Sponsored: What's behind the USDA Certified Organic designation?

Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian

Sponsored: What's behind the USDA Certified Organic designation?

QUESTION: When something is USDA certified organic does it mean the farmer doesn’t use pesticides on their crops or orchards?

ANSWER: This is not a yes/no answer. How farmers manage their crops depends on the crop, the climate, the land , and the pressures (rainfall, insects, weeds) during the growing season.

The National Organic Program issues the USDA organic seal that corresponds with specific guidelines for farmers and producers. Like many of their conventional farmer neighbors; farmers that comply with the National Organic Program focus first on prevention of weeds and insects.

For organic farmers in the National Organic Program, should those methods not be sufficient or effective they can only use specific non-synthetic pesticides that are approved by the National Organic Program:

“Biological or botanical substances or materials ….may be used only if preventative practices are not adequate to prevent or control pests, weeds or diseases.” (Source: www.extension.org/pages/18349/national-organic-program-summary#.VRBOpmc5BgV)

Related Items

It is important to remember that many farmers may utilize organic methods but may not be certified organic.

To find out more about pesticides and fruits and vegetables please see www.SafeFruitsandVeggies.com and check out the pesticide calculator.

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN

Ingles Markets Corporate Dietitian

twitter.com/InglesDietitian

facebook.com/LeahMcgrathDietitian

800-334-4936

Tags:

The Joyful Botanist: Weeds are flowers too

Writing these columns for the last couple of years...

Up Moses Creek: This is the world!

Like some mountain man who’s happy in his holler...

The Joyful Botanist: Banking on it

There are many places and things that you can bank...

SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM

Contribute >

Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian

Partner content: Sensationalism and Seed Oils

These days there’s a lot of negativity about “seed oils”. According to some of the social media “influencers”, seed oils are ones made from: canola, corn, cottonseed, soybeans, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, flaxseed, and sesame seeds.

Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian

Partner content: When Following Food Advice May Not Be the Best Idea

Often we see articles in magazines, posts on social media, reels or videos that feature a celebrity talking about what they eat in a day or week. This person may be an actor, an athlete, or an influencer-- but in most all cases the message is, ‘Eat like me and you could look/perform like me’.