Organic doesn’t mean pesticide free. There are over 8,000 branded pest-control products approved for organic farming under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Organic Program, which regulates foods using the USDA Organic label. Organic doesn’t mean chemical-free either, since literally everything is made up of chemicals — from water to iPhones to food to even you and me. We are made of chemicals and need chemicals to survive. Whether or not a chemical is synthetic or natural tells you nothing about it’s safety. Many organic pesticides are very similar to conventional products, just with an inert ingredient or two changed. Just like humans, plants need protection from diseases and pests. Pesticides are a useful tool for protecting plants to minimize yield loss and produce a high-quality product. No one wants to buy diseased or bug-ridden produce. Overwhelmingly, pesticide application is done responsibly by trained professionals and is highly regulated. There are many checks and balances to ensure your food is safe. Sometimes organic farms even need to use more pesticides than their non-organic counterparts. It comes down to pest pressure, not the label on the farm.
