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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

The Mystery Behind Organic Honey

One question has been really bothering me as of late: Is there such a thing as USDA certified organic honey?

Despite the picture you see above, there is good reason for me to have serious doubt.  Here is why.

In the past, I have spoken to numerous local beekeepers and when I asked them if their honey is organic, they have all told me that there is no such thing as USDA certified organic honey.

Yet when I go to the market, I see one or two brands of honey that have the USDA organic seal on the label. Almost all of the honey that has the seal on it comes from Brazil, which has made me wonder whether there is some type of corruption going on with the certification.

Last week, I decided to get to the bottom of this and had a conversation with Garth Kahl, a Latin American specialist at Oregon Tilth, one the country’s largest and most well-known organic certification agencies.

(For those who don’t know, the certfiers are 3rd party agencies approved by the USDA. Their main job is to enforce the USDA’s national organic standards and to tell farmers and food manufacturers whether they are in compliance with these standards. If they are in compliance, these businesses can then use the organic seal.)

In the beginning of our conversation, Garth told me that most honey is certified to EU standards and that a majority of organic honey is coming out of Brazil or Mexico.

He informed me that the two main criteria for organic honey are:

– The few surrounding miles (where the bees can fly) must be certified as organic and not contain any pesticides or chemicals.

– What is used inside the hives must not contain any synthetic chemicals that are prohibited by the EU.

Garth then went on to say that some U.S. certifiers are granting certification to apiaries based on USDA organic rules for livestock. Yes, livestock.

When I caught my breath and told him that all of this was very confusing and didn’t make much sense, he understood completely.

It then begged my next and most obvious question: Are there USDA certified organic standards for honey?

The answer is No. There are no standards for USDA certified organic honey. They do not exist.

If that is the case, how can these companies put the organic seal on their products?

A logical question, right?

Given that there are no national standards for organic honey, the USDA’s National Organic Program has said the following.

Certifiers can certify honey but the USDA would not give any guidance in terms of crtieria to be used. Each certifier must use its own criteria, whether it is based off of the EU standards or not.

So even though there are no USDA certified organic standards for honey, this explains how and why some brands of honey carry the USDA organic seal.

When I heard all of this, I kind of shook my head in disbelief.

However…

Garth went on to tell me a few other things that made all of this a little bit more understandable. Or palatable.

1) The organic industry has grown much faster in the marketplace than the corresponding regulatory body, the USDA National Organic Program, and the rules have just not kept up. MAKES SENSE

It also doesn’t help that funding dedicated to the USDA/NOP has been relatively miniscule over the past several years. AGREED

2) Getting new rules approved by a governmental agency is never an easy thing to do. All interested parties fight brutally hard over exactly what should be considered organic and this debate/haggling can last years. AGREED

3) Determining the rules for organic honey certification was supposed to be on the docket for 2011 but nothing official has been determined or decided so far.

Some people may not want to buy organic honey from Brazil as they believe honey should always come from very close to where they live.

If this is the case and you are buying non-organic, local honey at your farmer’s market, there is one very important question you want to ask: What is being used in hives?

Two things you do not want to hear are Apistan strips and coumaphos. These are toxic chemicals used in conventional honey to kill Varroa Mites in the hive.

The USDA organic program is by no means perfect but it is the only one we have. It is imperative we continue to support organics so that funding continues and improvements to the system are constantly made.

A message from Tradin Organic

How Tradin Organic is Helping Coconut Farmers in The Philippines

For more than a decade, Tradin Organic has been working with local partners in The Philippines to bring a diversified range of organic products to the market, such as coconut oil, tropical fruits and even cocoa.

The company is helping to support local farmers by assisting them with technical support and organic certification, in addition to paying Fairtrade premium on top of the organic premium.

Learn more.

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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

Are Fermented Foods the Key to Happiness?

Whether it is with a salad or any other dish that I am making at home, organic fermented foods – usually sauerkraut (above) or kimchee – can almost always be found on my plate. Why is this?

I have come to understand that if we want to have a strong immune system, we must take care of our gut and provide it with beneficial bacteria.

And that is exactly what fermented foods give us – beneficial bacteria.

Dr. Natascha Campbell-McBride, a Russian neurologist and founder of the GAPS Diet, says that:

“about 85% of our immune system is located in the gut wall. This fact has been established by basic physiology research in the 1930s and the 1940s. Your gut, your digestive wall, is the biggest and the most important immune organ in your body. There is a very tight conversation and a relationship going on between the gut flora that lives inside your digestive system and your immune system.

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A message from E3Live

"My Everyday, Must-Have Green Organic Aquabotanical"

The best testimonial that I can give is that I drink this every single day, as it impacts my mood in an incredibly positive way.

E3Live + BrainON is certified organic, fresh-frozen AFA (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae) with a concentrated, aqueous, organic extract of Phenylethylamine and Phycocyanin.

Learn more.

Living Maxwell

Better Choices

How Do Your Favorite ‘Organic’ and ‘Made with Organic’ Snack Bars Rate? Take a Look at Cornucopia’s Scorecard

When you are in the checkout line at the supermarket and looking for a nutritious snack to satiate your hunger, take caution when selecting an energy bar.

The energy or snack bar market is big business — a $9 billion industry — and many people are easily fooled by the slick marketing that food companies employ to get you to purchase their products.

The absolute first thing to look for is a certified organic snack bar — one that has the green and white USDA organic seal on it.

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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

New to Organic? – Start with This Inexpensive Breakfast

One question that I get a lot is “How should a person get started with organic food?” One complaint I hear a lot is that organic food costs too much.

Let me both answer this question and address this complaint with a story.

Last week, Brian, a new friend of mine, came to me for some food-related advice. He wanted to know what he could be doing to eat healthier, as he was “crashing” in the middle of the afternoon. Brian was very concerned that his eating habits were negatively impacting his ability to perform at work, which would impact his ability to make money.

He did not know much about organic and was very concerned about the price. When I started talking about organic food, the first words out of his mouth were “Hey, I don’t make $20,000 per month.”

Brian went on to tell me about the fast-food breakfasts that he had been eating and he didn’t think it was the cause of his problem.

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livingmaxwell: a guide to organic food & drink