How Organic Are You?

Test your knowledge about USDA-certified organic foods.

September/October 2003
By Natural Home Staff 
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Bookmark and Share

1. CAN a certified organic food be irradiated?
a) Yes
b) No

RELATED CONTENT

2. HOW MUCH of a product’s content must be made of certified organic ingredients to use the “Made with Organic” label?
a) 100 percent
b) 70 percent
c) 85 percent

3. WHAT non-food crop is the most pesticide intensive?
a) pine trees
b) cotton
c) flax

4. WHICH fruit contains the heaviest load of pesticides when grown conventionally?
a) peaches
b) pineapples
c) blueberries

5. WHAT standards must be met for meat and dairy products to be certified organic?
a) The animals eat only 100 percent organic feed.
b) The animals are not treated with antibiotics.
c) Both a and b.

Answers:

1. b) No. Certified organic foods cannot be irradiated, genetically engineered, or treated with sewage sludge.

2. b) 70 percent. If the label states the item is “made with organic items,” the food must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients by weight. There are two additional USDA designations: “100 percent organic” (all ingredients are organically produced) and “organic” (at least 95 percent of a food’s content is organic by weight).

3. b) Cotton. In the United States, cotton is the most heavily sprayed crop.

4. a) Peaches are highly contaminated fruits if they’re not organic. Pineapples and blueberries actually have the fewest pesticide residues when grown conventionally, according to Environmental Working Group’s FoodNews.org.

5. c) Feed for the animals must be 100 percent organic, and no antibiotics can be used for growth stimulation or health problems.

Source: Organic Trade Association

Bookmark and Share
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

Comments

Add Your Comment

You can use this comment form to enter your personal experiences or additional information and resources that you'd like to share with Natural Home readers. Your helpful advice will be posted on this page.  E-mail addresses are never displayed on comments, but they are required to confirm your comments.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to Natural Home Magazine?
Sign up to share comments.
Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.
Name*
Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*
This will be your login ID.

City State Zip Code

Password*


Confirm Password*

Comments
1500 character limit (Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)
Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.
FEATURED ARTICLES
MOST POPULAR


Subscribe today and save 50%
First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

Subscribe to Natural Home

Welcome to Natural Home, the authority on green lifestyle and design. With an up-to-date outlook on current trends in sustainable building and wholesome living, Natural Home gives today’s eco-conscious homeowners the information they need to live in nurturing, healthy homes. Subscribe to Natural Home today to get inspired on the art of living wisely and living well.

Save money and a few trees by paying with your credit card now. Take advantage of our earth-friendly automatic renewal savings plan. You’ll save an additional $4.95 and get six issues of Natural Home for just $15! (Offer valid only in the U.S.)

Or, choose Bill Me Later and pay just $19.95