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At Horizon Organic®, we firmly support the organic standards and feel these guidelines are essential to producing the highest-quality organic dairy products. All Horizon Organic products are certified organic.
A set of federal guidelines for organic production, called The National Organic Program, was released by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), on October 21, 2002 under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
All agricultural products labeled 'organic' have to be in compliance with these guidelines.
A grower or processor that is certified organic must meet or exceed all regulations, including:
- Organic farms must:
- Use organic or untreated seeds and apply no prohibited materials for 3 years prior to certification
- Implement Organic Plans with proactive soil building, conservation, nutrient management, pest management and crop rotation systems
- Organic livestock operations must:
- Provide outdoor access for all animals and pasture for ruminants
- Use 100% organic feed
- Not use antibiotics, growth hormones or GMOs
- Organic processing operations must:
- Not use ingredients that are genetically engineered, grown with the use of sewage sludge, GMOs, irradiated or produced with volatile synthetic solvents
Products cannot be labeled "organic" that have not actually been certified, so look for the USDA seal on products labeled 'organic'—it's your way of knowing that the products you are buying are truly organic.
To make sure consumers are able to easily identify organic products, the USDA created four categories for labeling organic foods. Of these categories, only '100% organic' and 'organic' may carry the USDA organic seal.
All Horizon Organic products meet this standard, and proudly carry the USDA Organic seal.
100% Organic: Products labeled '100% organic' contain 100% organically-produced raw or processed agricultural product. This term mostly applies to unprocessed food (such as produce) where nothing has been added, including vitamins and minerals.
Organic: (95-100% organic ingredients) Products labeled 'organic' contain at least 95% organically-produced raw or processed agricultural product. Products can contain up to 5% non-organic materials, as long as they are on the "accepted list" of ingredients and additives maintained by the USDA. These non-organic ingredients can only be added if there is no organic option available.
Made with Organic Ingredients: (70-94% organic ingredients) Products labeled 'made with organic ingredients' contain 70% to 94% organically-produced raw or processed agricultural product. These products are not permitted to use the USDA organic seal.
Less than 70% Organic Ingredients: Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may not carry any organic labeling on the front panel, but organic ingredients can be listed on the nutrition panel. These products are not permitted to use the USDA organic seal.
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