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Certified Organic
What the USDA Standards Mean to Consumers
By Lyn Mettler
Organic foods are more popular than ever. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the industry is growing by 20 to 25 percent every year with annual sales in 2000 topping out at $7.8 billion. 
As more and more consumers flock to the shelves to bring organic foods into their home, do they really know what they're getting? A new government certification and labeling system will make sure that they do.
A few years ago, the USDA implemented the first-ever National Organic Standards, regulating what manufacturers can call "organic" and offering a voluntary labeling system to inform customers how much of the product they're buying is actually organic. "For the first time, there's a consistent national definition of what it means to be organic," says Barbara Robinson, deputy administrator for the Agricultural Marketing Service, a division of the USDA charged with overseeing the new program.
The farm may then go on to produce its own products – let's say wheat as an example – or it may sell its wheat to another company who uses it as an ingredient in cereal. Here's where the labeling process comes in.