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What the Organic Label on Foods Really Means | The Doctor Weighs In
By: Swetha Tummala
Medically reviewed by Patricia Salber MD, MBA (@docweighsin)
The terminology around organic foods can be confusing. However, there are standardized definitions that can help consumers understand what they are getting when they buy organic.
Organic food sales in the United States rose from $11 billion in 2004 to $49 billion in 2018. This is triple the annual growth rate for all food sales.
The Organic Trend
The demand for organic foods is so high that a 2017 Washington Post investigation found that millions of pounds of soybeans from Ukraine were sold into the U.S. as organic when they were actually conventionally grown. Organic foods are now not only found in niche stores like Whole Foods and farmers’ markets but even mainstream stores like Walmart and Costco that pride themselves on affordability and accessibility.
Walking through the aisles at any one of these stores, one sees green stickers that say “natural,” “humane,” “USDA Organic,” “CCOF Organic.” How did we end up with so many labels and what do they mean?
