June 20, 2011

Due to reader demand, we will be expanding on this subject in this post. Thank you to all the readers who wrote in with comments, questions, and suggestions for this post!

We will answer these questions in the order of popularity, and we hope to hear from you all again!

There was still some confusion after last month’s post about whether natural can sometimes mean organic as well. The answer, in the eloquent words of the USDA site, is NO. Read more about it here.

Q. “Which products can be certified organic and which cannot?”

A. The answer to this is constantly expanding. The organic movement started with food, and so the most advanced criteria and the most pervasive standards are for food. The movement created a momentum that now extends also to consumer products that have certain synthetic substances that are also allowed. This list is called the “National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances.”  Read more on the government site here. The “National List as Amended (eCFR)” is the link you should choose if you’d like in-depth information.

Q. “Who decides what is organic and what is not?”

A.  At his time the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is the main body           making recommendations as to which substances and products should be allowed in organic production or handling. It was created by the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, part of the 1990 Farm Bill. The board is comprised of four farmers/growers, two handlers/processors, one retailer, one scientist, three consumer/public interest advocates, three environmentalists, and one USDA accredited certifying agent. Their recommendations become official policy when approved and adopted by the USDA. Read more about them here.

Q. Are there any products, which are commonly thought to be organic but cannot be certified organic?

A. The most common products we see constantly mislabeled or misleadingly marketed are candles. 99% of candles cannot be organic because of the process, which they undergo, called hydrogenation. The only candles that can be certified organic are beeswax candles. However, they cannot be vegan, and there are several studies showing the mistreatment of bees by some beeswax manufacturers. Soy wax candles are marketed as “organic” most frequently even though they cannot be because of the process they undergo. Usually the candle manufacturer will put a small percentage (.5%-1.5%) of essential oils into the candle and then say it is organic. This is false advertising and is punishable by the USDA up to $10,000 per violation. “Any person…who knowingly sells or labels a product as organic, except in accordance with OFPA and the national organic standards, shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 per violation.” Read more on this subject on here.

File a complaint against a retailer here.

So spend your money wisely and don’t be fooled by the marketing machine. Know what you’re buying so that some unscrupulous company doesn’t get even more money from you for something that doesn’t exist!

Thanks for your input, and look for our next blog post coming soon.

The Mixaroma Blog Team

Follow us on twitter @mixaroma.

Visit our site here http://www.mixaroma.com

If you have any comments/questions/suggestions please send them here-mailto:info@mixaroma.com.