"organicfood" news and stories

Not all organic food is created equal, this an important fact to keep in mind when shopping for healthy food. In an effort to prevent food manufacturers from fraudulently marketing incorrectly labeled food, the USDA has implemented a set of labeling rules to clarify the levels of food purity. They are still somewhat confusing if the consumer is not completely aware of the guidelines for the various levels. The following rules are for foods containing more than one ingredient, such as cereal:

• 100% Organic- means that every ingredient in the product was raised and harvested in an organic environment as approved and certified by the USDA.
• Organic- means that 70 to 95 percent of all the ingredients have been raised in a USDA approved manner
• Any product containing ingredients with less than a 70 percent organic content can separately list each ingredient that falls into the USDA organic category, but the product may not display a label claiming the product as organic.

For foods containing one ingredient, such as milk, eggs or fruit, an official USDA Organic label is displayed on the package or the fruit.

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In the wake of the avian flu in Asia, people in places like Hong Kong and South Korea are beginning to pay more attention to health, including organic foods. The burgeoning economy is also allowing the average person to take an interest in high dollar items that may provide long term health benefits. However, organic foods still make up a tiny percentage of vegetables bought by consumers. Many people are still not informed about possible benefits from organic foods, and ironically, many believe that organic foods are less flavorful. But, once the consumers get more educated and prices come down a little, there will most likely be a huge organic market in Asia.