Organic: What is it? What does it mean?

We’ve all seen ‘organic’ products on our supermarket shelves, but (let’s be honest) most people haven’t got the foggiest idea what it actually means. At first glance, you might logically assume that it means something like ‘natural’ (and you wouldn’t be far from the truth) — however I’d hazard a guess that the majority of people just think it’s a posh and swanky range of products that are typically more expensive. This certainly isn’t the case — and we’ll help you understand what it actually means.

A dictionary definition of organic food and farming goes a little something like this:

“Organic food is the product of a farming system which avoids the use of man-made fertilisers, pesticides, growth regulators and livestock feed additives. Irradiation and the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or products produced from or by GMOs are generally prohibited by organic legislation.”

This basically means it’s a way of growing crops that uses only natural stuff; i.e. not man-made or synthetic. It also seeks to approach production in an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable way. At least that’s the general ethos.

So why is this important? Well, for reasons we’ll explain later, the man-made weapons of grass destruction used in typical industrial farming (pesticides, fertilisers, antibiotics etc) can do immeasurable damage to wildlife ecosystems, public health and the environment at large. That’s not to say that all non-organic farms are killing the planet; many simply see the organic farming approach of ‘working with nature’ as better practice that yields higher quality produce while simultaneously being more sustainable and producing ethical results.

How does the organic system work?

To better understand what organic farming actually involves, it’s helpful to very briefly understand how modern industrial farms generally operate, to see how it compares.

At an industrial farm, once the crop (for example, wheat, which will be the only thing the farmer will grow in that field all year round) is harvested, the farmer will firstly spray the ground with a chemical pesticide to kill the pests (that would otherwise eat their prized crop and reduce their yield). Next up they spray a synthetic chemical fertiliser to give the soil back the nitrogen and nutrients it lost during the production of the wheat in the previous harvest, then they’re ready to reseed and start all over again.

This sounds pretty easy (and it is!) but it is to the detriment of everything around it. The misuse of poisonous chemicals and antibiotics can lead to unnecessary damage to entire species and ecosystems, contaminate the groundwater of surrounding areas, as well as cause issues to public health through antibiotic resistance (in the case of over-dependence on medication to maintain animal health).

In order to not use chemicals, antibiotics and the like — organic farming has to get pretty creative with how it tackles the problem of pests and critters, while also maintaining good soil health, to ensure the crops can continue to prosper each year.

The organic system tackles these problems through regular crop rotation. This consists of growing different types of crops in the same area in sequenced seasons. Which, if strategically planned, will keep the soil nutritious and yummy for the next crop that will be planted. Animal and plant manures are used as fertilisers (which requires more rigorous waste management), some hand weeding and biological pest control is also required.

Does organic = better?

Well. That totally depends on you…your personal taste preferences, political, ethical and ecological views, and ultimately your care-factor. They all play a part in whether organic is ‘better’. And unfortunately, like anything, it depends on what it’s being compared to.

There’s plenty of wonderfully sustainable, ecological and ethical produce available out there that isn’t certified organic. However, it can be extremely difficult to know what is well produced, and what isn’t without an accreditation (I can’t think of any organisation who might be able to help find out where things come from!?). With organic produce you can at least be reasonably confident knowing what methods and ethos the growers used to get that product to you.

How do you know if something is actually organic?

It is illegal for products to be labelled organic if they are not certified as such.

In the UK, all organic products are certified by one of the eleven independent bodies who distribute certificates. The most well-known is the Soil Association who are responsible for 70–75% of the UKs organic certifications.

For a product to be labelled ‘organic’, it must contain at least 95% organic ingredients. If it has more than 70% organic ingredients, but less than 95%, it is ok for the product to be labelled ‘Contains X% organic ingredients’.

Similarly, imported organic products must be certified and inspected to the same level and standard.

As with anything of this type, there have been products that slip through the net; there have been reports in the past of products that are not fully organic, being sold with the label. Rules and regulations for organic products can vary between countries and even certifying bodies. As you can imagine, this is something that is hotly contested.

Why do organic products cost more?

It is a myth that all organic products always cost more. It depends where you get them and what you’re buying. It is true however that they may generally be a touch more expensive than their industrially produced counterparts.

To answer the price question…the simple reason is that it generally costs more to produce organic goods. This is due to the additional labour time required to manage the crops and animals, and generally organic farms are much smaller in size and therefore find it harder to capitalise from economies of scale.