What do the four different organic labels mean? (from USDA website)

What do the four different organic labels mean? 

“100 Percent Organic”

  • Used to label any product that contains 100 percent organic ingredients (excluding salt and water, which are considered natural)
  • Most raw, unprocessed or minimally processed farm crops can be labeled “100 percent organic”
    • PDP: May include USDA organic seal and/or 100 percent organic claim
    • IP: Identify organic ingredients (e.g., organic dill) or via asterisk or other mark

“Organic”

  • Any product that contains a minimum of 95 percent organic ingredients (excluding salt and water)
  • Up to 5 percent of ingredients may be nonorganic agricultural products and/or nonagricultural products on the National List (nonorganic agricultural products and several nonagricultural products on the National List may only be used if they are not commercially available as organic)
    • PDP: May include USDA organic seal and/or organic claim
    • IP: Identify organic ingredients (e.g., organic dill) or via asterisk or other mark

“Made with Organic ______”

  • Product contains at least 70 percent organically produced ingredients (excluding salt and water), with a number of detailed constraints regarding ingredients that comprise the nonorganic portion
    • PDP: May state “made with organic (insert up to three ingredients or ingredient categories)”; must not include USDA organic seal anywhere, represent finished product as organic, or state “made with organic ingredients”
    • IP: Identify organic ingredients (e.g., organic dill) or via asterisk or other mark

Specific Organic Ingredient Listings

  • Specific organic ingredients may be listed in the ingredient statement of products containing less than 70 percent organic contents—for example, “Ingredients: water, barley, beans, organic tomatoes, salt.”
    • PDP: Must not include USDA organic seal anywhere or the word “organic”
    • IP: May only list certified organic ingredients as organic in the ingredient list and the percentage of organic ingredients; remaining ingredients not required to follow the USDA organic regulations