Organic food is the fastest growing and one of the most profitable categories in the supermarket, for both sellers and producers.

But even consumers who regularly buy organic don’t always understand what the term means, said Urvashin Rangan, a senior scientist and policy analyst for the Consumers Union, a nonprofit consumer advocate and publisher of the monthly magazine Consumer Reports.

“There are several hundred pages of regulations,” she said.

Laurie Demeritt, the president of the Hartman Group, a market research firm on health and wellness issues, agreed that mainstream consumers don’t have a clear idea on the meaning of organic.

“And they don’t want to know,” Demeritt said. “They’re comfortable with the belief that it’s healthier, and they’re satisfied with that.”

The following attempts to boil down those hundreds of pages of regulations into the essential information every consumer should know about organics. Unless otherwise attributed, the following information comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Web site.

Q: What does “organic” mean?

A: Organic is a method of farming and ranching that emphasizes using renewable resources and conservation of soil and water. Organic food is produced without using pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, hormones and other chemicals made with synthetic ingredients.

USDA regulations also prohibit using sewage sludge; bioengineering, such as genetically modified organisms, or GMOs; or ionizing radiation.

Organic producers must maintain buffer zones to prevent organic crops or animals from mixing with neighboring farms and ranches that don’t following the federal standards.

Q: Do the regulations ban all uses of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers?

A: No, only those products using synthetic chemicals, which does include most products in those categories.

But organic regulations do allow using natural fertilizers, such as manures and composting that were standard before chemical fertilizers replaced them during the last century.

There are also some organic herbicides available, but they are not as effective as their chemical cousins.

In general, any natural substance not processed in a factory can be used in organic growing. That includes the natural fertilizers and even chemicals such as copper sulfate or zinc sulfate that are mined and applied without further processing.

Q: Who determines what is organic?

A: The USDA has a certification program that uses private, accredited inspectors to ensure a farm, ranch or food processor is following federal organic guidelines implemented in 2002.

The certification program for farms and ranches takes three years – it takes that long for synthetic chemicals to leave the soil. After an initial certification, products can carry a “USDA organic” label and then undergo annual inspections. Every five years, products must be tested for chemical residues in fruits, vegetables and animals.

Consumers Union agrees the annual inspections are sufficient to enforce the regulations, but it has advocated for testing yearly or no less than every two years, Rangan said. Most chemicals can be detected five years after use, but some cannot.

Q: Are there any other consumer issues concerning USDA organic regulations?

A: The regulations are generally clear and consumer friendly, Rangan said. The USDA took a record amount of comments from interest groups, including Consumers Union, during the 12 years of developing the organic standards.

However, the regulations have ambiguities and loopholes, she said.

The regulations don’t define “pasture” or set a minimum time the animals must spend outside.

So-called “free-range chickens” may have spent their lives only in a screened porch beside the henhouse, she said. Some companies keep their cows on a dry lot, feed them grass and call that “pasturing.”

“That’s a big issue in the organic community. Because there are no specifics, some companies have gotten away with really pushing the envelope,” Rangan said.

Q: What about organic seafood?

A: Any seafood product labeled organic is meaningless because the federal guidelines don’t deal with seafood at all, Rangan said. Nevertheless, the USDA has allowed companies to use the term on seafood products.

“If ‘organic’ is a production practice, the controls need to be in place, and we need to know what the controls are,” she said.

Q: What kind of organic label should consumers look for?

A: The USDA allows companies to use three official labels:

’100 percent organic’ means every ingredient in the product was produced under organic regulations. It is usually used for single-ingredient products, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, meats and cheeses. Processed products, such as orange juice made only with organic oranges, also can use the label.

‘Organic’ means at least 95 percent of the ingredients by weight meet organic standards. Water and salt do not count, Rangan said.

‘Made with organic’ ingredients can be used on products that have at least 70 percent organic ingredients by weight.

Products using less than 70 percent organic ingredients can note organic content on a side panel but cannot make any organic claims on the front of the package.

Companies that sell or label a product “organic” when they know it does not meet USDA standards can be fined up to $11,000 for each violation.

Q: Are “organic” and “natural” the same thing?

A: No. Products using artificial flavorings, colorings and preservatives and other chemicals may be labeled “natural” but not “organic.”

Q: Are organic products healthier?

A: The organic label is a production claim, the USDA says. It means nothing regarding the nutritional value or safety of the product.

Rangan agreed companies may not legitimately claim their organic products are more nutritious, but they can validly claim that the absence of pesticides, hormones and other chemicals used in standard production practices is healthier for the consumer.

“We know from our testing data that organic fruits and vegetables have less pesticide residue, and that has added value,” Rangan said. “Tests also show organic juices have less pesticide residue.”

Studies also show children raised on an organic diet have lower levels of chemical residues in their bodies – an undisputed health benefit, she said.

Q: Are there any food-safety issues associated with organic foods?

A: The Consumer Reports’ recent study of contamination levels on fresh whole chickens purchased nationwide showed that 25 percent of organic chickens tested positive for salmonella compared to fewer than 10 percent for nonorganic chickens, Rangan said.

That’s probably because organic producers can’t use the standard anti-bacterial washes used by others, she said.

But remember that salmonella poisoning occurs only with undercooked birds. Organic chicken has other health benefits. “We try not to make things black and white,” she said.

Source: NYT Regional Media Group