not healthier or safer for you. Whether it's

organically grown or conventionally grown, it's going

to have the same nutrient content. Now there are

situations where you may find an organic orange, say may have 10

million more milligrams of say vitamin C, and it's

theoretically. It means absolutely nothing to you as far

as your health goes, because of the conventional orange let's

say has 95 milligrams of vitamin C in it. And let's say

organically grown or you may have 110 milligrams, 105

milligrams of vitamin C. Well your body doesn't need either

one of them, it only needs about 35 milligrams. You don't it need

anywhere. It's like driving down the road and you have a full

tank of gas and you see a gas station and you say, oh I'm

going to pull over and get more gas. Well it's no point because

your gas tank's full.

Some studies conclude that there simply isn't enough strong

evidence.

Many people ask me is organic food more nutritious than

conventional food? Obviously, that's a complex question. And

it varies between say animal products like meat, milk and

eggs, and fruits and vegetables, or grains. But in general, for

all plant based foods, organic food has between 20-25% higher

levels of what's called antioxidants. Now on the animal

side of agriculture, which is you know, roughly half the

calories that the typical American consumes in a day. The

biggest differences with organic farming are in the fatty acid

profile in meat and eggs, and milk and dairy products. And

these differences are significant.

At the height of the pandemic organic grains like rice and

pasta are flying off the shelves, mainly due to their

long shelf life. Harvesting and selling organic grains is big

business. It demands a higher price because it costs more to

produce

To earn the National Organic seal, the plants cannot have

been genetically modified, and they must be grown without the

help of unauthorized fertilizers, weed killers or

pesticides. But who's verifying this?

There are about 75 third-party agencies certified by the USDA

to inspect over 16,000 organic farms in the U.S. These private

inspectors perform annual audits that include questioning,

reviewing documents and examining records. But rarely

does it mean actually testing the soil or produce certifying

agents are only required to test 5% of their total operations per

year. This process largely relies on the honor system in an

ethical seller can pass off cheaper commercial round green

for the more expensive organic kind and make a huge profit. And

some are doing just that.

In 2017, a Washington Post investigation revealed that

non-organic soy and corn labeled as organic was flooding the U.S.

About 36 million pounds of conventional soybeans imported