The TRUTH about Organic Labels 

This is one of my driving reasons why I started my own garden, I know exactly what I'm getting and that my produce will *actually* be organic. It takes a lot of work, but being self sufficient is so worth it in this world that was set up for us to fail.

There are some states where the barrier for entry is by state regulation so high that it’s not possible to do small scale organic farming at all! My dad had a small herd of about 20 dairy goats and was never allowed to sell the milk in stores because he couldn’t afford to get an industrial pasteurization setup. The truth is that most of the risk from raw milk comes from large scale industrial agriculture, and at such a small scale we never had a problem over a decade of drinking raw milk. He was able to sell the organic sauerkraut and kombucha he made, but without the organic label.

11:30 My partner is a Certified Organic Farm Advisor and has been a Certified Organic Farm Inspector. The difference in so-called "pesticide" use is that conventional pesticides can last in the environment (like soil or your body) for years, decades or centuries (very long half-lifes). *Organic* management uses things like hydrogen peroxide which is not harmful to the environment and only lasts long enough for treatment which is many cases is a few hours or days-not years because they are not long lasting synthetic pesticides. This is an incredibly significant distinction that is almost NEVER talked about all these types of videos (and this video trivializes the difference). I don't see anything in this video interviewing the NOSB the (National Organic Standards Board) a Federal Advisory Board or OMRI the (Organic Materials Review Institute) which assures the suitability of products for certified organic production, handling, and processing. Rarely do they state that is is *illegal* for the USDA Organic label to be used on a product unless it has been certified. This video is as incomplete as the majority of content that _attempts_ to explain these topics. Organic Certification is time consuming and extremely expensive for organic farmers. The seeds they use, the cardboard boxes they use for transport all have to be pesticide free. (Conventional boxes are treated with pesticides.) Even the vehicles they use must never have had conventional produce with pesticides in the vehicle.The paperwork they have to go through is enormous. Conventional Pesticides eaten daily and chronically do not allow your body's systems to function properly. "Big Ag" (conventional ag) RUNS this country, they have lobbyists that were the top executives at Monsanto and went on to work for the FDA - a revolving door which you can look up. No one can touch them. They have the money and resources to create misinformation and doubt which is enough to affect consumer opinion. These are people literally at the top of the food chain-running the food chain to keep themselves in power in the name of profit at the expense of human health. Organic Farmers do it because they believe it in, not because any of them are getting rich. It's extremely hard work, more labor than conventional farming. It's one of the most labor intensive jobs you could work in. If you really want to learn about what will lead to a healthy body look up videos with *Dr. William Li* who works with NASA astronauts and helped get family members with cancer into remission, he even has a title called "Masterclass". Organic food is a large component of what enables your body to function as it should. Best case scenario: Grow your own without pesticides. Did you know that plants that have been eaten by pests are actually *healthier* than conventional perfect looking produce? The plants' stress responses initiates an increase in antioxidant compounds prior to harvest, the study shows. Look up the study: Luis Cisneros-Zevallos, a horticulture and food scientist at Texas A&M University AgriLife Research, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55033-w

Love the longer videos btw. My millennial mind never understood the Tiktok 3 minute format because I want more information not less! :)

I'm a food scientist working in the meat industry, and people can't even imagine what it's like behind the scenes. But also, we've improved exponentially over the last 100 years in the US! It's a tricky business because consumers want wholesome, natural food but have come to expect the taste and shelf-life of processed products. One thing we talked a lot about in university was organic food since it's a hot topic. Generally, the sentiment is that organic fruits/veggies may be marginally better for you. But being organic doesn't inherently make something healthy

You guys should look into permaculture food forests. The concept is you set up a garden like a forest. Once fully mature it behaves like a forest. You don't need to water it, pull weeds,etc. Your left with just pruning and picking.

My mom has a lot of allergies and can actually only eat the organically grown fruits and vegetables. Organic food is way more expensive so trust me this isn't a placebo, she gets a real reaction and we wish we could just buy "normal" food. So even though organic food does use pesticides there is actually a difference and it isn't as meaningless as is made out to be here.

Watching Canadian creators, getting American content. Would love to see a Canadian version, or at least how our standards are doing in comparison. We still have the same large food conglomerates.

My wife and I moved to Puerto Rico to design ecological food producing systems. It is a bummer that organic doesn't always mean no sprays or biocides... But we're happy to produce food with no imported fertilizers, no sprays, and no irrigation in a semi arid area. It's feels good to be part of the solution!

Agronomy student here, i will say the general attitude in the industry is to scof at people who care about organic vs not organic produce. We also scof at anyone who doesn’t thouroughly wash their produce lol. Between the two, your consumption of surface pesticides/herbicides will be about the same. The big difference is voting with your money to support smaller farmers or larger corps. Organic doesn’t mean a small farmer though, often a corp that is a collection of smaller farms, it’s like contract work. Going to a local grocery store chain or a market gives you the best chance that the produce is sourced from a local/small farm. Dairy is a whole other beast since usually the treatment facility contracts make sure distribution is done by a corp too. Meaning essentially if your milk is pasteurized, it’s a corp product no matter where the cows live😅

There are claims made by some farmers, particularly in the “no till regenerative organic” movement that modern practices and chemicals actually hurt yields over time due to deterioration of soil and the crops’ ecosystems. Also, we can reduce our demand for crops by choosing foods that itself doesn’t demand so many of them and other resources. As for worker protections, that is a labor/class issue and we absolutely need to work on those as well.

Old school TV dinners had aluminum trays and were heated in ovens. Microwave ovens did not exist back then

We need more structural farming like regenerative agriculture and permaculture with the combination of latest technology and traditional practices

I actually have found that since visiting my local farmers market once a week I very scarcely go to the grocery store now and the food quality is a thousand percent better. I’ll never see eggs the same again! We are healthier and actually our money goes further at the farmers market and I never ever have sticker shock or regret as I approach the checkout. It’s all very personal. I know how the animals lived and were cared for. I know exactly which county my honey came from, or where the apples grew. Its actually pretty incredible! Hard to look at food or groceries the same way. You see the chicken packs at the store and all the labels are misleading and you wonder if the bird even lived a healthy life, or how old that milk on the shelf REALLY is or if it’s full of hormones. Local is the way to go! It may not always be “convenient” but it’s 1000% worth it.

once again an amazing video! you make me laugh continuously throughout your videos Levi will definitely be helping you over on patreon too!!

As someone who worked in organic certification, a lot of companies can say they are organic by buying organic ingredients for the inspection but can order everything they need for mass productions as a conventional produce :/

excellent work. this is exactly why i grow my own food on my 1 acre little orchard/garden/wildlife habitat purchased in the 80's and completely changed with mountains of aged arborist wood chips. there has not been any chemicals on this property since its purchase date. i grew up summers on my uncle's farm so i am not a stranger to real fresh food but honestly the fruit i produce here is at a different level. an oh by the way... sustainable organic farming that focuses on the soil does produce more that the industrial farming... yes in volume and taste and quality and nutrition. the problem is that most people want to start growing right away on a land with poor soil. it took nearly a decade for me to complete the soil transformation here. during that time i grew noting but green manure and wildlife food. you could do it faster but i am poor so i went with free stuff. the universal law that you can do things well, you can do things cheaply, you can do things quickly, choose any two applies here too. i will not compromise on quality. i am poor. so the quick thing had to go for me. if you have a lot of money, buy already aged compost and cover your land with a layer 2" deep in winter or early spring. seed it heavily with native wild life plants. let it do its thing for a year. then you can plant your fruit trees and setup your garden. it will cost you a bundle though 🙂

Thank you for this information. I've known that workers are exposed to less herbicides etc in organic agriculture, but it's never occurred to me that they compensate for that by more physical labor. Something to keep in mind.

When people say they don't eat GMOs while eating their organic banana I just smile and nod.

THANK YOUUUUU for this information!! Exactly the questions ive wanted answered

Super interesting! Thank you for such great information!!

Having a Canadian version of this would be really interesting

Damn, that viewership location stat just made realize I’m the only one in Nigeria who watches this channel like everyday

you are very good. I wish you keep it up and keep growing subscribers. A fan from Singapore.

In Argentina this is taught in schools. As you've said many products are organic yet it's too expensive to get the label. For example there are many brands of coffee and tea are organic, otherwise wouldn't be able to drink, yet getting the stamp is so hard and expensive. Also vegetables it's easier than a piece of meat, since they have to check the vegetables or grass those animals eat have to be organic then those animal have to be monitored with the vaccines etc

i had no issue listening thank you so much

Can you do a video on seed oils? I feel like aligns with your videos and it’s in 90% of our food in the US and almost impossible to get away from.

I lean towards organic potatoes because the good ones per bag and shelf life tends to be longer 🤷‍♀️ Not sure what they're doing to them but it works for me

Thanks for the video. As a small roast to order coffee owner, I get this question all the time. Is my coffee organic? I would like the label for the marketability of it only, just not at the price and extra hoops I would need to jump through.

I’m Canadian and I watch your channel. Not everyone is American. More Canadian content is always appreciated

Was looking forward to this topic. Thank you for delivering.

I straight up avoid organic produce; It's super expensive and I don't believe it's any better for my health.

Ill be looking for that like. Hope your road trip is going great.

I wouldn't feel as bad about food if corporations had ethics (I know, ah, ah, ah) and realised that there are products by which certain basic standards must be adhered to. Ok, now I'll go cry in a dark corner...

I came across organic strawberries that were CHEAPER than the non organic Driscoli brand non organic strawberries. Same store, same day. That's extremely rare.😮

amazing video, congratulations

I just found this channel....what a treasure.

I hope that you do a future proof video on cruises ships and their environmental impact 😅

Earl Butz is often vilified, but what is also often missing from the narrative is that there was a major grain crop collapse across much of the world. People would very likely have gone hungry is Butz hadn’t forced farmers to ramp up production. We’ve had some rough consequences, but not all of his motives had ill intent.

Meat from US is banned in any kind of way to enter Switzerland due to it is not complying with our heath standarts😅 so it is very bad

Up until a few days ago I was a small organic fruit producer. Low standard of living in slow economy + inflation made the already expensive food even more expensive. On the other hand, certification rules are the same whether you have a small patch of land (like myself) or a massive micro-nation sized property, and the massive paperwork and costs that accompany it simply make no sense for a small producer, unless you have a knack for numbers, accounting and moving paperwork around the place. I love the physical aspect of the work, but if I knew that paperwork and fees were so intense as if I was running, dunno what, a clinic... I'd never bother with it. I've spent more energy on paperwork, taxes and whatnot than actually in the orchard. The only way organic produce (for small producers) makes sense, that I can think of, is if everyone would produce a little, but just for themselves - remove your flowers from flower pots and plant organic tomatoes and potatoes instead. Or if you have some kitchen garden, some spare land - plant a few cultures, make more stuff of each and then barter trade with others - I give you cherries, you give me goat cheese. The rest of the business is fine for big producers I guess, they can expend lawyers and accountants to deal with paperwork I guess. And all this mess exists because some food producers are too ignorant or too greedy that they're willing to spray land and produce with all kinds of poison, to make it look good on the shelves. If chemical food production faced same rigorous quality controls and procedures, there would be no need for organic production, but this is the world we live in - greed over short term profit outweighs investment in long term profit and betterment of the whole world.

Seeing the title card for this episode: Oh hey! Future Proof's covering what I've been saying for years 😂😂😂

There used to be an organic Rockstar and it was awesome. I haven't seen it in a few years but I liked it because it had about a third of the ingredients most energy drinks have.

i look forward to a potential side channel where you guys go further into the topic with follow-ups to questions/points made in the comments. This video was so vague and surface-level that it only leaves us wanting more since the only message you conveyed was akin to "chocolatey/chocolate-flavored =/= chocolate" which is now common knowledge amongst most people

The modern banana with a smiley face 😄😂😂.... so funny 🤣

Thank you! Crazy world we live in... just ordered a bread machine to do organic doughs for breads, pastas and jams and yogurts! I'm so through with it! Also making butter from heavy cream... just a start but have to start somewhere can't afford the kitchen aid plus all the extra gadgets to make pasta and stuff so next best thing!

You're so right!...kind of. So, YES, current "organic" practices are not practical and labor-intensive. HOWEVER there are many "conventional" producers that are turning to beyond organic practices (no-till, compost extract and tea distribution, cover crop usage, etc.) that are actually increasing yields from normal conventional yields with less effort and little to no inputs (fertilizer, pesticides). At the same time these efforts are actually not only drawing down more carbon but they are also increasing ground water stores.

Certified Organic does not mean you have a lower potential for pesticide exposure. It's just the types of chemicals that can be used that is restricted. Some organic pesticides are things like hydrogen peroxide, or caraway oil which is quite safe relatively speaking, others are chemicals like copper compounds and even petroleum oil which are "natural" but far less safe. When it comes to food and environmental safety industrial organic farming isn't any better than industrial conventional farming, so it takes more than just an Organic sticker to make a good choice on the produce you consume.

Can u please do one on bamboo sheets and towels, they claim to be organic etc all the hype but I read the process of manufacturing uses more chemicals than cotton or linen sheets

thanks for calling me out for eating food infront of a screen as i’m eating food infront of a screen lol

Thank you for talking about farmworkers!

Can you do a video on Kathmandu because you have reviewed every other outdoors brand and Kathmandu is very popular in Australia and New Zealand cheers!

Great! I could be your 1 year younger brother! 😅 I love these topics about the food industry!

The movie supersize me 2, goes into extreme detail about the food oligopoly, how free range is defined as well as organic. Pretty interesting.

Speaking of farmer's markets, maybe you could do a video on dyed flowers. They seem to be too, too common.

Actually tv dinner started before microwaves. They were cooked in the oven.

Look into the ddt dumpsite off the coast of Southern California. Tens of thousands of barrels of ddt were found on the ocean floor

Fun video as always, but it just seems a little surface-level to me and a missed opportunity to delve deeper into either the cult of organic food or what makes organic food different for the consumer. I loved the previous Future Proof video on 'How Whole Foods Changed Organic Food', which got into the producer-side of things and I think this video had the potential to go more into the consumer side. For example, it could have talked about *why* some people think Organic food is better (some important research could have been done on the big pesticides that the Organic label does ban and the reasons why they're banned; the foods where the pesticides make a big difference because traces are found more abundantly on some foods than others; what it doesn't mean; what are the issues with GMO foods, if any; any mention of research where they have actually found that certain organic foods are nutritionally better and the possible problems with this research, etc.; what does it mean for a food to be nutritionally better anyway?) and why it's good business for Big Business. Also, the video could have called out the tonnes of RU-vid food and lifestyle channels that thrive on the fear of pesticides and 'clean living' - FlavCity comes to mind in particular, which is informative about what the USDA Organic label actually means but then turns this into a really expensive lifestyle based on fearing all 'non-natural' things and flogging FlavCity products. This video could have been *so* much more.

Every American should have the freedom to own land and grow their own food. When is that going to happen? Most likely never... The system is in place to profit from you and not to make you happy and healthy.

I always appreciate you thoughts, however organic production is long term more productive than chemical agriculture. There’s several studies pointing towards this. Organic ag will normally loose productivity after conversion then rebound to greater output after the soil and systems become used to organic farming. Organic is not too far from chemical ag., to be able to feed the 10 billion people in the near future. The reason why chemical agriculture is so efficient today is bc of the billions of R&D. If we focused on producing more effective organic additions there wouldn’t be to many differences on farms outputs. Soil health is also one of the most important factors in how organic farming can reduce the impact of agriculture on the climate. The soils of healthy, long term organic farms are often carbon sinks because of the biodiversity of their soils. Organic can be the same scale as conventional. Organic will always be more sustainable than conventional.

😂😂😂 Boy, you opened a can of worms with this video! (Organic ones at that. 😅) I've never seen so many folks so ticked off at you. You know what they say about the road to hell...

I didn’t want to click on the video because of the thumbnail: I regularly buy organic foods and I just wanted to avoid any kind of criticism. Glad I clicked though.

We Indigenous people originally eat organic food without labels and certifications requirements.

The dream of being certified organic ended after the 3 year dog & pony show of certification education, transition & the binder of inputs kept up had to be tossed on a shelf (I went on a 1 hour off farm errand & came home to a family member sprinkling a pesticide on the cabbage).

9:38 for the actual start of the video - bunches of hot air prior and a bit of history. Only Regen products are testing with increased nutrients than conventional or Organic produce/products. And Regen uses way less chemicals like pesticides or fertilizers. Oh, regenerative ag also improves diversity of plants, insects, and wildlife. It doesn't need to be scaled, but instead regen ag can be replicated where the same plot of land can produce multiple streams of food while healing the watercycle and improving earthworm habitat.

Love the Undertale sound effect at 0:26

One of the most frustrating things about trying to actually be more sustainable is how expensive it actually is to do that :( which is a shame coz one would think the cheapest products are the most natural but they tend to be the most processed or mass produced with shortcuts so the average household is rarely ever in a position to properly live "sustainably" whilst simultaneously making financially sustainable decisions

The stats are harsh for EU viewers. I would love to see some info about European Organic Certificate!

The price goes up just because of the label and its production costs. But! I know people who worked for TF, and the produce that was packed as organic was regular produce. So they were lying about the authenticity of the product and charging organic label price. SOOOOO! to be honest, I dont really believe that companies actually sell the real thing, some might do, some others definitely don't, and I can kind of understand why. But still, they shouldn't lie about it. So every time I buy organic labeled products, I only pray that is actually the real thing. 😅

these type of labels are always confusing and end up feeling like they mean nothing. i bought some yogurts that "gluten free" on the packaging. i'd sure hope so, afaik dairy is gluten free in general. same with meat, i bought some of that sliced turkey ham thing for sandwiches, and it said "gluten free". once again, yeah duh, meat doesn't have gluten. and i've seen it done similarly to things that don't contain dairy but will say "dairy free". maybe it's some sort of mandatory labelling in the e.u, but it's just weird to add a label that literally has no meaning. if you didn't put "gluten free" on my yogurt, i'd still assume it to be gluten free, now instead i'm wondering if yogurts without that label are putting something in it that contains gluten. and tbh, if i see an "organic" label, i'm probably moving away from it. it feels more like an excuse to make things more expensive than what they should be

Thanks for letting me know it’s Wednesday today lol keep it up kings

Please research and make a video about regenerative agriculture. It is better for the environment, results in more nutrient-dense food, and can actually result in higher yields than conventional or organic. Thanks!

I apologize if it has already been mentioned, but there is more to it. A large and important factor also lies in the establishing of healthy soil ecosystems. Adding organic 'fertilizer' can be as simple as adding a layer of compost throughout a garden space. Needless to say, not all producers are completely honest and upfront about their methodologies. I personally wouldn't go out of my way to source USDA certified organic produce unless the quality seemed better than conventional. Maine MOFGA and Oregon Tilth are known to be highly regarded certification agencies. Check your local farmer's market or start a garden yourself. Pay somebody else to do it for you if you have the money. There's also something to be said for biodiversity as opposed to monocropping. Feed the soil and it will feed you!

Trader Joe's Jose beer is brewed with GMO corn. They have noon GMO certification

In the coffee industry, and notoriously in Brazil, organic certification rules tend to discourage conversion of existing farms, and rather …promote start-up of new farms via use of deforestation. It’s pretty bad .

Futurepoof: In the 1990's Me who was born in the 1990's: 🧓

I am very sensitive and organic apples aren't organic enough for me. I can only eat backyard or feral apples. Lots of toxins are still allowed. Organic pears are just fine. Go figure.

My friend was an engineer at Nestle and he said natural meant it was in the environment (facility) for more than 48 hours, with dust, rats, spit, roaches that fall in the chocolate vat, etc.

All of a sudden the government and food industry care about our health so now we have organic overload everywhere. I’m not sold on that.

There are many foods that grow in the forest and in your ditch or lawns that are tasty and good for you. The gardening practices of the ancient Koreans known today as Korean natural farming.

2:50 maybe thats someone requesting you trying to imitate Owen Wilson's "wow"

Woohoo I'm part of the 3.3%🎉

cheap solution is to get rid of pesticides on vegetables, so baking soda or sea shell powder from japanese designed to get rid of pesticides, as high pH get rid of most pesticides?

How about Viberg boots? A Victoria BC company that's stood the test of time and makes some of the most sought after handmade boots at price that's not for the faint of wallet...

The blue thumbnail made me expect this to be a Future Proof Health video

Wish you luck but it's become too much of You Ess Of Ayyyyyy on here for this 🇨🇦Ian. All the best ✌🏻

That couch is beautiful

7:48 I stared at this graphic for a long time .... wow

I’d love to shop more local small scale but it’s next to impossible asking the farmers what they put on their produce - plus it’s always changing. The organic label isn’t perfect but it’s better. At least I know which chemicals ARE being used. Perhaps we need a different label or modify the rules of the current one but that’s a discussion for another day.

Is it the same story for Canada Organic?

I understood that the labels mean nothing a long time ago.

can you make a video about l.l.bean boots?

Is your back ground a camper or a tiny house? 🏡

ALL HAIL RAIL CARTS

Came here to say LEVI WE ARE BDAY TWINS!!! Same year too 😂

CAN YOU MAKE A VIDEO ABOUT IF BUYING GOLD TO FIGHT INFLATION IS LEGIT BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE ITS NOT

5:41 im gonna go have icecream in my corvette

Some foods are and some are not organic. Not all organic foods are healthy. Though some foods are created or produced organic, they contain components that are included, but are deceptive as to be worth eating because they're actually farmed unnaturally or metabolize dangerously. Oils often fall into this category. Seeds can be added to the list.

In about 6 months, no one is going to willing to splurge on organic foods. SNAP only goes so far

TL;DR Scalable vs Sustainable are extremely important to mention as different. Organic farms are not scale as you mentioned, but the alternative has what cost to the land/local ecosystems long-term? You mentioned organic farming isn't as easy to scale to meet the food demand? What about the impacts of non-organic pestisides and long term health of soil and ecological damage in the area/bodies of water near the farms? Your videos are awesome, but my minor critique is that organic farming vs non-organic doesn't address long term impact to soil quality and ecosystems/wildlife. Scalable and sustainable are two independent aspects, and scalable can be approached from the other end - food expiration dates (which are approximations, not hard science), food being thrown away at grocery stores, resturants and homes for many reasons. There is enough food to go around, it's about how we manage and handle food from farm to plate. Also a lot of food grown in the US - some 60-75%~ is used ONLY to feed lifestock - which is then used to feed humans.