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Organic Pesticide Ingredients
Organic foods are not necessarily pesticide-free. Organic foods are produced using only certain pesticides with specific ingredients. Organic pesticides tend to have natural substances like soaps, lime sulfur and hydrogen peroxide as ingredients. Not all natural substances are allowed in organic agriculture; some chemicals like arsenic, strychnine and tobacco dust (nicotine sulfate) are prohibited.
- Learn about the differences between organic and conventional food production. Terms like "free-range", "hormone-free", and "natural" do not mean organic.
- Pesticide product labels may display a certain logo, indicating they meet USDA criteria for use in organic production. Organic farms may need to follow additional rules specified by their accredited certifying agent.
- If you're thinking about going organic, you can learn about the certification process here.
If you have questions about this, or any pesticide-related topic, please call NPIC at 1-800-858-7378 (7:30am-3:30pm PST), or email us at npic@ace.orst.edu.
Additional Resources on Organic Pesticide Ingredients
- Understand Organic Labeling - USDA National Organic Program
- Resource Center: Regulations - USDA National Organic Program
- OMRI Certified Product Lists - Organic Materials Review Institute
- Labeling of Pesticide Products under the National Organic Program - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances - Code of Federal Regulations
- Labeling of Pesticide Products under the National Organic Program (NOP) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Farms that are Certified Organic - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Organic Farm Certification and the National Organic Program - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service - ATTRA
- Organic-Approved Pesticides - Minimizing Risks to Pollinators - The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Last updated March 05, 2012
