Over the past few years, Americans have taken a much greater interest in organic food; U.S. sales totaled nearly $17 billion in 2006, up 22 percent over the previous year. Whether its increasing popularity is due to wider availability, the desire for better quality food, or even perceived trendiness, more people are choosing organic over less expensive, conventionally produced options.

What exactly is organic food? Most non-food industry people I asked came up with various characteristics such as “pesticide-free”, “no antibiotics”, and “healthier”; some people contributed something to the effect of “a made-up label so that grocery stores can charge $5 for a tomato.”

According to the USDA, organic food is “produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.” Additionally, “animals raised on an organic operation must be fed organic feed and given access to the outdoors.”

Before a product can be labeled organic, the farm or operation must be accredited by an outside certifying agent, themselves USDA-accredited. After that, the product is permitted to display the official “USDA Organic” label shown above. This label isn’t mandatory, but it’s an easy way for consumers to recognize organic products at the grocery store.

There are different levels of organic-ness, however:

- Products labeled as “100 percent organic” must contain (excluding water and salt) only organically produced ingredients.
- Products labeled “organic” must consist of at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients (excluding water and salt).

Products of both of these categories are permitted to display the “USDA Organic” label.

- Processed products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients can use the phrase “made with organic ingredients” and list up to three of the organic ingredients or food groups on the principal display panel. These products cannot display the “USDA Organic” label.

Confused yet? It gets even more complicated — smaller farms and operations may truly produce organic food, but they’d rather not go through the cost and effort required for USDA organic certification, therefore they aren’t allowed to use the official label on their products.

So why bother with organic food? Is it really of higher quality and more healthful? It’s definitely better for your health to not ingest residual chemical pesticides and hormones, but eating organic food isn’t like digging into a bowlful of sterile antioxidant multivitamins — last year’s E. coli outbreak was the result of contaminated organic spinach.

As far as quality, it’s widely assumed — and to be hoped — that farmers and producers who treat their animals humanely and care for the earth are more concerned about producing better-tasting, higher-quality foods than turning a quick buck using conventional methods. However, it’s grossly inaccurate and unfair to label all conventional food producers as evil, money-grubbing, frankenfood-creating monsters.

There are criticisms that the organic movement is an indulgence for the affluent, and I think legitimately so — if you can barely afford a loaf of bread, you’re probably not going reject it for fear that chemical pesticides were used on the wheat crop. It’s only when people have full stomachs that they can be concerned about the source and production methods of their nourishment. But as Americans learn more about organic food, we’re also becoming more aware of our relationship to the earth, the environment, and other living creatures. Sustainable agriculture and humane treatment of animals are hallmarks of organic food production, and what once was a way of life across the globe ought to be available to all. This requires a massive paradigm shift in the way food is produced and farmers are funded in the U.S., which is another infinitely complex topic to discuss, but it’s enough for me to say that I hope someday all food will be responsibly produced, delicious, and affordable for everyone.