The word inorganic is patently inappropriate for describing food, even if that food wasn't produced in a manner consistent with organic farming. Wikipedia points this out, but doesn't really offer an alternative. While the phrase food produced through chemical farming may leave some people with a bad taste in their mouth, I doubt it carries the same connotation as food that is not organic food. Is there a better word to use here?
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Most often, "conventional" is used as a retronym for "not organic." It's not great, and a better one may gain acceptance; be patient: these things take time. |
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For product labels, the USDA uses non-organic to contrast with organic. See these links:
As Jeffiekins says in his answer, for the farming method used to produce the food or textile, the terms the USDA and others use are usually organic vs. conventional: |
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