Fortified with iron, Parent’s Choice ORGANIC is a nationally distributed organic infant formula enriched with the lipids omega-3 and omega-6 that is nutritionally complete.

What does "organic" mean? This question can only be answered by exploring the history of organic certification in the United States and the resulting standards that determine whether products can be labeled as "organic."

USDA and “Organic”

In 1990, U.S. Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act, which stipulated that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) establish a set of national uniform standards for organic agricultural products. The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) was formed to assist the National Organic Program (NOP) in developing guidelines for substances to be used in organic production.

The NOSB defines “organic” in the following manner:

Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.

Organic food handlers, processors and retailers adhere to standards that maintain the integrity of organic agricultural products. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people.

USDA’s NOP and CAAQ certification requirements ensure that all products bearing the USDA and CAAQ organic label originate from farms or handling operations that are certified-organic by a program-approved state or private organization.

Organic Standards

NOP regulations prohibit the use of the following in organic food production and handling:

Genetic engineering
Ionizing radiation
Sewage sludge

Crops meet organic standards if they are raised without the following:

Most conventional pesticides
Petroleum-based fertilizers
Sewage sludge-based fertilizers

Livestock must be raised according to the following organic standards:

Fed organic feed
Raised with access to the outdoors
Raised free of antibiotics or growth hormones

According to the NOP, organic farmers use renewable resources and adhere to practices that minimize soil erosion and maximize water conservation. Instead of relying on harmful synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, organic farmers rotate crops and livestock grazing. Organic farmers do not use pesticides that contaminate groundwater and use non-synthetic fertilizers such as animal and plant waste to avoid polluting waterways.

For more information on the USDA and the NOP, visit www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
For more information on the CAAQ, visit www.caaq.org.

Parent's Choice ORGANIC

Like all USDA-certified organic food sources, the cow’s milk used in Parent’s Choice ORGANIC Infant Formula with Lipids omega-3 & omega-6 comes from cows that are not given antibiotics or growth hormones. In addition, Parent’s Choice ORGANIC is produced without using pesticides and fertilizers, bioengineering, and ionizing radiation.