Tag Archives: fruitandveggieguru.com

Food Labels: Pesticide-Free

Food Label Tag GreenToday, we’re checking out “pesticide-free”. Who doesn’t want to be pesticide-free?

Excerpt from Ecoholic

“Sure, it might mean your broccoli hasn’t been sprayed with chemincals, which is good, but this label doesn’t cover all the other good stuff that comes with organic. The CFIA [Canadian Food Inspection Agency] doesn’t really approve of the term because, given all the contaminants in the environment, cananything ever be pesticide-free? If they spot-test a food items and find out it’s not free of pesticides, the farmer can be charged with fraud.”

And now with a US twist from FruitandVeggieGuru.com

“[Pesticide-Free refers to] food that was grown without the use of synthetic pesticides. This doesn’t mean that the food is completely free of pesticides: organic pesticides could have been used, or synthetic pesticide residue from neighboring farms could have blown onto crops. Use of this term is not regulated by any national standards.”

Food Labels: 100% Certified Organic

Food Label Tag GreenWhat? Certified Organic doesn’t mean 100% Certified Organic? Sorry, but according to Wikipedia, products made with up to 95% organic ingredients can still carry the USDA Organic label.

What Ecoholic has to say:

“You might pay a little more for it, but this is the purest stuff you can find under any certification system. No synthetic inputs can be snuck in, no matter who the certifier.”

FruitandVeggieGuru.com agrees:

“All ingredients – the produce itself and anything used in processing – were grown and harvested according to USDA organic standards. The name of the certifying agency must appear on the package.”

Also see:
USDA Organic
Biologique Canada Organic
Organic

Food Labels: Organic

Food Label Tag GreenYes, this is a term we consumers often “take to the bank”, but does it mean what we think? No, sadly. Read on…

Excerpt from Ecoholic

“It may be organic, and then again it may not — if it’s not certified, it’s impossible to know, since use of the term hasn’t historically been regulated. Some small farmers rebel against all the pricey red table of certification and say their standards are higher anyway. This is a n easier sell to trusted customers at, say, local farmers’ markets. But again, it’s strictly a trust system. Some studies in teh US have shown that nearly half the eggs labelled organic without being certified are not organic at all. Unless a product is certified, it’s hard to know.”

According to the FruitandVeggieGuru.com

“[Organic is] a way of growing and processing food, including produce, that doesn’t involve the use of artificial ingredients, preservatives or irradiation. Products labeled “organic” must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients, according to USDA regulations. The name of the certifying agency must appear on the package. Loose or bunched produce items may be identified as organic in the grocery store by a PLU code that begins with a 9.”

See also:
USDA Organic
Biologique Organic Canada
100% Certified Organic