This book guides consumers past the politics and technicalities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program and concisely explains how to make use of the nationwide standard for organic foods.

Once limited to farmers' markets and consumer co-ops, organic produce and packaged foods are now available in most major supermarkets and many smaller stores. Organics are still a small percentage of the overall food supply, but demand for organic products is growing and uniform standards for organic labeling has attracted major corporations like Heinz, Dannon and Kellogg into the field.

"The result of all these changes to our food supply is making shopping more complex," Steve Meyerowitz points out in the introduction to his guide. "Sometimes organic and nonorganic foods are shelved side by side, and sometimes organics are located separately in another part of the store. Sure, there are signs, but how do you identify these foods when you are traveling from store to store?"

Meyerowitz's guide shows what the labels for organic, all natural and locally grown foods look like, where they can be found on a package or food item and what they mean. This information, located in a chapter on "Reading the Labels" is the primary focus of this guide and its most valuable feature. Nutrition, cost and the health benefits of organic foods are also discussed.

Known to some as "Sproutman," Meyerowitz has been promoting natural foods since the 1970s. He authored Sproutman's Kitchen Garden Cookbook and eight other books on dietand nutrition.

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