It’s complicated. If they’re making a reasonable effort to serve organic food, they can make the organic claim. Farmers endure a rigorous process for organic labeling. Those standards don’t apply to restaurants. In fact, a mix of mostly organic meat combined with non-organic meat can be called organic at a restaurant.
Different regulating bodies could be the reason for the disparity in classification. A lack of available organic ingredients may be the reason some “organic” restaurants don’t stick to 100 percent organic.
Businesses should be transparent, calling themselves sustainable or farm-to-table if those classifications are more appropriate than organic. It’s better to list specific efforts so customers know what they’re getting.
Listen as chef Abbie Gellman joins Dr. Pamela Peeke to discuss the truth behind “organic” restaurants.
Abbie Gellman, MS, RD, is a professionally-trained chef and Registered Dietitian. Abbie has over 10 years of hospitality and food and beverage consulting experience and nearly 10 years of nutrition-related experience.