Organic is a way of farming that follows a written standard and is checked by inspection. It is not a general feeling of "natural", and it is not a description of how one vegetable looks or tastes. In Thailand the written standard is TAS 9000, issued by the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS).
A farming system, not a flavour
TAS 9000 describes organic agriculture as a whole-farm management system. It aims to keep the farm ecosystem in a healthy state, including biodiversity, biological cycles and the life in the soil. It prefers management inside the farm over inputs brought in from outside. Where possible it uses cultural, biological and mechanical methods instead of synthetic materials.
The Thai standard was written with reference to the Codex Alimentarius guidelines on organic food, the international text agreed under FAO and WHO. Codex words the idea in a similar way. IFOAM, the international federation of organic movements, describes organic agriculture as a system that relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles suited to local conditions, rather than inputs with adverse effects.
Codex also makes a point that is easy to miss. "Organic" describes how a product was produced, not a result that can be seen in the final product. Its text says organic practices cannot ensure that a product is completely free of residues, because of general pollution in the environment.
What the Thai standard rules out and requires
TAS 9000 does not allow:
- Genetically modified organisms, or products made from them.
- Ionising radiation used on organic food.
- Synthetic fertilisers, fertilisers made soluble by chemical treatment, such as superphosphate, and human waste on food crops.
- Hydroponic growing, where roots sit in a nutrient solution or in an inert material with nutrients added. Land crops must grow in a soil-based system.
TAS 9000 requires:
- Soil fertility built up by growing legumes and other green manure crops, adding compost or other organic matter, and rotating crops.
- Pest control that starts with prevention, such as suitable varieties, crop rotation, mechanical methods and protecting the natural enemies of pests. Only substances on the standard's own list, or accepted by the authority or certification body, may be used.
- Measures against contamination from neighbouring land, such as buffer zones.
- Organic and non-organic produce kept clearly apart, with records kept for at least 5 years.
Inspection turns a description into a claim
A written standard only matters if someone checks it. Codex says that inspecting the organic management system is an essential part of certification, and that a certification body should carry out a full physical inspection of each unit at least once a year.
TAS 9000 links the word to this checking. A product may be labelled organic only if it comes from an operator that has been inspected and certified, and the label must show the name or code of the certification body. In practice, the word "organic" on a pack points to a standard and to a body that checked the farm or the processor against it.
General words such as "natural" are a separate matter. They are not part of the organic standard, and the standard does not set inspection rules for them.
In short
- Organic is a farming system defined by a written standard, TAS 9000 in Thailand, drawing on Codex and IFOAM.
- The standard rules out genetically modified organisms, synthetic fertilisers and hydroponic growing, and requires soil-building practices.
- It is a claim about how food is produced. Codex notes that organic methods cannot guarantee a product is free of all residues.
- Inspection and certification are what separate "organic" from a general feeling of "natural".
