One of the most questions that I am most commonly asked is 'how do I know it's really organic?' It's a good question. It is very important to understand what makes a product organic and how we can be assured that the food we are buying, often at a premium price, is really 
chemical free.The most important thing to look out for is that a product is certified organic. You should find a certification mark on any product labeled organic. Sometimes they will be obvious, most people are familiar with the Soil Association logo or the Irish Organic Trust logo. I know that bread company Blazing Salads bake a rice paper organic certification symbol onto their bread. Some companies simply list their licence number on the packaging, for example UK-5. As a rule of thumb, if you can't find the certification on the label, assume it is not organic.
For fresh organic items such as loose fruit, veg or meat products which are unlikely to be marked, look to see if the retailer is displaying their certification. If you don't see it ask to see it, a legitimate retailer won't mind.
But what does certification mean? It isn't easy to get certification. There are all sorts of rules that have to be complied with and records that need to be kept. IOFGA's guidelines fill a large lever arch folder and cover everything from growing to storage and distribution. A company looking for organic certification will also have to pass an inspection. It doesn't stop there. Certification bodies will spot check producers and retailers to make sure they continue to comply with regulations. Last year the farmers market where I had my stall was inspected twice by the department of agriculture.
Just last week, Trevor Seargent released details of tighter controls and steeper penalties for those who try and pass off non organic foods as organic. See the full story here. Hopefully this will continue bolster consumer confidence in organic foods.
There are three organic certification bodies in Ireland, check out their websites: IOFGA The Organic Trust and Demeter
