For a word that’s used so often it seems pretty ill-defined. My chemistry isn’t great but I believe in the chemical sense an organic compound is a complex carbon-based molecule, usually like a chain of CH bonds with some nitrogen and oxygen thrown in there. (Again, chemistry really isn’t my area. )
But when people talk about organic food I understand it even less than in the chemical sense. It seems like it usually means something along the lines of it not having additives or preservatives, but does that have anything to do with whether those ingredients are “organic” or not? Is it two entirely different uses of the word, or is there some relation?
In: Chemistry
Honestly… it does not mean much (at least in the US).
As there is no set governmental definition of the word “organic” each producer or company can determine what that means to them and can market their goods based on whether THEY feel that their products should be called organic. By that I mean, for some producers, if they use less than 50% artificial fertilizer or if one of the many step in manufacturing is considered “natural” they can call their produce “organic” while other producers have other internal definitions that they use.
In other words (again in the US), the word “organic” is mostly a marketing ploy used to convince gullible consumers in spending more money on identical products.
It means that it has been certified as being grown and prepared under codes set up by various organic farming bodies. No artificial fertilizers or pesticides etc. It’s got nothing to do with organic chemistry. To see exactly what is allowed or not, you would have to read the code for wherever you live.
It’s a marketing term.
There is no one single guideline to what “organic” means and no governing body that insures that anything that is called organic meets that guideline.
As a general rule, it means that food was grown w/out artificial or lab made weed killers, bug killers, hormones, or antibiotics. But even then, you can’t prevent things like wind carrying weed killer across a field, or rainwater transporting these things, or cross pollination between a so called “organic” field and a non-organic field.
It’s a blanket term used for products generally grown without fertilizer or other non “organic” chemical inputs. Often it’s used through certifications to “green-wash” products for eco-capitalist gains. I’m a sustainability major and studied this for years. It’s not beneficial in almost any sense. Often times organically grown means the people who got certified to grow organic grew heavily indebted to obtain such a certification with no risk to the certifiers.
It’s a marketing tactic to attract customers by trying to highlight a difference between products. The FDA has set a standard for what can be labeled “organic”. If the product meets those standards it can get the label. But realistically, there is no difference.
The term “organic” is and always has been a scientific term used to describe substances composed of hydrocarbons, the building blocks of all living organisms.
For the US, the USDA blogged about what they and the NOP do with regards to terms like organic and natural.
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means
This term is used loosely, but “Certified organic” is a whole different ball game. it is NOT a marketing scheme as some will say. it is an organization that sets standards, there are strict guidelines and rules farmers must follow to be “certified” you can gt more details [Here](https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/labeling) small backyard growers might be completely organic, but not carry the certified organic.
generally organic means that GMO’s, and man made chemicals, not found in nature are not used in the cultivation or production. it also covers rules for post production, for example how the produce is stored, how it is packaged, and preservatives etc.
Some will argue, that just because something is natural or organic, does not make it safe, this is true to some degree, but adding hormones to farm animals for example, does make it’s way into humans in milk. it’s not just about not having bad chemicals in your food, it’s also about the enviroment, organic farmers, by not using herbicides, these won’t leach into our rivers and streams, affecting wildlife. or into the ground water.
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