There is an old Latin saying: "Caveat emptor", translated as "Let the buyer beware." Where food labeled as "USDA Organic" is concerned, this old adage is a good warning. Consumers, who pay significantly higher prices in many instances for organic foods, are not always getting just what nature put there. What you see isn't necessarily what you get. Baby food, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, meat, fish--any and all of these, and more, are allowed by the US Department of Agriculture's Organic Foods Production Act (1990) to contain additives that are either synthetic or non-organically produced.
Just for a small sample, here are some substances allowed in supposedly-pure, all-natural foods:
-hydrogen peroxide (do blonde veggies have more fun?)
-tetracycline (great news for those of us allergic to this antibiotic!)
-chlorine
-ethylene
Then there are the non-synthetic additives which are not organically produced, allowed in foods labeled as organic:
-casings for sausage, from animal intestines (can we say "ewww"?)
-chia (will this cause green foliage to sprout from consumers' heads?)
...and a lengthy list of other items overall. (See http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5068682&acct=nopgeninfo for the entire National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances)
The producers of certified foods must have their additives re-approved every five years by the USDA. In the meantime consumers have been innocently eating things they didn't bargain for. Certain major food manufacturers have gotten into the organics market, and are using some of the items on the above list in their products. Baby foods and formula also are using synthetic materials in supposedly organic products, including fatty acids derived by the use of hexane, a hydrocarbon known to affect the central nervous system. (Another good reason for nursing--although, of course, mothers have to be cautious about what they, themselves, consume as well.)
For those who have both the time and space available, raising your own food is an excellent option. There are numerous resources to assist those who wish to attempt this, such as Mother Earth News (http://www.motherearthnews.com/ ). In addition to the benefits of knowing what's in your food, you'll also save money, get good exercise, and have the satisfaction of enjoying something that tastes better than anything in the stores.
Black raspberry leaf, from the writer's garden, 100% organically grown with no chemicals ever (the berries would've been too messy to scan):
Comments
The Organic Trade Association (OTA), would like to point out that the approved use of a very limited number of non-organic natural and synthetic materials has always been recognized as being important in order to allow consumers organic choices for everyday products. The Final Rule for USDA’s National Organic Program provided for 54 synthetic materials to be allowed in crop production; 31 synthetics to be allowed in livestock production, and 41 synthetics to be allowed in organic processing (along with 27 non-synthetic, non-agricultural materials such as baking soda).
Since 2002, two additional synthetics have been allowed in crop production; seven additional synthetics have been allowed for livestock production, and eight additional synthetics have been allowed for use in organic processing. One material has been removed, and one was recently recommended for removal for a net gain of 15 new synthetic synthetic materials and 13 new non-organic organic natural materials since 2002.
Check out Codex Alimentarius, we have to stop this madness.
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