Organic food production involves following stringent environment friendly standards in every stage of production, right from farming to processing and retailing. Organic food is produced in the following manner:
Organic Food Farming:
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The seeds used for
organic farming are
organic in nature. Crops grown from genetically modified seeds cannot be labeled as organic.
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Chemical pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides are not used in
organic farming and
organic gardening. The organic alternatives are organic pesticides, organic herbicides, organic insecticides and organic fungicides. People also use other means to control weeds, pests and diseases. These include multiple cropping, trap crops, mulches, frogs, toads, companion crops, etc. For example, sweet
corn acts as an excellent trap crop for
organic tomato production. Sweet
corn attracts
tomato fruitworm and thus protects
tomato crop when inter-planted with it.
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In case of
organic animal products usage of hormones, chemically enhanced feed, antibiotics is not permitted.
Organic Food Processing and handling:
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Processing is done without the use of any chemicals such as chemical solvents. For example, normally,
coconut oil is obtained through solvent extraction. However,
organic coconut oil is obtained by crushing
organic coconuts a mechanical expeller.
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Organic
food does not involve using chemicals as preservatives, bleaching agents, deodorizers, etc.
Organic Food Packaging:
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The manufacturer should seek
organic certification and should use the label of the certification body as prescribed.
- The organic label should be used as indicated by the certification body and should clearly indicate if the product is 100% organic or 70% organic and so on.
- The list of ingredients should be clearly indicated on the product.
