3 ms·

I'd interpret the parent's statement that the term organic does not necessarily mean anything of value. It does have a technical definition, which when applied

I'd interpret the parent's statement that the term organic does not necessarily mean anything of value. It does have a technical definition, which when applied strictly can have value, but it's also horribly abused as a feel-good term with no semantic content. (Just as 'holistic' is, looking elsewhere on the thread.) (One of my pet hates is 'organic salt'.)

jMyles 11y ago
If you know of someone who is advertising products as organic when they aren't, I suggest reporting them to the local farmer's group, chamber of commerce, industry association, or (groan) the FDA. "Organic salt," although counter-intuitive, has a meaning: that the product does not have additives or anti-caking agents. (In some countries, the harvesting processing must also comport to environmental standards). Although the FDA does not certify salt as "organic," I believe that it still handles reports of salt that does contain additives or anti-caking agents being advertised as "organic." I'm not sure that it's reasonable to care whether salt is "organic," but it's not a capricious term. It's well-defined and easy to understand. Some other products, such as butter, are chemically quite distinct from their counterparts which are produced by orthodox techniques and quite worth caring about. It is easy to have these products lab tested to determine whether or not they are organic. If you eat butter, then switching to organic butter will remove a substantial mass of chemical pesticides, including organophosphate, prenatal exposure to which is known to cause some serious problems.
- david-given 11y ago
  I didn't twig you were American. I live in Switzerland. Producing detectable quantities of anything in butter here that's not made of cow is probably a shooting offence. (The last time I was in the US I looked at the ingredients on a packet of sweets and thought, I think all these additives are banned back home...) Is the word 'organic' actually a controlled term in the US? I know the various certifications are; is the term itself?
  - nkurz 11y ago
    Yes, in the US "organic" is a controlled term, and it is illegal to put the word "organic" on a food label unless it meets certain legal requirements: (b) Products sold, labeled, or represented as “organic.” A raw or processed agricultural product sold, labeled, or represented as “organic” must contain (by weight or fluid volume, excluding water and salt) not less than 95 percent organically produced raw or processed agricultural products. Any remaining product ingredients must be organically produced, unless not commercially available in organic form, or must be nonagricultural substances or nonorganically produced agricultural products produced consistent with the National List in subpart G of this part. If labeled as organically produced, such product must be labeled pursuant to §205.303. http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?rgn=div5&node=7:3.1.1.9.32#se7.3.205_1300 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?rgn=div5&node=7:3.1.1.9... (Pay no attention to the potential 5% of non-organic ingredients behind the curtain)
    - jMyles 11y ago
      > (Pay no attention to the potential 5% of non-organic ingredients behind the curtain) To be fair, this 5% is limited to the specific ingredients listed in subpart G, which is pretty restrictive.

jMyles 11y ago

If you know of someone who is advertising products as organic when they aren't, I suggest reporting them to the local farmer's group, chamber of commerce, industry association, or (groan) the FDA. "Organic salt," although counter-intuitive, has a meaning: that the product does not have additives or anti-caking agents. (In some countries, the harvesting processing must also comport to environmental standards). Although the FDA does not certify salt as "organic," I believe that it still handles reports of salt that does contain additives or anti-caking agents being advertised as "organic." I'm not sure that it's reasonable to care whether salt is "organic," but it's not a capricious term. It's well-defined and easy to understand. Some other products, such as butter, are chemically quite distinct from their counterparts which are produced by orthodox techniques and quite worth caring about. It is easy to have these products lab tested to determine whether or not they are organic. If you eat butter, then switching to organic butter will remove a substantial mass of chemical pesticides, including organophosphate, prenatal exposure to which is known to cause some serious problems.

david-given 11y ago
I didn't twig you were American. I live in Switzerland. Producing detectable quantities of anything in butter here that's not made of cow is probably a shooting offence. (The last time I was in the US I looked at the ingredients on a packet of sweets and thought, I think all these additives are banned back home...) Is the word 'organic' actually a controlled term in the US? I know the various certifications are; is the term itself?
- nkurz 11y ago
  Yes, in the US "organic" is a controlled term, and it is illegal to put the word "organic" on a food label unless it meets certain legal requirements: (b) Products sold, labeled, or represented as “organic.” A raw or processed agricultural product sold, labeled, or represented as “organic” must contain (by weight or fluid volume, excluding water and salt) not less than 95 percent organically produced raw or processed agricultural products. Any remaining product ingredients must be organically produced, unless not commercially available in organic form, or must be nonagricultural substances or nonorganically produced agricultural products produced consistent with the National List in subpart G of this part. If labeled as organically produced, such product must be labeled pursuant to §205.303. http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?rgn=div5&node=7:3.1.1.9.32#se7.3.205_1300 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?rgn=div5&node=7:3.1.1.9... (Pay no attention to the potential 5% of non-organic ingredients behind the curtain)
  - jMyles 11y ago
    > (Pay no attention to the potential 5% of non-organic ingredients behind the curtain) To be fair, this 5% is limited to the specific ingredients listed in subpart G, which is pretty restrictive.