{"id":606,"date":"2012-06-06T10:38:23","date_gmt":"2012-06-06T14:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mymontys.com\/wordpress\/?p=606"},"modified":"2012-07-27T16:00:11","modified_gmt":"2012-07-27T20:00:11","slug":"ask-montys-organic-verus-all-natural-labels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wordpress.mymontys.com\/?p=606","title":{"rendered":"Ask Monty’s – “Organic” versus “All Natural” labels"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is the difference between plant food or fertilizer labels that read \u201c\"OrganicOrganic\u201d and \u201cAll Natural?”
\nDerek, Calera, Alabama<\/em><\/p>\n

Derek:
\nThat is a good question and one that can be a bit confusing, so I\u2019m going to address \u201cOrganic\u201d in this post, \u201cAll Natural\u201d in the next posting<\/a> and \u201cCertified Organic\u201d in yet a third blog post.\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at \u201corganic\u201d first. It should be understood, as your question implies that there is definitely a difference between \u201call natural\u201d and \u201corganic\u201d when it comes to plant food or fertilizers \u2013 and especially food products.\u00a0 The terms are not interchangeable. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Organic fertilizers come from all-natural sources such as selected animal manures, mined rock powders, blood meal, feather meal, cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal, bone meal, fish extracts and seaweed by-products.\u00a0 Simply put, organic fertilizers are derived from animal or vegetable matter.\u00a0 Beyond that simple definition, though, things get a bit confusing.<\/p>\n

The federal government has attempted to implement regulations on what it means to be \u201corganic,\u201d primarily with regard to the production of food and fiber.\u00a0 A fertilizer company could place the word \u201corganic\u201d on most any fertilizer product it chooses to, and some do. After all, as we become a much \u201cgreener\u201d society, these types of words have great power in the marketplace. In these cases the word really has little meaning at all, and may only refer to the fact that there is organic \u2014 or carbon-based \u2014 content, without any verification that all of the ingredients meet specifications set out by the National Organic Program (see below).\u00a0 Therefore, the burden of proof and the task of sorting out these claims is on the government and the consumer.<\/p>\n

Second \u2014 and this is where it gets even more confusing \u2014 is determining just how<\/em> organic is \u201corganic.\u201d\u00a0 For example, a company could blend cow manure with water and claim it is organic and it would be.\u00a0 But the products produced by<\/em> that fertilizer <\/em>still may not qualify under the guidelines of the National Organic Program (NOP) <\/strong>instituted by the federal government.\u00a0 This is where the organization known as the Organic Materials Research Institute (OMRI)<\/strong> \"OMRI<\/a>comes in.\u00a0 OMRI is an independent, non-profit institution which serves as the gatekeeper for products which meet the requirements of the NOP.\u00a0 I<\/strong><\/em>nput products<\/em> cannot be labeled “certified organic<\/strong>“: rather, OMRI uses the term “OMRI Listed” for products which may be used in the production of organic food and fiber<\/strong>, under the guidelines of the NOP. Furthermore, the term “certified organic” can only legally apply to food or fiber products.<\/p>\n

Use of the term “organic” on fertilizers <\/em>is generally not regulated<\/em>. Some of the products listed by OMRI are not, in fact, organic.\u00a0 Due to a provision in their guidelines for becoming \u201cOMRI Listed,\u201d a non-organic product can be a listed product if no close, non-synthetic substitute exists.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s try to summarize.<\/p>\n