No, Organic And Non-GMO Are Not The Same

Consumers have become more health conscious in the past few decades, which has given rise to the popularity of foods labeled as "organic" and "non-GMO." However, despite a higher interest in these terms, many people continue to confuse them, believing that they are interchangeable. If you're cashing out more money to buy foods with these labels, you should know that, though they're sometimes related, they're not the same.

GMO (genetically modified organism) refers to a product's genetic composition. Modern technology has made it possible for us to alter the genes of seeds to make them more drought-resistant or to add genes from other foods. GMO always refers to methods that can't be replicated naturally, so selective breeding, which we've been using to modify food for centuries, does not count as genetic modification.

Organic, on the other hand, refers to the method of production. An organic label means that no pesticides or synthetic substances have been used. In the case of meat or dairy products like milk, animals cannot have been treated with antibiotics or grown-enhancing hormones, nor can they have been fed non-organic food. The USDA also prohibits the use of GMOs in organic products. This means that if a product has an organic label, you can be sure that it is also free of GMOs. And while this often leads people to think that both labels are the same, the difference is more than just being picky about definitions.

In the US, organic always means non-GMO. However, non-GMO does not necessarily mean organic. You can use a seed that has not been genetically modified and yet use pesticides and chemicals to grow it, meaning that it is not organic. GMO seeds often need fewer pesticides or grow faster than non-GMO seeds because of the modifications in their DNA. To make up for this, some farmers rely on non-organic methods, which yield better results or protect them from losing units to fungi or pests. This is why it's important to pay attention to labels. You'll often see that products have both organic and non-GMO labels. This is redundant since all organic products have to be non-GMO, but it's effective marketing. If, however, you see that a product has a non-GMO label without the organic one, chances are that it was grown with chemicals.

Now, don't fall into the trap of thinking that eating organic makes you superior. While some studies have shown that there are some health benefits to eating organic, the evidence is yet inconclusive. And, so far, we haven't found a difference in the nutritional value between organic and non-organic food. That said, if you don't want to be ingesting pesticides or contributing to them polluting water supplies, it's worth spending a bit more on organic produce just to have some peace of mind.