organic terms | The Organic Guru

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organic terms

The organic movement has its own language – literally. Here’s a list of common organic terms and their definitions.

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: 100% ORGANIC
all ingredients - the product itself and anything used in processing - were grown and harvested according to USDA organic standards.
: BIODIVERSITY
the many life forms and eco-systems that exist on our planet
: BLEACHING
a process that eliminates impurities from yarn and fabric. Conventional production often uses chlorine for this process, but organic production uses hydrogen peroxide, which disintegrates quickly and balances pH levels.
: BUFFER ZONE
a boundary that borders an organic production site and is used to keep forbidden substances away from the area.
: CERTIFIED ORGANIC
a USDA-accredited agency has confirmed that the farmer, company or business who raised or handled the product meets all USDA organic requirements.
: CERTIFIER
a USDA-accredited agency that confirms that the farmer, company or business who raised or handled organic products meets all USDA organic requirements.
: CONTAMINATION
contact with any substance that makes an organic product ineligible for certification.
: CONVENTIONAL
a technique or substance that is not organic.
: ECO-FRIENDLY
not harmful to the environment.
: ECOSYSTEM
an ecological community made up of all of the organisms in a region, including plants and animals.
: FAIR TRADE
certification that a product, such as coffee or sugar, was produced by farm workers who were given a living wage and safe working conditions. Fair trade farming methods must be sustainable, though not necessarily organic.
: FOOD MILES
the distance that food travels between the field and the grocery store.
: GENETIC ENGINEERING
when DNA from different species is combined to develop new organisms. This results in GMOs – genetically modified organisms – and is prohibited in organic production. Loose or bunched produce items may be identified as genetically modified in the grocery store by a PLU code that begins with an 8.
: GMO
genetically modified organism. This results when DNA from different species is combined to develop new organisms and is prohibited in organic production.
: IRRADIATION
a safety technique that uses ionizing radiation to kill bacteria, parasites and other harmful elements. Irradiation is not allowed in the organic production of food and cotton.
: LOCALLY GROWN
definition varies, but generally means a product was grown in the local area. Whole Foods Market, for example, classifies products as “local” if they traveled seven or fewer hours from the farm to the store. Some people buy locally grown food because they like knowing their food was grown nearby and believe the reduction in transportation time (and therefore greenhouse gases emitted by vehicles) is better for the environment. Not all organic food is locally grown.
: LOW-IMPACT DYE
dye that’s used in clothes processing and has minimal impact on the environment.
: MADE WITH ORGANIC INGREDIENTS
must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients.
: NATURAL DYE
dye used in clothes processing whose pigment comes from organic substances, such as berries, vegetables and bugs.
: NATURAL FIBERS
substances found in nature, such as cotton, wool and silk.
: ORGANIC
a way of growing and processing food and fibers that doesn’t involve the use of artificial ingredients, preservatives, synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics or irradiation. Products labeled “organic” must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients, according to USDA regulations. The name of the certifying agency must be displayed on the package.
: PESTICIDE-FREE
food grown without the use of synthetic pesticides. This doesn’t mean that the food is completely free of pesticides: organic pesticides could have been used, or synthetic pesticide residue from neighboring farms could have blown onto crops. Use of this term is not regulated by any national standards.
: PLU CODE
price look-up code. It contains four to five digits and is used to help cashiers in the grocery store price items that are sold loose or bunched, like bananas. It can also help you identify organic products. If a product’s PLU code begins with an 8, it is genetically modified; if it begins with a 9, it is organic.
: RECYCLED FIBERS
substances that were previously used by consumers and then converted into fibers for further use.
: SOME ORGANIC INGREDIENTS
identifies products that contain less than 70 percent organic ingredients.
: SULFITES
derivatives of sulfur used in conventional winemaking as preservatives and antioxidants. Certified organic wines cannot contain more than 100ppm of sulfites.
: SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
a system of agriculture that promotes the well-being and longevity of natural and human resources through emphasis on environmental, economic and social factors. Organic production is often considered to fall under this definition.
: SYNTHETIC MATERIALS
man-made materials from petroleum and carbon derivatives, such as acrylic, nylon and spandex.
: TRANSITIONAL
a product grown on a farm that’s switching from conventional to organic farming. The product was grown according to USDA organic requirements, but either the soil was not chemical-free for the required length of time, or the farm was still in the process of gaining organic certification.
: USDA ORGANIC SEAL
found on products that are at least 95 percent organic. Use of the seal is optional, so not all organic products contain it.