steaz blog

September 13, 2011 by Cara

National Organic Month

September is National Organic Month and here at Steaz we take pride in providing beverages made of the finest certified organic ingredients and proudly desplay our USDA organic seals. But have you ever wondered exactly what what those organic labels, stickers and tags really mean? Well we are here to help!

The logos above are on foods that have met the standards and guidelines provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and their National Organic Program (NOP). The logos are used to ensure consumers that the package contains high quality ingredients.

Single ingredient foods such as fruits and vegetables should have store signage nearby and will ALWAYS reflect it is organic on those little stickers and tags that are always on our fruits and vegetables. Look for the number 9 at the beginning of the PLU number (see the photos below for examples). The 9 signifies that produce is organic if the label doesn’t say it is.

Examples of food stickers and tags showing organic lables and PLU numbers:

Another part of the store that can offer some confusion is the interior shelves where you’ll find packaged foods with multiple ingredients. If a package says “100% Organic” and has a USDA organic seal, you can rest assured that item is in fact 100% organic. If the packaging says “Organic” and there is a USDA Organic seal that product is classified as 95%-99% organic ingredients. Product packaging with “Made with Organic Ingredients” on the container contains at least 75%-94% organic ingredients and CANNOT use the USDA Organic seal.

We hope you now have a better understanding of how the USDA Organic seal is used on packaging and how to tell the difference between organic and non organic foods.

For more information about the USDA and Organic educational materials visit Organic.org.

Good for the Mind, Body and Soul!

Cheers