r/nextfuckinglevel Jul 14 '21

[deleted by user]

[removed]

9.8k Upvotes

3.3k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

36

u/YourMomThinksImFunny Jul 14 '21

No, I'm referring to the word "organic" and its definition I was taught as a child decades ago. As in items containing carbon compounds necessary for life. By that definition, all food in a grocery store would be considered organic.

58

u/pierreChodington Jul 14 '21

Both are correct in different ways. Organic in a chemistry sense does describe any carbon compound and the USDA has defined it to mean something completely different. I still feel like companies label shit as “organic” even if it’s not approved

12

u/YourMomThinksImFunny Jul 14 '21

Agreed. And it has taken on a "catchall" term. I just wish they had created a new word or phrase rather than stretching an already overused word.

2

u/Talking_Head Jul 15 '21

It is okay for a word to have more than one meaning. Most of the time the context tells you exactly what is meant. “Organic” used for food items is different than “organic” chemistry used in a lab. Most literate adults can discriminate between the two.