Organic and Wellness Glossary

All this talk about "going green" and organic may have you a little confused. So we've created an Organic and Wellness Glossary that will hopefully fill in the blanks for you.

Sustainable Practices- This is a method of raising food using practices that are healthy and humane for consumers, workers, and animals, do not harm the environment, provide a fair wage to the farmer, and support and enhance rural communities.

Fair Trade- These cooperatives offer improved health care and housing for farmers and their families, allow farmers to keep their kids in school longer, and enable them to afford materials for the farm. Some of the revenues from fair trade cooperatives are used for community projects, and are also often used to provide training in organic farming techniques.

Organic- Foods labeled "organic" cannot be grown using synthetic fertilizers, chemicals, or sewage sludge, cannot be genetically modified, and cannot be irradiated. Organic meat and poultry must be fed only organically grown feed (without any animal byproducts) and cannot be treated with hormones or antibiotics. The animals must have access to the outdoors, and ruminants must have access to pasture, which doesn’t mean they actually have to go outdoors and graze on pasture to be considered organic.

Certified Organic- This label  means that agricultural products have been grown and processed according to the USDA's national organic standards and certified by USDA-accredited state and private certification organizations. Certifying agents review applications from farmers and processors for certification eligibility, and qualified inspectors conduct annual on-site inspections of their operations. Inspectors talk with operators and observe their production and processing practices to determine if they are in compliance with organic standards that, for example, virtually prohibit synthetic pesticide use in crop production and require outdoor access for animals in livestock production.

Free Range- This term refers to animals (usually poultry and the eggs that they produce) that are not confined, meaning that these animals are able to go outdoors to engage in natural behaviors. The use of the term "free range" is only defined by the USDA for poultry production, and need only mean that the bird has some access to the outdoors each day, which could be a dirty or concrete feedlot. The USDA considers five minutes of open-air access each day to be adequate. Claims are defined by the USDA, but are not verified by third party inspectors.

Antibiotic Free- No antibiotics were administered to the animal during its lifetime. If an animal becomes sick, it will be taken out of the herd and treated, but it will not be sold with this label.

No Hormones Administered - Animals were raised without added growth hormones. By law, hogs and poultry cannot be given any hormones. To ensure that other meats were raised without added hormones, ask your farmer or butcher.

Pesticides/Pesticide Residue- Poultry houses attract many types of pest (lice, rodents, roaches, etc.) and birds receive frequent doses of insecticides to combat these unwanted vermin. There are legal limits set for pesticide residues in the poultry products obtained from these facilities, but testing is infrequent.

Feng Shui- A Chinese geomantic practice in which a structure or site is chosen or configured so as to harmonize with the spiritual forces that inhabit it; also, it refers to the auspicious orientation, placement, or arrangement as determined by feng shui. The term "feng shui" means "wind-water" in the Chinese language.

Acupuncture- The Chinese practice of puncturing the body (as with fine needles) at specific points to cure disease or relieve pain.

Homeopathy- A type of alternative medicine, homeopathy is a medical practice that treats a disease especially by the administration of minute doses of a remedy that would in healthy persons produce symptoms similar to those of the disease.

Naturopathy- A system of treatment of disease that avoids drugs and surgery and emphasizes the use of natural agents (for example, air, water and sunshine) and physical means (e.g., manipulation and electrical treatment).

Osteopathy- A system of medical practice based on a theory that diseases are due chiefly to loss of structural integrity, which can be restored by manipulation of the affected parts supplemented by therapeutic measures (e.g., use of medicine or surgery).

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Definitions provided by the following: www.sustainabletable.org | www.USDA.gov | www.Merriam-Webster.com |