Introduction to Organic Foods

Organics

What Does “Organic” Mean?

Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to maintain or improve environmental quality for future generations. The guiding principle of organic farming is the maintenance of sustainable ecosystems for people, animals, crops and soil by respecting the relationships between soil, plants and animals (plants nourish animals, animals nourish the soil, which nourishes plants).

Simply stated, organic products are grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, plant growth regulators (hormones), and genetically modified organisms. Organic agriculture relies on natural products and processes to grow crops, improve soil quality, control pests and promote bio-diversity. As far as possible, organic farmers rely on crop rotation, green manure, compost, and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests. A well-balanced and biologically active soil will provide the crop with sufficient nutrients for optimum growth and yields, with a minimum of pest and disease problems.

What is Organic Certification?

“Certified Organic” is a term given to food products produced according to a set of standards. Organic standards define a set of practices for production and handling which must be followed for the farmer’s products to be labeled and sold as “Organic”. Before a product can be labeled “Organic”, a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet the national organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it goes to market must also be certified.

As part of complying with the standards, an audit trail, or record keeping system, is kept by the farmer, handlers and processors by which a crop may be traced from field to storage to sale. All certification bodies require an accurate audit trail as proof that acceptable organic management practices have been followed.

How Do I Know if Something is Organic?

Any product with an organic claim must comply with the requirements of the Organic Products Regulations, which state:

Only products with organic content that is greater than 95% may be labelled as “Organic”
Multi-ingredient products with 70-95% organic content may have the declaration: “% organic products.”
Multi-ingredient products with less than 70% organic content may only contain organic claims in the product’s ingredient list.

Certified organic products must also bear the name of the certification body that has certified the product as organic.

NutraSun baking products are made from organically grown Hard White and Hard Red Spring Canadian wheat.