When produce is grown organically, it is grown using a minimal amount of pesticides/herbicides. Contrary to the popular belief that organic means no pesticides at all, organic produce may contain traces of a number of chemicals. The good news is that organic foods are grown with only environmentally safe synthetic materials. Additionally, to be certified as "Organic" in most states, produce must be grown in a field that has been free of prohibited materials for a minimum of 3 years, use only seeds that are not genetically modified (GMO), and residues from prohibited materials may not exceed 5% of the EPA tolerance level.
Overall, organic produce is much better for you than the commercially farmed brands. Consumers should know however, that because the produces is grown naturally, the look and feel of the produces will not be the uniform, perfect looking produce you find with commercially grown items. But the odd-shapes and sizes are exactly what you want to see when selecting your produce because they mean fresh and natural.
Beauty and household products however, are another story. Products may use the term "organic" in their marketing even if it does not contain a single, organic ingredient. The only time a company can get in trouble is if they actually claim that the ingredients themselves are grown organically when they're not. For example, a company may label their product, "ABC Organic Hair Gel" even if it's only made with man-made synthetic chemicals. The company may NOT however say "ABC Organic Hair Gel is made from organically grown ingredients" unless it actually is. So it's very important to read between the lines when choosing the products you use and beware underhanded marketing techniques.
Until next time,
Be well!
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