Organic foods are grown according to certain production standards, which include prohibiting the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms or ionizing radiation. Livestock and animals that produce dairy and eggs are raised without the routine use of growth hormones and antibiotics.

Organic production is federally regulated in the United States, and converting land to organic status is a three-year process.

The USDA Organic seal means that the food was grown according to an organic system plan and that the grower’s operation was inspected on both a routine and random basis.

Here are some helpful tips for navigating food labels, according to www.organic.org:
• 100% Organic: Just what it says: made with 100 percent organic ingredients.
• Organic: Made with at least 95 percent organic ingredients.
• Made With Organic Ingredients: Made with a minimum of 70 percent organic ingredients with strict restrictions on the remaining 30 percent, including no GMOs (genetically modified organisms).
• Products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients may list organically produced ingredients on the side panel of the package, but they may not make any organic claims on the front of the package.

But be warned: Organic food doesn’t just come in black and white. Because the process is so time-consuming and costly, farmers who haven’t earned the USDA organic label may operate according to organic standards.

And then there’s the whole debate over local vs. organic. Some people wonder whether it’s better to buy lettuce grown on a large, industrial organic farm and shipped across the country or to patronize a local farmer who may not run an entirely organic operation. What do you think? Which is better, and why?