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What Are Organic Foods?
How can you tell just what are organic foods, and what are not?
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We read about organic foods all the time, but how can you be sure that you're buying natural and organic food?
Fortunately, there are good controls. A farmer can't just call his parsnips 'organic' because he's shovelled some horse muck on to them rather than using a chemical fertiliser. Real natural and organic foods must be produced by certified suppliers, to organic farming and processing standards. Authentic organic foods should have a certification number or label on the packet, or if they are sold loose, the seller should have certification details available.These are the foods to choose, to get the full benefit of organic foods.
WHAT ARE ORGANIC FOODS: FARMING
Organic farming is based on the idea of producing healthy, natural organic food, keeping the soil healthy, encouraging and enhancing biodiversity, and using sustainable farming methods.
Artificial pesticides and fertilisers must not be used on organic fruit and veg, and chemicals must not be used on the produce after harvesting.
Farmers must rotate crops to keep the soil in good condition and break cycles of pest infestation or disease.
GM seeds or other materials may not be used in the production of organic fruit and vegetables.
WHAT ARE ORGANIC FOODS: PROCESSING
There are thousands of organic processed foods - sauces, pastas, canned fruits and vegetables, cakes, biscuits - on the market, and more are appearing every week.
Processed foods can't be labelled 'organic' unless the manufacturer has been certified by an organic certification organisation. There are five of these in the UK, including the Soil Association and the Organic Food Federation. Businesses involved in packing or labelling organic goods must also be certified.
The ingredients for organic processed foods must be kept separately from non-organic ingredients, right through the production line.
Organic foods are processed with the smallest possible amount of processing, and without artificial additives. A few natural additives are allowed, which must be shown on the label.
Careful records must be kept of the whole production process.
Most manufactured foods are 100% organic, but any non-organic ingredient must be clearly shown on the label.
That's the lowdown on how natural and organic foods are produced. Now, find out about all the
advantages of organic foods,
and how they can benefit your family's wellbeing.
