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In the US (where I live) the use of the word "organic" in food sales now has legal meaning. There is no "may choose to restrict"; there definitely is "shall not use" with regard to a long list of substances. In addition, the growing space itself must not have even been used for conventional agriculture within some years of becoming certified as an organic farm. So unless the farmer or grocer is outright lying (and I do think that happens), there are standards that are being met nowadays in the US to call the food "organic".
I was on the far margins of the many years-long discussions that ultimately resulted in the organic certification process. I've had my tomatoes in one store and had another store ready to accept my mustard greens. I told them I grew organically but that there was no way I was going to go through the expense, lab work, and documentation to become organic certified so they could not call my greens organic even though they were organic. The store was okay with that, but I didn't follow through (no contract, it would have be completely informal) but instead used my excess greens as a "green manure."
I was on the far margins of the many years-long discussions that ultimately resulted in the organic certification process. I've had my tomatoes in one store and had another store ready to accept my mustard greens. I told them I grew organically but that there was no way I was going to go through the expense, lab work, and documentation to become organic certified so they could not call my greens organic even though they were organic. The store was okay with that, but I didn't follow through (no contract, it would have be completely informal) but instead used my excess greens as a "green manure."
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