What Does Organic Mean?
Organic food is produced without using pesticides, added growth hormones, or
antibiotics
Fortified with iron, Parent’s Choice ORGANIC
is the only nationally distributed organic infant formula enriched with the
lipids DHA and ARA that is nutritionally complete and meets the strict
nutritional infant formula guidelines determined by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
What does "organic" mean? This question can
only be answered by exploring the history of organic certification in the United
States and the resulting standards that determine whether products can be
labeled as "organic."
USDA and “Organic”
In 1990, U.S. Congress passed the Organic
Foods Production Act, which stipulated that the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) establish a set of national uniform standards for organic agricultural
products. The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) was formed to assist the
National Organic Program (NOP) in developing guidelines for substances to be
used in organic production.
The NOSB defines “organic” in the following
manner:
- Organic agriculture is an ecological
production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological
cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm
inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological
harmony.
- Organic food handlers, processors and
retailers adhere to standards that maintain the integrity of organic
agricultural products. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize
the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants,
animals and people. USDA’s NOP certification requirements ensure that all
products bearing the USDA organic label originate from farms or handling
operations that are certified-organic by a program-approved state or private
organization.
Organic Standards
NOP regulations prohibit the use of the
following in organic food production and handling:
- Genetic engineering
- Ionizing radiation
- Sewage sludge
Crops meet organic standards if they are
raised without the following:
- Most conventional pesticides
- Petroleum-based fertilizers
- Sewage sludge-based fertilizers
Livestock must be raised according to the
following organic standards:
- Fed organic feed
- Raised with access to the outdoors
- Raised free of antibiotics or growth hormones
According to the NOP, organic farmers use
renewable resources and adhere to practices that minimize soil erosion and
maximize water conservation. Instead of relying on harmful synthetic pesticides
and fertilizers, organic farmers rotate crops and livestock grazing. Organic
farmers do not use pesticides that contaminate groundwater and use non-synthetic
fertilizers such as animal and plant waste to avoid polluting waterways. span>
For more information on the USDA and the NOP,
visit www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
Parent's Choice ORGANIC
Like all USDA-certified organic food sources,
the cow’s milk used in Parent’s Choice ORGANIC Infant Formula with Lipids DHA &
ARA comes from cows that are not given antibiotics or growth hormones. In
addition, Parent’s Choice ORGANIC is produced without using pesticides and
fertilizers, bioengineering, and ionizing radiation.
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