Reading labels

An organic glossary: label and certification terms in plain English, A to Z

This glossary defines the words you meet on organic labels and on this site, from "100 percent organic" to VOCs. Some are legal terms written into the USDA organic regulations. Others belong to private standards such as GOTS, or are marketing words with no fixed definition. Each entry says which kind it is.

Fresh produce in wooden market crate — Photo: Unsplash

Organic terms from 100 percent organic to compostable

100 percent organic: The top USDA label category. Every ingredient must be organically produced, not counting water and salt, and the package may show the USDA Organic seal.
Bioengineered: The USDA term for food that contains detectable genetic material modified through certain lab techniques that cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature.
Biodegradable or degradable: A green marketing claim. The FTC Green Guides say an unqualified claim needs evidence that the whole item will break down and return to nature within a reasonably short time after customary disposal.
Biodynamic: A farming system certified in the U.S. by Demeter USA. A farm must first meet the USDA organic rules as a base before it can earn Demeter Biodynamic status.
Buffer zone: Land between a certified organic field and neighboring land that is not managed organically, meant to keep prohibited substances from drifting in.
Certification: A certifying agent's decision that a farm or business complies with the USDA organic rules, documented by a certificate of organic operation.
Certified organic by: The statement on the information panel of certified organic food, followed by the name of the certifying agent that certified the maker of the finished product.
Certifying agent: An organization accredited by USDA to certify organic farms and businesses. It inspects each certified operation on site at least once a year.
Clean Label Project: An organization that tests products for contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides and plasticizers that labels do not show. It is not an organic certification.
Commingling: Physical contact between unpackaged organic and nonorganic products, which organic operations must prevent.
Compostable: A claim the FTC Green Guides say needs evidence that all of an item's materials will break down into usable compost in about the same time as the materials composted with it.

Organic label terms from excluded methods to greenwashing

Excluded methods: Genetic modification methods not possible under natural conditions, such as recombinant DNA technology. Organic products must be produced without them.
Exempt operation: A very small producer whose yearly organic sales fall under a limit set in the rules. It may sell as organic without certification but must follow the rules, keep records for 3 years and never use the USDA Organic seal.
Fair Trade Certified: A label from Fair Trade USA for products made under standards meant to protect producers' livelihoods and the environment. It is separate from organic certification.
Flame retardant: Any chemical applied to a material to prevent burning or slow the spread of fire. Since the 1970s they have been added to seating foam, carpets and mattresses, including some crib mattresses.
Free-of claim: A statement that a product does not contain a substance. The FTC Green Guides say it can still mislead if a substance with similar risks is present instead.
General environmental benefit claim: Broad words such as "eco-friendly" or "green". The FTC Green Guides say marketers should not make them unqualified.
GOLS: The Global Organic Latex Standard, run by Control Union. It covers latex from certified organic plantations and sets limits for harmful substances.
GOTS: The Global Organic Textile Standard. It certifies every processing step from organic fiber to finished product. The "organic" grade needs at least 95 percent certified organic fiber and "made with organic materials" needs at least 70 percent. See our GOTS page.
Grazing season: The part of the year when pasture is available for grazing. The USDA rules require it to last at least 120 days a year.
GREENGUARD Gold: A UL Solutions certification for low chemical emissions. It measures what a product releases into the air, not what it is made of. See GREENGUARD Gold.
Greenwashing: Our shorthand for environmental claims that sound bigger than the evidence behind them. Our greenwashing guide shows how to spot them.

Organic certification terms from MADE SAFE to nonsynthetic

MADE SAFE: A seal for household and personal products screened to avoid or limit more than 15,000 substances on its banned and restricted list. It is not an organic certification.
Made with organic: A USDA label category for products with at least 70 percent organic ingredients, not counting water and salt. The front may name up to three organic ingredients or ingredient categories, but the USDA Organic seal may not appear anywhere on the package.
National List: The USDA list of synthetic substances allowed in organic farming and processing, and of natural substances that are prohibited.
National Organic Program: The USDA program that carries out federal organic law, writes the rules and accredits certifying agents.
Natural: On food, the FDA has no formal definition. Its long-standing policy is that nothing artificial or synthetic has been added that would not normally be expected in the food
Non-GMO: A claim that a food was made without genetic engineering. On its own it says nothing about pesticides or farming methods.
Non-GMO Project Verified: A private label for GMO avoidance. Products are evaluated against the Non-GMO Project Standard, whose Version 17 was published on October 1, 2026. It is not an organic certification.
Non-toxic: The FTC Green Guides say this claim likely tells shoppers a product is safe for people and the environment, so a marketer needs reliable scientific evidence for both or must qualify the claim.
Nonsynthetic: A substance derived from mineral, plant or animal matter that has not gone through a synthetic process. In the USDA organic rules, it is used as a synonym for natural.

Organic label terms from OEKO-TEX to residue testing

OEKO-TEX Standard 100: A label for textiles tested for harmful substances. Every thread, button and accessory is tested against a list of over 1,000 substances. It says nothing about how the fiber was grown. See OEKO-TEX Standard 100.
OMRI Listed: A mark from the Organic Materials Review Institute for products and materials allowed for organic use, reviewed against the U.S. and Canadian organic standards. See OMRI Listed.
Organic: The USDA label category for products with at least 95 percent organic ingredients, not counting water and salt. The rest must come from the National List or be nonorganic ingredients that are not commercially available as organic.
Organic Integrity Database: USDA's online system that holds certificates of organic operation. Shoppers can use it to check whether a company is certified.
Organic system plan: The written management plan a farm or processor agrees with its certifying agent, covering every part of how it grows or handles organic products.
Pasture: Land used for grazing that is managed to provide feed value and protect soil, water and plants. Organic cattle, sheep and goats must get at least 30 percent of their dry matter intake from grazing during the grazing season.
PFAS: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of thousands of widely used, long-lasting chemicals that break down very slowly. The EPA says they are found in many consumer products.
Prohibited substance: Any substance whose use in organic production or handling is banned or not provided for in the rules.
Regenerative Organic Certified: A certification overseen by the nonprofit Regenerative Organic Alliance for soil health, animal welfare and farmworker fairness. Its ingredients must also hold current USDA organic certification or an approved international equivalent.
Residue testing: A lab method that detects and measures chemical substances, or what they break down into, on farm products.

Organic glossary terms from sewage sludge to VOCs

Sewage sludge: Solid or liquid residue from treating domestic sewage. It may not be used on organic farms.
Split operation: A farm or business that produces or handles both organic and nonorganic products.
Synthetic: A substance made by a chemical process, or by chemically changing something extracted from plants, animals or minerals.
Third-party certification: A seal from an outside organization. The FTC Green Guides say it is deceptive to imply an independent certification that does not exist.
Transitional: Farmland on its way to organic. A field must go 3 years with no prohibited substances before its harvest can be sold as organic, and "transitional" is not one of the four USDA organic label categories.
USDA Organic seal: The federal organic seal, allowed only on "100 percent organic" and "organic" products. Our guide to reading a USDA Organic label covers where to find it.
VOCs: Volatile organic compounds, gases emitted from certain solids or liquids such as paints, varnishes and many cleaning and cosmetic products. The EPA says many VOCs are consistently higher indoors than outdoors.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between organic and made with organic?

Both are USDA label categories, but the minimum organic content differs. A product labeled "organic" needs at least 95 percent organic ingredients, not counting water and salt, and may show the USDA Organic seal. A "made with organic" product needs at least 70 percent, may name up to three organic ingredients on the front, and may not show the seal anywhere.

Is natural the same as organic?

No. Organic on food is a regulated claim checked by a USDA-accredited certifying agent. The FDA has never formally defined natural for food. Its policy is only that nothing artificial or synthetic was added that would not normally be expected in the food, and it does not address pesticides or how the food was grown.

Are GOTS and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 both organic labels?

Only GOTS is about organic fiber. A GOTS product needs at least 70 percent certified organic fiber, and every processing step is certified. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 tests a finished textile for harmful substances and says nothing about how the cotton or wool was grown. A product can carry both labels, one of them or neither.

How do I check whether a company is really certified organic?

Look on the information panel for "Certified organic by" followed by the name of a certifying agent. Then search the company in USDA's Organic Integrity Database, which holds certificates of organic operation. If no certifier is named and the company does not appear, treat the word organic on the front as unverified. The same check applies to snacks such as organic snacks and to any other packaged food.

Sources

Each page was opened and read on October 11, 2026.