if something is labeled organic can it contain GMO

Expert response from Community Manager

Moderator for GMOAnswers.com

Friday, 29/05/2015 16:02

Let’s start by defining “organic.” According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), “organic is a labeling term that indicates that the food or other agricultural product has been produced through approved methods that integrate cultural, biological and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation and genetic engineering may not be used.”

Here is a great fact sheet from USDA-AMS that explains what “organic” is and how the National Organic Program regulations prohibit the use of excluded methods (i.e., GMOs) in organic operations.

It is also important to note that “organic does not equal zero presence of a GM trait. Low-level presence of a GM trait in organic production is allowed as long as the grower has followed the organic process necessary for organic production,” according to Don Cameron, a California farmer who grows a mix of conventional, organic and GM crops. Don goes on to state that “if GM traits are found in the organic farmer’s crop, it is usually up to the buyer of the crop to accept or reject his product based on their contract specifications, which do allow for a certain percentage of GM traits to be present.”

Looking for more information on this topic?

• In this story, NPR explores the commingling of GM seeds and organic and states, “Organic producers typically do try to minimize the presence of GMOs, because their customers don’t want them. It's usually not too hard to keep contamination to a very low level.” 
• Additionally, information about the production, handling and labeling of organic products is available from the USDA’s National Organic Program.
• You may also be interested in this post by Jennie Schmidt, a Maryland farmer and registered dietician, which explores GMO and organic coexistence. In this post, we also explore the coexistence of multiple production methods: organic, conventional and GM.