You've seen the labels all over the supermarket: "100 % All Natural." "USDA Certified Organic." "Organically-grown." But how do you sift through the savvy marketing and flashy packaging to figure out if that $20 organic whole chicken is really worth the price?

It isn't easy. There are all kinds of gray areas when it comes to what qualifies as organic. And marketers looking to make gains in a tough economy are using every strategy they can to help grow sales. After all, organic is big business: according to a survey by the Organic Trade Association, sales of organic food and beverages skyrocketed from $1 billion back in 1990 to an estimated $23 billion in 2008. And that number is projected to increase each year by 18 percent.

But the truth is, a product can only really be considered organic if it has been produced without the use of synthetically-manufactured chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, growth stimulants such as steroids, antibiotics, or fungicides.
Fortunately, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has put national standards in place that make it a lot easier for consumers to make an informed decision. Here are a few things to keep in mind the next time you shop:• Know that the words"organic" and "natural" are not interchangeable. In order for a product to get the USDA Certified Organic seal, it must be 100 percent organic.

• There are several levels of "organic." The word "organic" can be used on multiple-ingredient foods that are between 95 and 100 percent organic. The phrase "made with organic ingredients" can be used on a product where only 70 percent of the ingredients are organic. (Generally, the manufacturer has to name the specific ingredients that are organic.) And the phrase "contains organic ingredients" can be used on foods that contain less than 70 percent organic ingredients. For more information, check out the USDA web site at www.ams.usda.gov/nop.

• Nine is the magic number. When shopping for produce in particular, look at the sticker. Those numbers actually do have a purpose. It's a PLU code that lets you know if the food is organic, conventionally-grown or genetically-modified. Five-digit numbers beginning with "9" are organic. Those beginning with "8" are genetically-modified foods. And four-digit PLU codes are used on conventionally-grown foods (i.e. foods that use synthetic herbicides, pesticides, etc.)

Armed with this information-and a bit of patience for reading the labels-you can be sure you're getting what you pay for, each and every time.



Vanessa K. Bush, a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City, is a chef, writer, blogger and owner of Around the way Gourmet Services. Send her your food-related questions to info@aroundthewaygourmet.com.