Organic or Conventional? Equip Yourself to Make the Best Choice for Your Health

Label reading, ingredient decoding, deciphering marketing terminology – all of these aspects individually or combined can create an environment of confusion for shoppers at the grocery store. Amongst product labels, “USDA Organic” is found on many foods and beverages, but what does it really mean? Let’s focus in and unpack this particular label.

What is meant by the label “USDA Organic”?

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is a division within the US government that focuses largely on the country’s safety and efficiency of farming, food and sustainability practices. The USDA Organic label is federally regulated, meaning the product its placed upon has met the standard requirements to earn the status of this particular label (more on this, below). Because this is a regulated label with strict criteria, the consumer can have confidence when they see this symbol on a product that the process in which the ingredients have gone from farm to table has been verified through a system of checks and balances.

• The standards the USDA has set for being labeled organic are the following¹:
  • No synthetic chemicals used on the product (such as pesticides and fertilizers otherwise used in conventional foods to keep bugs and termites away)
  • No genetically modified organisms (GMO’s)
  • No antibiotics or growth hormones given to animals (when the product itself comes from an animal) but rather a focus on their welfare, such as raising animals in natural conditions
  • Sustainable farming practices used to protect the environment currently and long term

These standards are in place to ensure both the consumers and environment are set up for better health outcomes, given how products are grown and processed. More information surrounding these categories can be found on the USDA website.

If a food product does not have this label, the default is known as a conventional food.  A conventionally grown product such as a head of broccoli, for example, could miss the mark for organic in a minimum of one category or at most, all categories. Conventional foods are found in most products in store and have their own system of checks and balances for consumer health, as well.

Whereas conventional foods are still federally monitored for safe limits of pesticides using scientific data and risk assessment on a regular basis, these types of products do not have to meet as rigorous requirements surrounding chemical usage on crops and soil health, for example. Additionally, they may utilize GMO’s, and/or differ in the treatment of animals and farming practices.

In summary, organic verified products have tighter regulations when it comes to how a food is grown and processed, and also how animals are fed and raised. Common concerns from consumers regarding conventional foods vs. organic surround long term pesticide intake risk on human health, animal welfare, and the question of varying levels of nutrient composition. Given the increased cost of production to farm organically, organic products most often have a higher price tag than their conventional counterparts. Many believe there are benefits to choosing organic, but it may not be necessary or realistic to consume all or even most food intake organic, depending on food budget and/or availability of items where someone lives and shops on a regular basis.

When it comes to a measurable benefit to human health, choosing organic foods vs. conventional, the scientific evidence is not definitive, although observational studies point to better health outcomes over time for organic consumption vs. conventional². Like any decision in the adult world, the type of food you purchase requires taking inventory of what you value, prefer, and can afford.