The science is clear. Organic agriculture can produce enough food to feed a growing world population while protecting our health and the environment. Clean and healthy food and a clean and healthy environment are essential for all of us and are the core principles at the heart of the organic movement.

 

The organic seal is backed by a robust set of criteria governed by federal law under the National Organic Program at the United States Department of Agriculture. All organic farmers are inspected by an independent third-party certifier each year.

Organic farmers produce abundant food without the use of an estimated 17,000 pesticide products allowed in non-organic agriculture. The organic standards also prohibit the use of GMOs (genetically modified organisms), synthetic fertilizers, irradiation and sewage sludge (treated toilet waste, which is allowed in non-organic farming as a fertilizer). When it comes to dairy and meat, organic producers don’t use antibiotics, growth hormones or arsenic-based drugs, whereas over 450 drugs are allowed in non-organic production.

Organic Farmers Work With Nature

Through a combination of farming practices — like the use of compost, crop rotations, cover cropping and beneficial insects — organic farmers work with nature. These ecological agriculture practices protect biological diversity, help bees and other pollinators flourish, conserve water and energy and can even help mitigate climate change and provide farmers with greater resilience in the face of drought and floods.