There are many benefits to purchasing and consuming organic food. For some people, the main reason is the inhumane treatment that animals experience from the moment they are born to the moment they die. Cows, chickens, pigs, sheep, and other animals can feel pain and experience strong emotions, but they are treated as inanimate objects.
The unspeakable treatment these animals are subjected to is probably due to the globalists who force everyone but themselves to eat insects, lab-grown meat, 3D printed meat and other ingredients. This is one of the tactics. But for most people, the main reason for buying organic food is to avoid pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, and genetically modified ingredients.
According to a 2017 study1 According to Natural Grocers, more than 90% of respondents said their main reason was to avoid pesticides, and 70% said it was to avoid genetically modified organisms (GMOs). While organically produced meat and produce is more nutritious, only 40% of Natural Grocers customers choose organic produce because they believe it is more nutritious. is.
USDA's 2024 operating budget is $24.46 billion. Amidst this mountain of red tape and oversight bureaucracy resides agricultural marketing services that manage domestic and international opportunities for farmers and ranchers. And within that division is the National Organic Program (NOP), which „develops and enforces national standards for organically produced agricultural products sold in the United States.“2
Despite growing consumer interest in purchasing organic products, the NOP, which regulates the organic market for meat and produce, has an operating budget of $24 million, compared to the Packers, which regulates livestock, meat and poultry. The budget allocated to the Stockyards Program is $35 million.
What does „organic“ actually mean?
As Tenpenny points out, organic labels on meat and produce may not mean what you think. According to USDA information, there are four USDA organic labels, each with a different meaning.3
• 100% organic — Foods to be certified as 100% organic must be made with 100% certified organic ingredients and may use the USDA Organic Seal or the 100% Organic claim.
• organic – The term organic refers to products or ingredients that require organic certification, unless non-organic ingredients are permitted as specified on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. These should not exceed 5% of the total ingredients. Certified organic means that it is certified to be 95% organic.
• “Made” with organic ingredients — Products must be made with at least 70% certified organic ingredients. The organic seal cannot be used and the final product cannot be labeled as organic.
• Certain organic ingredients — Multi-ingredient products with less than 70% certified organic content cannot display the organic seal or use the word „organic.“ However, certified organic ingredients can be included in the ingredient list.
To earn the organic seal, a farmer must have an organic system plan that outlines how the farm operation will meet NOP requirements. For this reason, organic farmers must have a working knowledge of multiple rules and regulations spanning hundreds, if not more than 1,000 pages. As Tenpenny points out,Four Keeping track of the latest information, including those regulating where and how organic labels can be used, can be a chore.
How to read meat labels
The labeling process for meat products may be the most complex. Organic regulations prohibit the labeling of products contaminated with genetically modified crops, bioengineered ingredients, pesticides, hormones, or antibiotic residues. Regulations do not allow organic seals to be used at any residual level.
According to USDA regulations, inspectors track products from start to finish, tracking all aspects of farm operations, including seed sources, soil and water systems, contamination and mixing risks.Five This includes what to feed livestock, but it does not say where it is fed.
Let's talk about chickens. To be designated as an organic chicken, he must be raised organically within two days after the chicken hatches. Their food must be certified as organically grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.6
This is what they eat, but not how they live. The designation as free-range or cage-free describes how they live, but not whether they are raised organically. Tenpenny points out that free-range is a marketing term that means the bird has unrestricted access to food, water and access to the outdoors for at least 51% of its life.
Cage-free means they can roam within buildings and enclosed areas and have unrestricted access to food and fresh water, even in overcrowded conditions. However, the definition of outdoor space is not defined and cage-free chickens usually cannot go outside.
Designations in the beef industry can be deceptive as well.7 While grass-fed tells you what the animal ate, pasture-fed tells you where it was eaten. Organic beef refers to cows that are not given antibiotics or hormones and are fed organic feed. This means that „grass-fed“ or „grass-fed“ beef may not be eating organic feed. To further complicate this, the grass-fed and grass-fed designations do not include whether the animal has been given hormones or antibiotics.
In the beef industry, a pasture-raised designation means the animal can be raised outdoors for at least 120 days per year. However, the outdoor designation may include living in the field or being outdoors in a small enclosure.
The pork industry has slightly stricter regulations regarding the USDA certified organic designation.8 Pigs must be raised organically from the last third of the sow's pregnancy, without the use of antibiotics or growth hormone stimulants, and processed in a USDA-certified organic processing plant. In addition, organic pigs must have access to direct sunlight, exercise areas, fresh air, and shade.
Clean, dry bedding must be used, and bedding with crop residue must be from organic crops. Additionally, their diet must be organically produced without the use of animal by-products, hormones, or antibiotics. However, pigs are allowed to be vaccinated, according to a 2021 paper.9 The vaccination program begins between 3 and 6 weeks of age and continues until adulthood.
Why eggs are organic and humane
As Tenpenny points out, labeling should be transparent, but the food industry has focused primarily on marketing.Ten Labels on eggs include organic, free range, cage-free, and vegetarian. As I've written before, conventionally raised eggs are not the best nutritionally or ethically. an important part of a healthy dietIt is good to buy high quality eggs.
Traditionally raised birds are usually given antibiotics and hormones and fed low-quality feed. Chickens live in spaces the size of a sheet of paper and are mostly confined to battery cages.11 These animals are probably the most intensively confined animals, unable to spread their wings or exhibit typical behavior. The egg labels have the following meanings:12
- Free range – Free-range eggs do not need to be organic, as they do not need to be fed organic feed. The term free range refers to chickens that have limited access to the outdoors.
- organic – Eggs labeled organic must be free-range and organically grown without animal by-products, but they don't necessarily have to contain insects or insects, which are natural prey. Birds should not be given hormones or antibiotics.
- Other labels — Eggs can also be labeled as all-natural, antibiotic-free, vegetarian, etc. There are no strict rules for these labels, so it's up to farmers to set the standards.
Organic eggs are usually the most expensive eggs in the supermarket, but the extra nutrients are worth it. The USDA certified organic label means the eggs are sourced from farmers who follow strict standards.
Ashley Armstrong, co-founder of Angel Acres Egg Co., and I are working to upend the traditional food system, starting with eggs. Angel Acres Egg Co. specializes in producing low PUFA (polyunsaturated fat) eggs.we Discussed the importance of low PUFA eggs in a recent interviewembedded below for convenience.
They ship low PUFA eggs to all 50 states, but currently waiting list She slowly increases the number of chickens in the network to meet demand. More egg boxes are scheduled to appear this spring, so Join the waiting list for low PUFA egg crates here.
organic dairy products
If you are familiar with the issues associated with conventional pasteurized milk, you may have started purchasing one. organic milk instead. An article in the Washington Post notes that some milk brands on store shelves boast that they are rich in DHA.13 This is accomplished by adding DHA omega-3 oil, which is produced by algae fed corn syrup.
If you prefer to drink milk, consider switching to grass-fed raw milk if available. RealMilk.com We have a list of live dairy farms in your area.Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund14 We also provide a state-by-state review of raw milk laws.
Please look for. AGA grass-fed certification The website states that the cows adhere to strict standards, including cows raised on 100% feed, not restricted to feedlots, not treated with antibiotics or hormones, and born and raised on American family farms. Search for AGA approved producers that have:
Organic produce can be coated with peel
Produce can only be labeled organic if it is grown in soil free of banned chemicals for three years prior to first harvest. Also, pesticides cannot be applied directly to organic produce, except on appeal.15 Aple is a chemical that has been used on produce since 1996 to extend shelf life, but it also destroys the gut microbiome of humans and animals.
The technology was started with a $100,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.16 Other investors include the Rockefeller Foundation.17 Anne Wojcicki, co-founder and CEO of the World Bank Group and personal genomics company 23andMe.
Dr. James Rogers, founder of Apeel Sciences, is an agenda contributor for the World Economic Forum (WEF).18 And a young global leader. Among the articles he wrote for WEF, he praised the coronavirus lockdowns as a model for future action on climate change.19 In other words, climate lockdown.
I'm not the only one wondering about the motives behind this product. „Is[the appeal]another Gates/WEF conspiracy trying to destroy our health? Or is it a distraction from an even worse conspiracy?“ said Alexis Baden-Mayer, political director of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA). asked this.20 Mr. Appel appears to have slipped through a USDA loophole.
Here's how to break the code on produce labels
So how do you identify the fruits and vegetables you want to eat? Produce has a PLU label that stands for price search. These are standardized codes used across industries to manage supply chains. More than 1,400 PLU codes have been assigned to a variety of produce and can be used to identify whether a produce is organic or conventionally grown.
These codes can be 4 or 5 digits long, and codes longer than 5 digits are not part of a standardized system. Next time you're at the grocery store, take a minute or two to look at food labels in the produce aisle to identify produce that is genetically modified, bioengineered, or designated organic. Tenpenny lists codes for produce to consider.twenty one
- Conventionally grown produce uses a four-digit code that starts with 3 or 4 (3000 or 4000 series). This means synthetic fertilizers, chemicals, and pesticides may have been used while the produce was growing.
- A five-digit code that begins with the number 3 identifies fruits and vegetables that have been irradiated or electronically pasteurized.
- A five-digit code that begins with the number 6 identifies pre-cut fruits and vegetables.
- Genetically modified or bioengineered fruits and vegetables are designated with a five-digit code that begins with the number 8.
- Organic fruits and vegetables have a five-digit code that starts with 9.