Farm to market: keeping organic foods safe and fresh.(organics: all things purely organic)

The lengthy journey of organic foods from the field to your fork starts with a single step. Fortunately for consumers, the first step and every one after is carefully choreographed to assure that organic foods remain pure and are delivered fresh.

Across the country, the availability of organic foods has exploded during the past 2 years. A major reason: The National Organic Program (NOP)--which took effect in October 2002--established rules that assure consumers that products labeled as organic are, indeed, organic. Growers, haulers, distributor and processors must follow specific regulations if they want to stay in the organic industry.

Now yon can buy almost anything organic, from peppers to pasta, from milk to macaroni, From tofu to T-bones, and from Cabernet to cauliflower.

Play by the Rules

The call to "certify" organic foods actually started years ago. In the 1960s, after evidence showed that pesticides and fertilizers pollute soil and water and harm humans and animals, farmers throughout the country started growing food without any petrochemical-based materials. But disputes soon developed over how organic foods are defined. That led to a call for nationwide standardization of methods and definitions.

So growers and others in the industry teamed up with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the late 1980s to establish regulations and write the organic role book. After more than 10 years of wrangling, the statute took effect. Thanks to these roles, legitimate organic foods can now be found in markets of all sizes--from big grocery stores to neighborhood co-ops.

The regulations also apply to foods that are imported from around the globe. So even in the depths of winter, organic produce is available to people in North America.