Organic Food Stores - Shopping For Organic Foods.
Well the first thing you should know is where to find organic food stores and organic shops before learning how to shop for organic foods.
It is not possible to prove just by looking at it or by testing whether food is organic and always bear in mind that it is illegal for organic food stores to sell any food as organic unless it has been produced in full conformity with a certified body's criteria.
So the use of the word organic on the label or by the organic food stores shopkeeper is your guarantee that it has been organically produced. Foods labeled "100 percent organic" must contain only organic ingredients. Products containing at least 70-percent organic content can be labeled "made with organic ingredients."
Those foods labeled simply "organic" must have at least 95-percent organic ingredients, by weight or fluid volume, excluding water and salt. If products are labeled as "organic" or "organically grown" the label must also carry the name of the certifying body.
In the U.S. Foods grown and processed according to the federal standards will in most cases bear the seal "USDA Organic." The rules are the same for manufactured foods with one or more organic ingredients since both the EU regulation and the U.S.D.A recognize that it is not yet possible to make products entirely from organic ingredients.
The manufacturer can use up to 5% of certain non-organic food ingredients and still label the product as organic. However genetically-modified ingredients and artificial food additives are not allowed to be labeled as organic foods by organic food stores.
The simplest and safest way to shop for organic foods is to look for the approved, certified label. Don't just take someone's word for it, make sure you see the label yourself and the label is an authentic approval by a certified body.
Any organic food store or organic shop who willing and knowingly sells products labeled as "organic" that have not been approved by a certified body is at odds with the law and will be liable for up to US$10,000. If the idea of shopping for organic foods may seem a bit much, especially with all the legal requirements, percentages and labels, then you might want to opt for growing your own organic produce.