Organic is the most heavily regulated and closely monitored food system in the U.S.
That is why the U.S. organic standards require:
- Companies must submit a detailed application, outlining the nature of their operation, the production/handling processes they use, and the products they produce. This is called an Organic Systems Plan, and it enables inspectors and consumers alike to trace organic products from the farm to table.
- Rigorous announced - and unannounced -certification inspections by third-party inspectors to ensure that products bearing the organic label are grown and processed in a manner that you and your family can trust. Certifiers also audit companies’ records (i.e.: of purchases, inputs, ingredients), tracing products from their starting ingredients to their final stages of processing/production.
- All products bearing the organic label must comply with federal, state, FDA, and international food safety requirements.
Organic food contains no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. Minor non-organic ingredients used in processed organic food must come from a list of approved substances, known as the "National List", that have been evaluated for safety and their impact on both human and environmental health. By law, these ingredients must make up 5% or less of the total ingredients used to make organic food.

What are the Organic Standards? How are the Organic Standards overseen? Understanding the National List