Reading Organic Labels

Should We Say No to GMOs?

By Jacqueline Astete

When choosing food to serve the children in your care the first step is to look for the USDA Organic Seal. The USDA Organic Seal helps inform you of the quality and integrity of organic products. Looking for the USDA label is the first step to take when looking for organic products to serve. But when possible, I always recommend buying locally and speaking with the source of the foods you purchase to assure are produced using methods that do not involve synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms (GMO), and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives. 

Organic-certified operations must have an organic system plan and records that verify compliance with that plan. Operators are inspected annually in addition there are random checks to assure standards are being met.

I strongly feel nannies should not only read labels to ensure the ingredients are organic but also that they are natural, humanely raised, and Non-GMO (genetically modified organisms).

Unfortunately, GMO foods aren’t required to be labeled in the United States. But, there are Non-GMO labels on many food products. I highly recommend looking for the Non-GMO label. GMOs are a heavily debated issue that we will have to discuss further at a later date on this blog.

But, my main argument against GMOs is that we don’t know all the unpredictable outcomes or side effects that will eventually occur. They might present allergy risks to people because genetic modification can cause new allergic reactions in the human body. Until we know all the effects of genetically modified foods will eventually have I urge nannies not serve GMO to children when possible.

The USDA has identified for three categories of labeling organic products:

100% Organic: Made with 100% organic ingredients

Organic: Made with at least 95% organic ingredients

Made With Organic Ingredients: Made with a minimum of 70% organic ingredients with strict restrictions on the remaining 30% including no GMOs (genetically modified organisms)

Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may list organically produced ingredients on the side panel of the package, but may not make any organic claims on the front of the package.