Congress Passed The Organic Foods Production Act - 1450 Words

Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act in 1990. The Act required the USDA to develop national standards for organically produced agricultural products to assure consumers that agricultural products marketed as organic do in fact meet consistent, uniform standards. Production and handling standards address organic crop production, wild crop harvesting, organic livestock management, and processing and handling of organic agricultural products. Organic crops are raised without using most conventional pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers, or sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Animals raised on an organic operation must be fed organic feed and given access to the outdoors. They are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.†¦show more content†¦Products labeled 100 percent organic must contain only organically produced ingredients. Products labeled organic must consist of at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients. Products meeting the requirements for 100 percent organic and organic may display the USDA Organic seal. Processed products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients can use the phrase made with organic ingredients and list up to three of the organic ingredients or food groups on the principal display panel. For example, soup made with at least 70 percent organic ingredients and only organic vegetables may be labeled either made with organic peas, potatoes, and carrots, or made with organic vegetables. However, for these products, the USDA Organic seal cannot be used anywhere on the package. Processed products that contain less than 70 percent organic ingredients cannot use the term â€Å"organic† other than to identify the specific ingredients that are organically produced in the ingredients statement. Organic Farming is a deliberate approach to farming based on regeneration and the promotion of life and health in the soil. Organic farmers do not use most of the fertilizers and pesticides that are used by conventional farmers. By using