Food & sourcing certifications

Run by the USDA's National Organic Program. Organic products must be overseen by a USDA-authorised certifying agent and produced without excluded methods, such as genetic engineering, ionizing radiation or sewage sludge. Organic labels must be reviewed and approved by an accredited certifying agent before they're used.

What the wording on the label means:

• ·“100 percent organic”: all ingredients are organic (excluding salt and water). May use the USDA Organic seal.
• ·“Organic”: at least 95% organic ingredients (excluding salt and water). May use the seal.
• ·“Made with organic …”: at least 70% organic ingredients. Can't use the seal.
• ·Organic ingredients in the list only: under 70% organic. Can name organic ingredients in the ingredient list, but can't use the seal or say “organic” on the front.

How to check: the Organic Integrity Database lists certified farms and businesses, not individual products. Search for the company and check its certified products.

The Non-GMO Project is a nonprofit. Products carrying its butterfly mark have been evaluated by an independent technical administrator against the Non-GMO Project Standard for GMO avoidance. Verification is reviewed and renewed every year.

• ·It's not a “GMO-free” claim. The Project says GMO-free claims aren't legally or scientifically defensible because of the limits of testing and the risk of contamination in seeds and supply chains.
• ·Its product finder notes that products from unverified lots may stay on shelves after verification, so look for the mark on the package itself.

How to check: search the Non-GMO Project Product Finder.

USDA organic production already excludes genetic engineering, and it also covers how ingredients are grown and which substances are allowed. Non-GMO Project verification focuses only on avoiding GMOs, and it applies to non-organic products too. A product can carry both.