What Are The Requirements For Organic Food?

The demand for organic food products have risen. People casually walk down store aisles looking for small organic food sticker labels, something set forth by the FDA (Federal and Drug Administration).

The organic food must pass a stringent set of requirements set by the FDA. For example, the food must be grown with any use of chemical additives. Another example is that the livestock cannot be given growth hormones and antibiotics. These are but a few of the long list of requirements.

What are some requirements for organic food?

The government has decided to give out a standard for certified organic food, seeing how the demand for it has significantly risen. Among others, some examples of these requirements include not using pesticide, chemical additives, and chemical fertilizer.

The entire production process of organic food must pass the stringent standards set by the FDA. These include how the seeds are grown, how the produce are maintained, and how they are transported to customers.

Before a product can be called a certified organic food, any business directly involved in the food's production process has to be certified. This includes the seed providers, farmers, the companies that process the food, even the food retailers and restaurants.

Unfortunately, current requirements for certified organic food differ by country; what may qualify in one country won't necessarily in another.

In essence, when a food product is grown and delivered without the presence of synthetic products, chemicals, pesticides, and artificial growth hormones, during any stage of the production, the food product can safely be labeled an organic food. Imagine if sewer sludge were used as fertilizer; certainly, that would exempt the food from being called organic.

Participants Must Prove Themselves

Every company involved in the making of organic food must pass their own meticulous standard. They must keep strict records of production and sales. They must also record every equipment type involved in production. They must also maintain a solid border between the organic production areas from the non-organic production areas.

As mentioned earlier, all the fields used by these companies must be kept free of pesticides and other chemicals that would violate standards. Usually, the initial number of pesticide-free years is three, but this number varies by country.

Of course, the land used are subject to periodic inspection to maintain the status of a certified organic food producer.

Being a certified organic food producer entails this extra mile. And this is made possible from the risen demand of organic food, and the growing awareness of healthy lifestyles.

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