QAI Organic vs. USDA Organic

[potter_addict]

Hi, everyone! I have a question:

When I was looking at the nutritional facts on a Clif Z bar, I noticed that there was this seal that said "QAI organic". On the front of the packaging, there was another seal saying "USDA Organic". I was wondering, is there a difference between QAI Organic and USDA Organic?

Comments

[prettyhowtown_]

It's my understanding that QAI are more strict about their organic standards than the USDA.

[tirar_piedras]

USDA organic means very little, only that genetically modified, by a *very* loose definition, that gmo foods are not present. I have never even heard of the QIA (personally) so I would do some additional research, like check their website and their consumer reviews, before making any claims.

I would say in general, since Clif bars seem pretty processed (you can't guess whats in it without looking at the label) they might not be so natural. Depends on your definition of natural, though. Just look at the ingredients. If you see things you wouldn't know how to produce yourself (if you had some land) that's a good sign that they aren't very wholesome ingredients.

[erinkathleen]

Well, hold on. I agree that USDA organic certification has its flaws, but it covers a whole lot more than GMOs. There's loads of info here, but for starters, organic farmers must abstain from the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, as well as routine antibiotics and hormones. It's fairly extensive, actually.

[chaeri]

Thanks for providing this and other facts in your comments. :)

[kesmonster]

Also, I may be misremembering -- but USDA allows for up to 25% nonorganic material and still calls things "organic." I don't remember where I heard this, though, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

[erinkathleen]

It's 5%, actually.

[face_furniture]

Don't forget everyone, if you hover over the above poster's user pic, you will get the "report a bot" option. If enough of us do it, the account should get suspended.

[onfruitstreet]

Thanks for pointing this out. I didn't know about the hover feature. I had to go enable it in my account settings.

[chinchiller]

I'm confused. What does this have to do with anything? I guess I just don't see anything odd about any of the above accounts.

[agraciado]

the comment probably got deleted. Some person/bot was going through a lot posts and posting up a link to a shoe site. I'm guessing mods deleted the comments.