| The term "organic" is being
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| | or pesticides. In the case of meat or
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| tossed around quite a bit lately, and
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| | milk, it means that all the USDA
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| you'll soon be seeing a big jump in the
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| | stipulations concerning hormones, feed,
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| number of organic choices when you visit
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| | and time spent outdoors were met.Organic:
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| your local Safeway or Wal-Mart store.
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| | This type of produce or meat doesn't
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| That's because the demand for organic
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| | quite meet the highest organic standard,
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| produce, milk, and meat has been steadily
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| | but the remaining 5 percent of its
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| increasing, to the point where the giant
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| | ingredients have been approved for
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| retail chains have begun to take the
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| | organic use by a nationwide certification
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| trend seriously. In turn, there will be a
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| | organization called the National Organics
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| growing concern over the certification
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| | Standards Board.Made with organic
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| process as factory-style farms begin to
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| | ingredients: This certification assures
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| muscle their way into the organic food
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| | consumers that no less than 70 percent of
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| market as a result of increased demand.
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| | the produce, milk, or meat was produced
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| In 2000, the U.S. Department of
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| | using organic ingredients. The last two
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| Agriculture (USDA) established what were
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| | other labels you'll see are considerably
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| supposed to be clear guidelines for
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| | more ambiguous. First, there's the term
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| gaining organic certification, but
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| | "free-range," which is used
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| various ambiguous areas will continue to
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| | interchangeably with the term
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| confuse consumers until those guidelines
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| | "cage-free." The USDA regulates
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| are made even more clear. For instance,
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| | the use of either term when it comes to
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| under USDA rules, growers of fruits,
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| | poultry, but not to eggs, and
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| vegetables, meat, and milk are forbidden
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| | there’s no clear definition of how
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| from using most synthetic pesticides or
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| | much outdoor access animals should
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| fertilizer in food production. They're
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| | receive. The other term is
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| also prohibited from using genetic
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| | "natural," which has no real
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| engineering, irradiation, or sewage
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| | meaning in any food commodity other than
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| sludge. To be certified organic,
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| | meat and poultry, which can't have any
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| livestock must be fed nothing but
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| | artificial coloring, chemical
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| certified organic feed and can't be given
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| | preservatives, or ingredients. Although
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| any sort of growth hormone. They must
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| | it's supposed to have only minimal
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| also be allowed to be outside at least a
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| | processing, there's no certification
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| portion of every day, though the rules
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| | process that meat or poultry producers
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| for what that actually means have been
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| | must comply with in order to place the
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| open to serious dispute over the past few
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| | term on their labels. As the market
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| years.The USDA guidelines were meant to
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| | continues to grow, you'll be seeing these
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| be fairly all-inclusive, but there are a
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| | labels more and more. What remains to be
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| number of gradients, as well. Here are
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| | seen is if the USDA will tighten or
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| some of the labels you'll see in your
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| | loosen the process in order to allow
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| local co-op or supermarket:100% organic:
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| | producers to meet the growing demand for
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| For produce, this designation means that
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| | organic products.Copyright © 2006
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| fruits or vegetables were grown
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| | Jeanette J. FisherJeanette Fisher teaches
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| completely without synthetic fertilizers
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| | environmental interior design.
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