The Truth About Organic Produce

According to the Mayo Clinic, "organic" refers to how farmers grow and process agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products, and meat. Organic farming practices are designed to meet specific goals such as enhancing soil and water quality and reducing pollution.

Organic farming practices are prohibited from using synthetic fertilizers to add nutrients to the soil, sewage sludge as fertilizer, most synthetic pesticides for pest control, irradiation to preserve food or to eliminate disease or pests, genetic engineering used to improve disease or pest resistance, or to improve crop yields. On the contrary, organic crop farming materials or practices may include plant waste left on fields (green manure), livestock manure or compost to improve soil quality, plant rotation to preserve soil quality, and interrupt cycles of pests or disease. Organic crop