Organic foods are produced according to certain production standards. For crops, it means they were grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives. For animals, it means they were reared without the routine use of antibiotics and without the use of growth hormones. In most countries, organic produce must not be genetically modified.Organic food production is legally regulated. Currently, the United States, the European Union, Japan and many other countries require producers to obtain organic certification in order to market food as organic.Historically, organic farms have been relatively small family-run farms — which is why organic food was once only available in small stores or farmers' markets. Meanwhile, it is becoming much more widely available, with market growth rates of around 20% a year since the early 1990s, far ahead of the rest of the food industry, in both developed and developing nations. As of today organic food accounts for 1-2% of food sales worldwide. In the future, growth is expected to range from 10-50% annually depending on the country. (see facts and statistics below)

The Department of Agriculture has proposed 38 ingredients that could be put in "USDA organic"-labeled foods even though they are not grown organically. Here is the list of ingredients, where they come from, what foods they can be found in, who petitioned for their inclusion on the list and why.

Another concern, expressed by non-governmental organizations such as Friends of the Earth and Oxfam, is that government-subsidized large-scale production of biofuels could increase food prices in developing countries. In a recent report by the International Food Policy Research Institute, Joachim von Braun writes:

Find out where your chicken and eggs come from and what the price difference is between organic and non-organic food. There's also some easy chicken and egg recipes.

Newman's Own Organics makes tasty Soy Crisps and Paul Newman donates all the profits to non-profit charities. Since 1982 he’s donated over $200 Million to thousands of charities around the world. Damn, that’s amazing.

Displaced families in Anbar Province, west of Baghdad, lack essential supplies, including tents, food parcels and medical care, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) say.