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What does "Certified Organic" really mean? What sets Miller's apart?

written by

Nailea Tinoco

posted on

May 31, 2024

certified-organic.jpeg

Imagine that you’re strolling down the aisle in a grocery store, scanning the shelves for something wholesome and nutritious and free of toxins to feed your family. A package proudly displaying the big bold label “Certified Organic” label catches your attention. You think to yourself, “Perfect. This is what I need to nourish my family.” But hold on a second, what if I told you not all organic food is created equal? 

What Certified Organic Actually Means 

When something is labeled as “organic,” it basically means that it’s made with a lot of natural ingredients (not necessarily all, but a lot). But, it’s not just about using natural stuff. There’s a whole process behind the certification. 

Farmers (or businesses) that want their food to be certified organic have to create an Organic System Plan. This plan lays out how they’re going to meet the standards set by USDA. Once that plan has been made, they have to put it into action. 

That’s not all. A certifying agent, who’s been accredited by USDA, will come out to check things out every year. They’ll make sure the farm is following the rules and meeting the required standards. 

The inspectors aren’t from federal or state government agencies. Instead, they’re private third-party groups approved by the National Organic Program (NOP). Every program has different specifics for inspections. It’s also important to note that the inspector typically contacts the farm in advance to set up a date and time, giving about 2 weeks notice. 

On a typical day, the inspector will start with a quick tour of the farm and discuss the Organic System Plan the farmer has in place. Their main concern isn’t so much about pesticides or how the animals are living or verifying labels. Rather, the most important thing with the visual inspection is that the farm isn’t repackaging non-organic produce as organic. 

The inspector reviews all of the farm’s sales and receipts. They’re making sure the total sales match the expected yields. Plus, they want to see if the farm is buying “certified for organic” fertilizer, nursery starts, and approved pesticides. It’s a whole lot of recordkeeping. 

On top of that, it’s a costly process. It doesn’t stop with the certification. There are inspection fees, renewal fees, and even travel costs for the certifying agents. It adds up and can be thousands of dollars per year! Farmers have to factor that cost along with the cost of running the farm. 

Certified Organic Requirements

I did a ton of research, trying to wrap my head around what it really takes to be certified organic. There was so much info, filled with big, fancy words that I don’t use everyday. It felt like they were trying to make it hard to understand on purpose. 

But don’t worry. I got you covered. I did all the hard work and made a simple chart (below) that breaks down what being certified organic actually means. Plus, I included a comparison to show how Miller’s Bio Farm goes above and beyond these standards. 

CERTIFIED ORGANICMILLER’S BIO FARM
Does not need to disclose ingredients under 1% Discloses all ingredients and processes. Full transparency. 
GMOs allowed if they’re 0.9% or less of the final productGMO free
Organic corn & soy allowedCorn & soy free
No regulations on vaccinesNo routine vaccinations
Antibiotic freeAntibiotic free
Hormone freeHormone free
Steroid free Steroid free 
Synthetic nitrate/nitrite free (naturally occurring nitrates/nitrites like in celery juice powder are allowed)Synthetic nitrate/nitrite free (naturally occurring nitrates/nitrites like in celery juice powder are allowed)
Irradiation allowed (with certain restrictions)Irradiation free
Can be sprayed with any of the thousands of “certified for organic” pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides*Miller’s pasture & hay not sprayed at all. Produce and feed ingredients may be sprayed with carefully selected “certified for organic” products*
Lots of record keeping requiredWe keep a reasonable amount of records, as we feel they are needed
Does not need to be farmed regeneratively Practices regenerative farming and pays extreme attention to soil health
Humane treatment of animals is not requiredHumanely raised
Doesn’t require animals be pasture raisedAnimals are pasture raised as much as the weather allows
Not required to be 100% grass-fed (AKA grass-fed & finished)100% grass-fed beef, cow dairy, and buffalo dairy
A2/A2 dairy not required100% A2/A2 dairy
Homogenization allowedAll dairy is non-homogenized
Meat can be sanitized/washed in any of a multitude of approved substances, including chlorine and citric acid. Beef and pork is washed with organic apple cider vinegar. Chicken is air chilled and washed in only water. Turkey and fish is washed in only water.

*OMNI (Organic Materials Review Institute) maintains a list of chemicals and sprays that are allowed under the organic certification. The list is thousands of products long and continues to grow. Some are innately natural like clay or vinegar and some are not so natural like chlorine or citric acid.

How Miller’s Bio Farm goes above and beyond being certified organic.

At Miller’s Bio Farm, we’re NOT certified organic. It’s costly and time consuming. We’d rather make our own choices. We’d rather tell you everything you need to know about your food. Our site is packed with info, and we’re happy to answer any questions (and do research if needed).

That being said, we naturally follow the organic standards and, in many ways, go beyond the regulations. I mean, we’re trying to produce the most natural foods we possibly can!

So remember, when browsing through the grocery store, eyeing those “certified organic” labels, not all organic is created equal. Sure, it’s a good sign. It’s a step in the right direction. But, if you dig a little deeper, it’s not all what it’s made out to be. 

At Miller’s Bio Farm, we just don’t settle for the basics, for the standards. Nope. We go above & beyond. Giving you 100% transparency, and REAL food. 

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References

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Our bone broth tested negative for heavy metals đŸ„ł NATURAL AND CLEAN

Our bone broth tested negative for heavy metals đŸ„ł NATURAL AND CLEAN

Over the past few months a bunch of people asked us if we tested our bone broth for toxic heavy metals. When we get the same question a lot, we of course look into it. My first question was --- Is there an issue with toxic metals in bone broth? As it turns out, yes, there "can" be an issue! Heavy metals are naturally present in our environment. We need the "good" heavy metals to thrive: iron, zinc, magnesium, copper, etc. But, we can 100% do without the toxic heavy metals: arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, etc. Too many toxic heavy metals can lead to a host of pretty awful issues: nervous system damage, cardiovascular issues, cancer, endocrine disruption, kidney damage, and so on. Our body is designed to excrete heavy metals through urine (and a little bit through sweat, hair, and breastmilk too)... but only so much. There's a limit. If you're overloaded, your body will store those heavy metals in your bones, blood, tissues, and organs. Similarly, if an animal is exposed to heavy metals via food, water, air, dust, or soil, those heavy metals accumulate in the bones. Maybe the farm's soil or air is contaminated from a nearby factory. Maybe the pipes for the water has lead solder connecting them. Maybe the feed a farm is buying was grown on contaminated soil or processed on contaminated equipment.  And, of course, a main purpose of bone broth is drawing out as much as possible from the bones. If there are heavy metals in bones, they will make their way into the broth. This is especially true when you pre-soak with apple cider vinegar and simmer for 48 hours to make it thick and gelatinous (like our broth). And that led me to my second question --- Should I be concerned about every bone broth? Where is the fear coming from? Well... it seems it might be a little political. There was a study done in the UK in 2013 that scared a lot of people. It's titled "The Risk of Lead Contamination in Bone Broth Diets". This study found high levels of lead in organic chicken bone broth, which is quite concerning. And, in fact, this one study is still cited in articles written today! Let's dig a little deeper. Let's go farther than the short abstract. Here are the broths tested in the study and their test results for lead:  (9.5 parts per billion): Broth made from tap water plus skin and cartilage(7.01 parts per billion): Broth made from tap water plus bones(2.3 parts per billion): Broth made from tap water plus meat(0.89 parts per billion): Tap water alone cooked for the same amount of time as a control. But, they only used organic chicken from one farm. And, there's zero information about that farm, their practices, the feed, and the broth recipe. Did they use vinegar or wine in the broth? Was the chicken's water contaminated with lead? What was the quality of the feed and the soil? Were the chickens raised indoors or outdoors? So many unanswered questions! All we get is that it was one "organic chicken" that created a lead issue with broth. Another curious thing is that the broth with skin and cartilage contained more lead than the broth made with just bones. Bones are where lead is stored, so why wouldn't the broth made with bones only contain more lead? It's an odd result. Moreover, the abstract of the study specifically called out "bone broth diets" like GAPS and paleo. They even go so far as to write, "In view of the dangers of lead consumption to the human body, we recommend that doctors and nutritionists take the risk of lead contamination into consideration when advising patients about bone broth diets." That's quite curious. Why are they worried about these diets? Are the researchers anti healing through food? Who funded the research? Is it political? My opinion? This study is not comprehensive. It does not speak to all bone broths. But it does cover a potential issue if the water or animals are overloaded with heavy metals. What I glean from this study is that we need more research. We don't need fear to spread and people to stop drinking broth from this one study. Regardless of whether the fear was fabricated or legit, we tested our bone broth anyway. After all, it's always nice to validate that your food choices are as clean as you think. For Miller's, here were my concerns before testing: What if there's mercury in the fishmeal in our chicken feed?What if the soil that our animals live on is contaminated?What is the well water that the broth is made with is contaminated?What if the Celtic sea salt has lots of heavy metals? As it turns out, my fears were thankfully unfounded. Our bone broth tested NEGATIVE for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury đŸ„ł đŸ„ł đŸ„ł You can find the test results right here! You'll notice that, for every sample, the results are "<0.01 mg/kg" and "<0.02 mg/kg".  I asked the lab what the "<" means. They said that it indicates their limit of quantitation (LOQ), the lowest concentration that can be accurately tested using the test procedure in that sample type. So the results simply report that none of the metals tested were found in the sample above the specific reporting LOQs. Whether or not they were present below this LOQ is information that is not provided by the test. It's also important to note that a "mg/kg" is the same as a part per billion (ppb). It means that our broths contain less than 0.02 ppb of arsenic and lead and less than 0.01 ppb of cadmium and mercury. I don't think a lower LOQ is needed. I mean, I think we can say it's basically zero. What about you? For some reference, the EPA says that less than 15 ppb of lead is safe in drinking water. 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Where have your fears stemmed from? I'd love to hear from you. You can comment below (no account required) or contact us đŸ˜Š ----- Sources The risk of lead contamination in bone broth dietsBone Broth and Lead Toxicity: Should You Be Concerned?Bone Broth and Lead Contamination: A Very Flawed Study in Medical HypothesesBone Broth, Collagen, and Toxic Metals: A Research Review

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If animals eat wheat, does the gluten transfer to the eggs and meat?

If animals eat wheat, does the gluten transfer to the eggs and meat?

We've been getting this question a good amount lately --- If your chickens and pigs eat wheat, which contains gluten, then do your eggs, chicken, and pork contain gluten, too? Super interesting question. I mean, the saying "you are what you eat" holds true to some extent. But... digestion is the opposite of simple. The short answer is --- Gluten in animal feed does NOT transfer to eggs or meat. Eggs are meat are naturally gluten-free. You see, just like you, when an animal eats gluten, the gluten is broken down into amino acids during digestion. Then, those amino acids are reassembled into a variety of things that support life and growth - proteins, hormones, neurotransmitters, etc. We have anecdotal evidence, too. There are many Miller's customers with Celiac disease or gluten sensitivities that handle our eggs, chicken, and pork without any issues. In fact, some say that our eggs and meat are the only they can tolerate - wow! A little caveat --- cross contamination. Here are two scenarios: What if a butcher uses products on meat or surfaces that contain gluten? I mean the list of approved sanitizers is loooong. This isn't a worry with our foods. Our eggs and chicken only ever touch water. And our pork is washed in organic apple cider vinegar.Can gluten be added to foods like sausages or pies or lunchmeat? Yes. Some baking sodas and spice blends contain gluten. And some trace ingredients (that don't need to be on the label) like maltodextrin or modified food starch may contain gluten. This isn't a worry with our foods. We try to keep things as pure as possible. Intolerances and sensitivities can be complicated. Some people react to parts of gluten, not the whole molecule. During digestion, gluten is broken down into peptides in your intestinal tract. Then, those peptides are broken down into amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of life. They're reassembled (with other things like broken down vitamins and minerals) into important stuff that your body needs - proteins, tissue, enzymes, hormones. People with confusing (and sometimes inconsistent) reactions might be having a reaction to a specific peptide or part of a molecule. It might now be the whole molecule that's giving you trouble! That's why many people with gluten sensitivity do fine with sourdough and/or einkorn (in fact, we even have a customer with Celiac disease that loves our sourdough einkorn crackers). Sourdough partially digests the gluten for you and possibly changes the way your body breaks it down. And einkorn is a heritage grain that contains a completely different kind of gluten compared to conventional wheat - gluten AA. There's actually a certain test you can take to give you more info. It's called a Zoomer test. Instead of simply seeing if you're reacting to a whole protein, it sees how your body responds to individual peptides. Neat! Or maybe people aren't reacting to wheat itself. Rather, they're reacting to chemicals sprayed on wheat. Many people with gluten sensitivity go to Europe and eat all the bread. Why is this? Well, maybe it's because glyphosate is banned in Europe. But here in the US, we're still spraying it on conventional wheat to dry it out quickly and get it ready for harvest. It could be that some people are reacting to a chemical on wheat... not the wheat itself. I mean, glyphosate is known for disrupting the gut! This could explain why some people don't do well with some eggs and meat but do just fine with ours. After all, we have the highest natural standards and aim to give you the purest food possible, down to the nitty gritty. What have you experienced? Are you sensitive or allergic to gluten but can handle eggs and meat? How do our eggs and meat feel for you? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required - just start typing) or contact us đŸ˜Š ----- Sources Are Eggs From Grain-Fed Chickens Safe to Eat on a Gluten-Free Diet?Zoomers Food Sensitivity Testing 101: Your Path to Food Sensitivity AwarenessIs RoundUp Giving You a Pain in the Gut?

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OUR VISION is to end sickness by enhancing health, nutrition, and happiness.

OUR PURPOSE is to inspire a generation of healthy children and reduce healthcare costs.


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