Most of you have seen “USDA certified organic” labels on food items, creams, coffee, baby clothes or even dog food, and many of you probably wondered what it meant.

USDA stands for the United States Department of Agriculture. USDA runs the national Organic Program (NOP), which, according to their official website, “develops, implements, and administers national production, handling, and labeling standards for organic agricultural products. The NOP also accredits the certifying agents (foreign and domestic) who inspect organic production and handling operations to certify that they meet USDA standards.”

In other words they are the big guys who regulate the standards for anyone who wants to sell an agricultural product as “certified organic”. They make sure that every product that is labeled as the “USDA Organic” is made of about 95% of organic ingredients.

A label that says “100% USDA Organic” is self-explanatory. It means that the product is made of 100% organic ingredients.

If you see a label stating “made with organic ingredients” it means that at least 70% of the product was made or produced using organic ingredients.

So for example, if someone wants to produce certified organic coffee, they need to use organic products and methods throughout the process. Farmers must grow coffee on chemical-free land, use natural products throughout the growing process and make sure non-organic products don’t cross contaminate with the organic ones.

Growers must be really careful with that and avoid cross contamination from the very beginning of the growing process up to delivery and distribution.

I think it justifies higher prices for certified organic products, doesn’t it?