ORGANIC
FOODS
Organic
foods are produced according to certain production standards. For crops, it
means they were grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial
fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without
ionizing radiation or food additives.For animals, it means they were reared
without the routine use of antibiotics and without the use of growth hormones.
In most countries, organic produce must not be genetically modified.
Organic
food production is legally regulated. Currently, the United States, the European
Union, Japan and many other countries require producers to obtain organic certification
in order to market food as organic.Historically, organic farms have been relatively
small family-run farms which is why organic food was once only available in
small stores or farmers' markets. However, since the early 1990s organic food
has had growth rates of around 20% a year, far ahead of the rest of the food
industry, in both developed and developing nations. As of today organic food
accounts for 1-2% of food sales worldwide.
Processed organic food usually contains only organic ingredients, or where there
are a number of ingredients, at least a minimum percentage of the plant and
animal ingredients must be organic (95% in the United States and Australia).
Any non-organically produced ingredients must still meet requirements. It must
be free of artificial food additives, and is often processed with fewer artificial
methods, materials and conditions (no chemical ripening, no food irradiation,
and no genetically modified ingredients, etc.).They
may also be required to be produced using energy-saving technologies and packaged
using recyclable or biodegradable materials when possible.(1)
source
(1) wikipedia