USDA Organic Labeling Tiers Under 7 CFR 205.301

The National Organic Program’s composition rule, 7 CFR 205.301, sets four tiers for how much of a product must be organically produced — measured by weight or fluid volume, excluding water and salt — before it can be sold, labeled, or represented at that tier: 100 percent for “100 percent organic,” at least 95 percent for “organic,” at least 70 percent for “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)),” and anything below 70 percent, which may only be described as organic in the narrow way a separate labeling section allows. The same section also bars the use of “excluded methods” and processing with ionizing radiation for products carrying an organic-tier label.

This original record-reading guide is a general reading aid, not cited evidence. It does not depict a source record; the article text and source links provide the facts.

Key points

• “100 percent organic” requires 100 percent organically produced ingredients by weight or fluid volume, excluding water and salt.
• “Organic” requires not less than 95 percent organically produced raw or processed agricultural products, by the same measure.
• “Made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s))” requires at least 70 percent organically produced ingredients.
• Below 70 percent organic content, a product may represent its organic nature only as allowed under a separate labeling section (§ 205.305).
• Products carrying any organic-tier label may not be produced using excluded methods or processed using ionizing radiation.

“100 Percent Organic” Products

Under the regulation, “a raw or processed agricultural product sold, labeled, or represented as ‘100 percent organic’ must contain (by weight or fluid volume, excluding water and salt) 100 percent organically produced ingredients” (7 CFR 205.301, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-205.301). This is the top tier: every measured ingredient, other than water and salt, must be organically produced. Labeling for this tier and the “organic” tier is governed by a separate section, § 205.303.

“Organic” Products (95 Percent or More)

One tier down, “a raw or processed agricultural product sold, labeled, or represented as ‘organic’ must contain (by weight or fluid volume, excluding water and salt) not less than 95 percent organically produced raw or processed agricultural products” (7 CFR 205.301, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-205.301).

Made With Organic tier

The third tier covers multi-ingredient products: “multiingredient agricultural product sold, labeled, or represented as ‘made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s))’ must contain (by weight or fluid volume, excluding water and salt) at least 70 percent organically produced ingredients” (7 CFR 205.301, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-205.301). The same paragraph directs readers to § 205.304 for labeling requirements.

Products Below 70 Percent Organic Content

Below the 70 percent threshold, the composition rule does not permit an ordinary organic claim: “multiingredient agricultural product containing less than 70 percent organically produced ingredients may represent the organic nature of the product only as provided in § 205.305” (7 CFR 205.301, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-205.301). Section 205.305 — not 205.301 — governs exactly what, if anything, such a product may say about its organic ingredients.

Practices Barred Across the Organic Tiers

Separate from the percentage tiers, 7 CFR 205.301 states that an organic-labeled product may not “be produced using excluded methods” (7 CFR 205.301, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-205.301) and may not “be processed using ionizing radiation” (7 CFR 205.301, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-205.301). This bar applies regardless of which of the four composition tiers a product’s labeling claim falls into.

Amendment History

The current text of 7 CFR 205.301 carries this dated history: “[65 FR 80637, Dec. 21, 2000, as amended at 80 FR 6429, Feb. 5, 2015; 88 FR 3621, Jan. 19, 2023]” (7 CFR 205.301, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-205.301). The section was first published in the Federal Register in December 2000 and has been amended twice since, most recently in January 2023.

What This Article Does Not Cover

This explainer sticks to what 7 CFR 205.301 itself states: the composition thresholds, its cross-references, and the quoted conditions concerning excluded methods and ionizing radiation. It does not determine whether any particular operation or product meets those requirements, or compare products’ health, safety, or nutritional characteristics.

Source links

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-205.301