Definition: "Organic" technically refers to any material that is carbon-based. That said, organically raised food follows a set of prescribed practices that differ in a number of ways from industrialized agriculture. Only farms that go through the certification process of their country or state can label their food organic. The process is expensive, and many small farms choose to forgo certification even though their own practices meet or exceed those required.
Organic standards vary, but generally include:
- Prohibition of synthetic chemicals, irradiation, sewage sludge, or genetically modified organisms
- Farmland that has been free of the above for a time (in the U.S. it's three years)
- Detailed records of practices used
- Periodic on-site inspections
- USDA-certification for organic meat forbids use of growth hormones, antibiotics, genetically modified feed, or animal by-products in raising the livestock
- Organic eggs are required to come from chickens that are both cage-free and free range
In the United States, for producers to label processed food "organic" it must contain 95% organically grown ingredients; they can use the label "contains organic ingredients" as long as 70% of the ingredients are certified organic.
For more information, see what the United States Department of Agriculture has to say.