About Organics
Organic. That just means it’s made in nature, right?
Well, not exactly. We talk a lot about being organic, but it’s more than just a matter of being “natural” or not. Organic is a way of growing food that has a profound effect on our bodies and our planet. And it’s the way we’ve been growing food for a long, long time.
What is organic?
“Organic” describes a philosophy of working within the laws and systems existing in nature to achieve a healthy, living soil and a sustainable environment. Through the use of compost, manure, cover crops, crop rotations, and other natural methods, natural microbial life in the soil is helped to thrive. This in turn can improve the health and disease resistance of the plants that grow there, without the use of pesticides, chemicals or genetically modified seed.
To learn more about organics from our Registered Dietician, Ashley Koff, watch our Ask Ashley video.
Organic has benefits.
Organic agriculture is easier on the planet. When the soil is teeming with microbial life, it becomes the perfect medium in which to grow food. That means, during the lifecycle of an organic crop, no agro-chemicals are released into the air and groundwater. Then there’s the question of personal preferences. Many people simply don’t want pesticide residues in their diet. And lots of folks think organic strawberries taste better (of course they do)!
What is "certified" organic?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), through the National Organic Program (NOP) has established a uniform set of production methods for growing and processing organic food. If farmers and manufacturers meet these standards, which include annual on-site inspections by third-party inspectors, their crops or food are certified to be organic. If a food product has between 95% to 100% organic content, it may be called organic and the USDA/NOP Organic seal may be used on the package.
Canada introduced its own organic regulations on June 30, 2009. The standards for organic certification in Canada are similar, though not identical, to those in the United States. Both countries promote the idea of reaching an organic equivalency agreement. This now means that organic in Canada is organic in the US too (and vice versa)—even if the process to getting there was slightly different.
Does organic cost more?
At the cash register, organic foods do tend to cost a little more than their often-subsidized conventional counterparts. As we see it, eating organic is a choice we make for our bodies and our planet. So at Nature’s Path we try to keep our organic products priced no more than 10-15% higher than the non-organic options at the grocery stores. Sometimes we are even less expensive than conventional cereals.
How has Nature’s Path been active in the organic foods movement?
In the 40-plus years since Arran Stephens opened his first organic restaurant, he has worked tirelessly to spread the organic love far and wide. From producing the first USDA certified organic cereals, to buying up farmland in order to convert it to organic, to supporting outreach to organic farmers, to installing an organic garden at our corporate headquarters in Richmond BC, Arran has worked to keep organic advocacy at the forefront of our company’s mission. To that end, Nature’s Path created the position of Organic Program Manager in 2003, and hired Dag Falck to oversee organic operations of Nature’s Path, as well as to boost our connection with organic farmers and to help conventional farmers learn about the benefits of organic farming.
Organic White Paper
Introduction
The recession is forcing many of us to examine how we are spending our money and cut back wherever we can. It has made some people question the value of organics, which can be higher-priced than their conventional counterparts. We don’t want to downplay the impact of the recession or anyone’s financial troubles, but we think that now - more than ever - the value of organics is apparent.
These tough times are making people think about the things that are really important to them…what’s coming out on top of the list? Home, health, family and sustainability. And you know what? These are all areas that organics help make healthier, safer and better. Organic food delivers higher nutrition and reduces exposure to pesticides to keep our families healthy and safe and it creates a more sustainable environment to help ensure a healthy world for the future.
The value of choosing to purchase organic products far transcends that moment at the store shelf. The long-term investment for people and the planet is priceless. By choosing to buy organic we are choosing not to imperil the earth; not to poison our water supply, our animals, our earth and ourselves.
We at Nature’s Path are committed to organics and many of us are experts in the field. We’ve put together this guide for you, to give you a better understanding of what organics are and why they are important for our families, our world and ourselves.
What Is Organic?
Simply stated, organic is a term that is used to describe a philosophy of working within the laws and systems existing in nature to achieve a healthy environment that is sustainable long-term.
Organic farming is a system that is based on building healthy soil through the use of compost, manure, cover crops and crop rotations and other natural methods. Organic ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Basically, organic principles are based on the belief that if the natural microbial life in the soil is given an opportunity to be prolific, the plants grown in that soil will also be healthy and resistant to pests and disease and will provide high quality nutrition to those that eat those plants.
We’ll explain more about what organic is, and isn’t, later on. Now, let’s start at the beginning…
History of Organics
In the 1950’s, Arran Stephens, CEO and founder of Nature’s Path Organic Foods, was spending his days on his parents organic berry farm on Vancouver Island. His dad was part of a small minority of farmers – including J.I. Rodale and Paul Keene of Walnut Acres Farms - who weren’t embracing the synthetic pesticides and herbicides that were introduced the decade before and were being widely used. The tide began turning in 1962 when Rachel Carlson wrote Silent Spring, which documented the negative consequences of chemicals used in agriculture, and is credited with refocusing attention on organic farming and giving rise to an environmental consciousness.
Momentum grew during the 70’s, when we celebrated our first Earth Day and when farmers started forming third-party organic certifying groups around the country. Also during the disco era, the government banned DDT and the organic industry grew as people looked for ways to protect their health and the Earth.
Fast forward to 1990, and the standards of one of those farmers groups – the California Certified Organic Farmers – became the model for the Organic Food Protection Act of 1990. The actual creation of a national set of standards took over a decade, however. Later in the 90’s the USDA proposed a set of standards, despite the fact that some provisions were not recommended by the National Organic Standards Board – a group made up of knowledgeable organic industry people that was created to advise the USDA – and they were rejected. A little known fact, and one that shows just how serious we organic industry veterans are about our standards, is that this was the first time in history that an industry fought for stricter standards for themselves! In 2001 the USDA passed the National Organic Program after they had reinstated provisions that prohibited irradiation, sewage sludge and genetically engineered seeds, and these standards continue to evolve today.
Organic Certification
Speaking of organic standards…the ones we just discussed are the basis of organic certification. What exactly is organic certification? It is the system developed to assure those who buy and eat food in stores, from co-ops, farmers markets, online or from buying groups, that the product is indeed produced and protected according to consistent organic standards.
Since the start, organic standards have focused on the practices used to grow, clean, transport, processes and package organic products. The simple concept behind these standards is that the most effective way to ensure a product does not contain something prohibited in organic food is to ensure that the process and substances involved in every step of the process is according to a very strict standard.
In a nutshell, to be organic:
- No synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics or hormones may be used
- No sewage sludge may be used
- No Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) may be used
- No irradiation can be done
- No comingling with nonorganic items
- Land must have been free from prohibited substances for at least three years (more on farmland later!)
- The farmer or business must undergo a detailed annual audit of purchases, production, land, equipment, storage and sales by a third party
In the U.S., the National Organic Program (USDA/NOP) regulates and enforces the organic standards to ensure the organic market place consistently follows the regulations. In Canada the Canadian Organic Office (COO, a branch of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, CFIA) regulates and enforces a parallel system called the Canadian Organic Regime (COR) that came into effect June 30, 2009.
Both systems have categories for organic claims that may be made. You’ve seen them on labels, but what exactly do they mean?
Certified organic is the best guarantee you have that a product is indeed organic. To receive the label its production has been strictly enforced from farm to market, so you can feel good that you and your family are eating great organic food!
Organics & Health
The health benefits of organic food are derived from both from what’s missing and what’s in there.
First of all, what’s not in organic food? It’s not grown with the pesticides that conventional food is grown with. Why do we want to limit our exposure to, and ingestion of, pesticides? They can cause a range of ill effects from the relatively mild but still unpleasant effects like headaches, fatigue and nausea to the serious illnesses like cancer and neurological disorders.(i.) In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers 60 percent of all herbicides (weed killers), 90 percent of all fungicides (mold killers) and 30 percent of all insecticides (insect killers) potentially cancer causing! Pesticides pose special risks for children because they weigh less, have higher metabolisms and their systems are still developing. According to the EPA, pesticides may block the absorption of important food nutrients necessary for normal healthy growth. If a child’s excretory system is not fully developed, the body may not fully remove pesticides. Also, there are "critical periods" in human development when exposure to a toxin can permanently alter the way an individual’s biological system operates. Although the FDA sets “safe limits” for pesticide residues in food, More than 1 million children between the ages of 1 and 5 ingest at least 15 pesticides every day.(ii.) Organic food also is grown and processed without the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). There haven’t been long term health studies done on GMOs, so we don’t know what potentially bad effects these could have on our long term health. Probably best to avoid them to be safe, don’t you think?
Now the good stuff. What does organic food have? More of the stuff we want – nutrients. One study found that organic food contains, on average, 25 percent higher concentrations of 11 nutrients than their conventional counterparts based on 236 comparisons of organically and conventionally grown foods!(iii.) Organic fruits and vegetables have also been shown to be approximately 30 percent higher in antioxidants than conventional.(iv.)
Plus, a lot of people think organic food just tastes better. We agree!
Organics & The Environment
Organic food is not only better for us, but also for the earth.
Where industrial farms use pesticides that pollute farmland and water resources, organic farms eliminate the use of polluting chemicals to protect and conserve our soil and water systems – for instance, they use beneficial insects to prey on pests instead of using chemical insecticides that can remain in the soil and water for years. In fact, organic farms help build healthy soil in many ways: crop rotation encourages biodiversity, cover crops like clover add nutrients, prevent weeds and increase organic matter (which helps resist erosion) and composted manure and plant waste helps retail moisture and nutrients. Sustainable farms are all about working in harmony with the environment; many organic farmers work to retain wetlands and other natural areas, protect biodiversity by collecting and preserving seeds and growing unusual varieties and respect the balance of the ecosystem by encouraging wildlife.
The whole system of organic farming is based on growth and sustainability – it helps to preserve the land for us and the generations to come!
Can’t get enough info on organics?
Learn more from Tim LaSalle, CEO of The Rodale Institute and a world leader in regenerative organic agricultural research, advocacy and education. Tim shared this presentation at Nature’s Path’s head office on Oct. 9th, 2009. See the attachment below.
i. Source: Agricultural Pesticides: Management Improvements Needed to Further Promote Integrated Pest Management, U.S. General Accounting Office [GAO-01-815, Page 4, August 2001].
ii. Source: Environmental Working Group, Overexposed: Organophosphate Insecticides in Children’s Food, 1998 pp1-3.
iii. Source: New Evidence Supports the nutritional Superiority of Organic Plant-based Foods, C. Benbrook, et. Al., The Organic Center State of Science Review, March 2008
iv. Source: Elevating Antioxidant Levels in Food though Organic Farming and Food Processing, C Benbrook, The Organic Center State of Science Review, January 2005
