There are various ways to argue about the differences between organic and natural, as they are used in ways to show the positive aspects of life.
The term “natural” is considered to be the least processed food, while organic food portrays a fresher view of consumer products. The change between organic and natural terms brings about a product layer.
It is very important to understand the differences in detail. There is a silver lining between these two words; they came back a long way without being known. Many argue about whether the label is important. In short, yes.
Key Takeaways
- Organic products undergo a strict certification process, ensuring they adhere to specific agricultural practices, while natural products lack such regulations.
- Organic farming prohibits synthetic pesticides and GMOs, while natural products may contain these substances.
- Organic products focus on environmental sustainability, whereas natural products emphasize minimal processing without artificial additives.
Organic vs Natural
“Organic” refers to products produced without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or other artificial additives. “Natural” refers to minimally processed products that do not contain artificial ingredients or synthetic chemicals.
When we use it, organic refers to the process of agricultural products that are grown and produced.
This organic differs from country to country based on climate, available resources, weather factors, soil, and habitat, making it efficient and impactful worldwide.
In most countries where the rate of the economy is based on agriculture, like the U.S. and India, it is strongly recommended to grow organic crops without involving fertilizers, pesticides, or any herbicides.
Such regulations make it a healthy choice that affects any organic product.
Natural is more of the broader sense of the term organic. It has its broader sense in the physical material world of the universe, which can also be referred to as a universal phenomenon and includes life in general.
The term natural is a part of science and is discussed and practised across the globe. When it comes to anything natural, it involves the elements of nature like fire, earth, water, space, and air.
It also has a void description in heaven, whereas, in the cosmos, it means outer space.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Organic | Natural |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Organic refers to the process of agricultural products that are grown and produced. | Natural is more of the defining aspect of the term organic. It is a broader concept. |
| Variations | Organic is associated with food and agricultural products. | Since, natural is more of a broader concept it associates with products from the environment, fresh and raw. |
| Free of | Organic products are free of pesticides, artificial fertilizers, or herbicides. It impacts majorly on the quality of substances. | Natural products are free of any synthetic and artificial ingredients that can influence their quality. |
| Nutrients | Organic has a conventional mix of many nutrients that are impacted by the harvesting process and store. | Natural things do not involve any synthetic ingredients which makes them highly nutritional unlike mixed nutrients of organic items. |
| Example | Fruits and Vegetables | Water |
What is Organic?
When people talk about organic things, it means that they are very fresh without any negative influence, like pesticides, herbicides, or anything that has an artificial influence.
It improves the quality of organic products, making them safe to consume, use or assume.
When it comes to agricultural products, the farmers that grow organic substances develop them through the process of including healthy fertile soil, which helps in growing fresh products.
Rotation of mixed crops is also used to replace nutrients taken from the soil taken by previous crops and add organic materials such as compost or manure to the soil.
As mentioned earlier, any organic product doesn’t have genetically modified ingredients and hence, is free of petrochemicals, which doesn’t harass its quality and choice of living standards.
They are also bound not to be tested on animals making them eco-friendly.
Most countries make it very necessary that organic products are subjected to only minimal processing. This event allows the raw materials to not lose their natural properties even after many processes like extraction and processing of the products.
Anything that sells well if it is 100% organic is written on the label; hence, its nutritional mix needs to be raw and real.
If it is 100% organic, it has to exclude salt and water, and it also should include only the products that must contain ingredients that have been only organically produced.
However, if the product is only organic, it means it has the exclusion of salt and water along only those products must contain at least 95% of organically produced ingredients.
Moreover, if the label says that it is made with organic ingredients, it has a ratio of 70% of the product contained, excluding salt and water.
What is Natural?
It is given that when things are natural, they are naturally grown in the environment without any influence from synthetic and artificial ingredients that are brought to people for better health measures.
There are legal guidelines or regulations to direct the growth of natural products. They are in nature, growing without any disturbance, with only the choice to recognize them whenever and wherever needed.
When the products are made of anything that grows naturally or even when it is found in nature, especially plants and minerals, it knows their value and their original needs in living organisms.
Hence, it is important to realize that natural products are not produced in a laboratory.
When natural is said to be grown without any synthetic and artificial ingredients, it means that they are free of many common chemicals, such as artificially given fragrances, any preservatives and colourants that can damage the nutritional content, and any other synthetic additives.
However, this issue does not mean that natural products have organic ingredients. Take one example: green tea is extracted naturally.
But, the green tea leaves may have been sprayed with insecticides, which make them natural but not again organic.
It is important to understand that one can’t preserve an apple pulp in a jar and use it on your skin for days. This issue is because a million microbes will grow over the apple pulp, which can make it less effective and even dangerous for use.
Hence, a certain level type of preservatives may be required to protect such natural ingredients from becoming rancid and allow them to maintain the standard of living and quality of choice.
Main Differences Between Organic and Natural
- Organic substances do not constitute pesticides, herbicides, or any artificial substances, whereas natural substances are free of synthetic influence in them.
- Organic substances have a mix of nutrients to fulfil the nutritional requirements, whereas natural substances are more raw and fresh and have no mix of nutrients. The choice of quality is different here.
- Organic is a term that refers to agricultural processes and products and is a narrow concept. Natural can also be used for agricultural substances, but it is a broader concept.
- Organic is related to the living matters of any living being, which involves the influence of mankind, whereas Natural means existence or derivation from nature around without any influence from mankind.
- Organic substances are more plant-based under fertile soil, whereas natural things have no regulations and can grow naturally in the environment.
- https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/94JD02950
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0016703782902095
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
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