Organic

Organic foods are produced according to certain production standards. For crops, it means they were grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human wasteor sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiationor food additives. For animals, it means they were rearedwithout the routine use of antibioticsand without the use of growth hormones. In most countries, organic produce must not be genetically modified.

Increasingly, organic food production is legallyregulated. Currently, the United States, the European Union, Japanand many other countries require producers to obtain organic certificationin order to market food as organic.

Historically, organic farmshave been relatively small family-run farms - which is why organic food was once only available in small stores or farmers' markets. Now, organic foods are becoming much more widely available - organic food sales within the United Stateshave grown by 17 to 20 percent a year for the past few years while sales of conventional food have grown at only about 2 to 3 percent a year. This large growth is predicted to continue, and many companies are jumping into the market.