What is Organic Food?
Even if you’ve never bought an organic food product before, you’ve probably heard a lot about “organic” products or seen the label on foods in your local supermarket. There is a lot of contradicting discussion about the benefits of organic food and whether it really is better for your health, but today we’re just going to answer the question, simply, what is organic food?
Organic food is grown without the use of any pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, sewage sludge, or ionizing radiation. For meat, poultry, or eggs to be considered organic, the animals must not have been fed antibiotics or growth hormones. Farming practices for producing organic food are more environmentally friendly, emphasizing the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water.
Despite phenomenal buzz over the past decade, organic farming is not a new concept. In fact, it dates as far back as the origin of agriculture, before the invention of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. However, rapidly growing populations called for the mass production of food at lower costs. As a result, large-scale commercial farming practices became prevalent, in order to produce higher profits by achieving economies of scale. So began the organic farming movement in the 20th century, as a response to the social, health, and environmental concerns of conventional agriculture.
The market for organic food has grown rapidly in recent years, fueled by consumer perception that organic food products are healthier, safer, and greener than conventional products. According to the Nutrition Business Journal, organic food sales in the United States showed tremendous growth from $11 billion in 2004 to an estimated $27 billion in 2012. In fact, the increasing demand for organic food is outpacing supply by American farmers, many of whom are hesitant to invest in organic farming practices. Higher production costs for organic food can be attributed to the additional labor per output required to adhere to strict regulations by the USDA.
All organic food products at Nuts.com meet the strict standards set forth by both the USDA and the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) certifying agency. We maintain our certification through regular inspections and monitoring by the CCOF. We store organic products in special designated areas, and use separate packaging equipment
to ensure no cross-contamination with non-organic products. The CCOF certification holds organizations to a higher standard than the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) alone.
Wondering where to buy organic food? You can be assured that our family at Nuts.com will always bring your family the highest quality and best tasting organic food delivered right to your doorstep. We are always in search of new and exciting organic products to add to our line and welcome your suggestions. Our organic certification is your assurance that our organic products have been grown and handled according to the strictest procedures available.
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