Organic food industry continues to grow, as do health claims

• No longer just staples in health-food stores or at farmers' markets, organic products are increasingly found in traditional supermarkets.
• The U.S. organic food industry surpassed $10 billion in consumer sales in 2003, according to the Organic Trade Association, which estimates the market has grown 17 percent to 21 percent each year since 1997.
• "Organic means the agricultural product from livestock or crop has met certain standards," said Joan Shaffer, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which regulates organic standards.
• If meat, poultry, eggs or dairy products are labeled organic, they must come from animals given no antibiotics or growth hormones, according to the USDA.
• Organic produce is made without using "most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation," the USDA says.
• If a label says "certified organic," it means the agricultural products have been grown and processed according to USDA's national organic standards and then certified by one of the USDA-accredited certification organizations.
• The certifying agent reviews applications from farmers and processors for certification eligibility, explains the USDA.
• Then, qualified inspectors perform annual onsite inspections to be sure the growers comply with standards.
• Ryan Zinn, a spokesman for the Minnesota-based Organic Consumers Association, said organic foods are safer and healthier.
• A study published in 2004 in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry compared organically and conventionally grown yellow plums, finding that ascorbic acid, vitamin E and beta-carotene levels were higher in organic plums.
• But some other nutrients, including quercetin, a bioflavonoid, were higher in conventional plums, the researchers found.
• "They call them botanical products" instead of pesticides, Avery added.
• For instance, he said, some organic farmers use pyrethrum, a derivative of the chrysanthemum plant.