Organic Labeling

There is oftentimes confusion around nutrition labeling, and organic products are no exception. With packaging reading “organic” and “made with organic ingredients,” it is hard to know exactly what you’re buying and putting into your body. 

Here is a quick guide to organic labels to help you next time you’re navigating the grocery store isles.

WHAT THE ORGANIC LABELS ACTUALLY MEAN

            Products that are labeled “100% organic” must be made with all organic ingredients, excluding water and salt.

To be labeled “organic,” the food must be at least 95% organic, excluding water and salt. The food cannot contain any added sulfites and in the ingredient list, organic components must be labeled “organic”. The product’s label is not required to disclose the organic percentage of the content.

A product labeled “made with organic ingredients” must be at least 70% organic. The packaging is not required to put the percentage of organic ingredients in the product, although it must disclose which products are organic and which are not. The packaging cannot display the USDA organic seal.

A product that claims it is “made with some organic ingredients” can contain less than 70% organic ingredients, but no more than 30% genetically modified ingredients. The packaging cannot display the USDA organic seal.

THE USDA AND NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM

           The Organic Food Production Act of 1990 required the USDA to develop national standards regarding organic products. The USDA now audits over 90 certifying organic agencies around the globe and performs 30,000 on-site inspections per year.

The National Organic Program is the organization under the USDA that works to enforce all of the organic regulations set by the USDA. The National Organic Program gives accreditations to other organizations, who in turn certify products as organic. These organic certifications are necessary for a farm or processing facility to sell, label and represent products as organic. Product creation, production, handling, labeling, trade and enforcement are all regulated by the National Organic Program, and certifications are given to those producing and handling organic products

The National Organic Program only deals with fresh and processed foods like crops and livestock, as well as health and beauty products. The National Organic Program does not deal with non-food products such as natural fibers that are labeled as organic.

USDA ORGANIC STANDARDS

            In order to be labeled organic, crops cannot come in to contact with irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides and cannot be a genetically modified organism. Livestock must meet certain health and wellness standards, cannot be given antibiotics or growth hormones, must be fed 100% organic feed, and have access to the outdoors.

Cleanse and Class Combo!

Kick start your summer resolution! Cleanse your mind, body and soul Come to an intro to RAW foods class and follow it up with a 5 day cleanse.

Eating Real, Alive and Whole foods isn’t only the fastest way to feel better, you’ll look just as  great as you feel.  Come learn how to prepare these simple, healthy and delicious foods in your own kitchen- No fancy equipment required! In this 3 hour class we’ll cover the basics of RAW foods and prepare 4 complete meals.  You’ll leave with a full belly, leftovers for the entire week, a list of tried and tested Raw foods books and the knowledge and ability to make these foods yourself. Email Cori.RAWfoodsinc@gmail.com today to reserve your spot! $125 per person

Join our first group cleanse starting Monday, March 26th! For $75 you’ll receive a 7 day plan of meals complete with recipes and shopping lists, a daily email welcoming you and letting you know what to expect that day and 24 hour support. Sign up for the class and cleanse and save!  Class + Cleanse = $150 a savings of $50! Go to www.RAWfoodsinc.com for more information

RAWfoodsinc.com                               401-626-7059

What the future holds...

Real, Alive, Whole

When you are choosing what to eat, always think “Real, Alive, Whole.” By learning and using this mantra, you can ensure that you are eating the healthiest, most wholesome foods possible. 

Is your food Real? 

Is it natural and organic, or does it contain chemicals and additives?Has the food been genetically modified? How can you tell? Why is food contaminated with chemicals, or genetically modified? 

Is the food Alive? 

Is it raw, or full of nutrients and minerals? Or is it full of artificial ingredients? How can eating raw benefit you? What if you don’t want to eat 100%  raw? (that’s okay!!) Even further, how can we keep our local economy alive? (psst… the answer is by eating locally!) 

Is your food Whole? 

Is it processed, or left in its whole, original form? Are your bodyand mind receiving the whole, complete nutrition they needs? What illnesses do nutrient deficiencies cause?

Stay tuned and find out…

Real, Alive, Whole will answer all of these questions and more over the next several months. Don’t forget to check back regularly because we will be posting content multiple times per week! Also, check out our website at www.RAWfoodsinc.com.

Thank you again for joining us, and we’ll see you soon!

Hello! Welcome to Real, Alive, Whole

Hello! Welcome to Real, Alive, Whole- your premier source for Raw, Vegetarian, Vegan and health-minded media, brought to you by RAW foods inc. Here you will find Raw, Vegan and healthy recipes, articles on wholesome and organic eating, how-to videos, as well as local and global stories.

Our mission is to create a healthy, happy and informed society by making Raw eating more accessible to everyone. We want to share our techniques, lessons learned, and gathered knowledge with you, in order to give you the life changing experience raw foods bring. Also throughout this blog, we will keep you updated on exciting RAW foods inc. news, and ways that you can get involved!

So, What are raw foods? 

Rawism, or Raw Foodism, is a dietary school of thought in which food is never heated above 115 degrees.  There is some dispute on the exact temperature to which foods can be heated and still be considered raw, however RAW foods inc. believes that if your body can’t survive at those temperatures, neither can live foods.

Why would I do that?

Whole foods contain 22 digestion-aiding and detoxifying enzymes, all of which are scorched away when heated above 115 degrees. Other studies have shown that the cooking process disintegrates 50% of the proteins found in whole foods. Due to this research, many believe that raw foods provide the nutrients and enzymes needed for total health, giving the food a much higher appeal than its cooked counterparts. Also, many people like to use raw foods to cleanse toxins from their bodies.

What next?

Check out RAWfoodsinc.com for more information on our Raw Cleanses, Raw demo classes, dinner parties, and chef services. 

Want to get RAW foods inc.'s newsletters and updates? Email Cori.RAWfoodsinc@gmail.com to be added!