Certified Organic Label Guide

Certified Organic Label Guide

Making sense of organic labeling can be difficult to understand. Since October 21, 2002, the following guidelines were established by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program to assure consumers know the exact organic content of the food they buy. With the increased popularity in organic foods, it can be helpful to review these guidelines.

Single- Ingredient Foods
On foods like fruits and vegetables, look for a smaller sticker version of the USDA Organic label or check the signage in your produce section for this seal. The word “organic” and the seal may also appear on packages of meat, cartons of milk or eggs, cheese, and other single-ingredient foods.

Multi-Ingredient Foods - Foods such as beverages, snacks, and other processed foods use the following classification system to indicate their use of organic ingredients.

100% Organic – Foods bearing this label are made with 100% organic ingredients and may display the USDA Organic seal.

Organic – These products contain at least 95-99% organic ingredients (by weight). The remaining ingredients are not available organically but have been approved by the National Organic Program.

Made With Organic Ingredients – Food packaging that reads “Made with Organic Ingredients” must contain 70 to 94% organic ingredients. These products will not bear the USDA Organic Seal; instead, they may list up to three ingredients on the front of the packaging.

Source: http://wwwOrganic.org