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.
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