The "organic" label
Check the label
For a farmer to receive an "organic" certification and be able to label their food as such, the food must be grown on land that has been chemical free for at least three years. "Chemical free" means being grown without the use of pesticides or other chemicals. Also the produce must also be processed and packaged without the use of artificial preservatives, colorings or any other additives.
Products, such as fruits, vegetables, eggs or other single-ingredient foods, that are completely organic are labeled 100% organic and can carry a small USDA seal. Foods that have 
more than one ingredient, such as breakfast cereal, can use the USDA organic seal or the following wording on their package labels, depending on the number of organic ingredients:
- 100 percent organic - Products that are completely organic or made of all organic ingredients.
- Organic - Products that are at least 95 percent organic.
- Made with organic ingredients - These are products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. The organic seal can't be used on these packages.
- Foods containing less than 70 percent organic ingredients can't use the organic seal or the word "organic" on their product label.
