Foresight's Resource Guide: Food

"Organic" Food at Restaurants: What to know, and what you can do
Information compiled by Barry Bursak, former restaurant owner, member of the Organic Food Network, and local organic food expert (among other talents).

(Jump to: List of Chicago Restaurants and Chefs using Organic produce to some degree)

The practice of using organic food at restaurants can be very complicated, particularly considering how organic ingredients are represented on the menu. What you see (on the menu) may not be what you get:

Many restaurants mislead their customers about what is organic. Right now it is the "in" thing for restaurants to claim that they are using organic/ local grown produce. Although a few have made serious commitments to do this, many are misleading their customers into thinking that much of what they serve is organic.
Not all "organic" food meets the federal USDA standard. There is now a Federal standard that must be met in order to call something organic, which includes independent third party certification. Some farmers continue to label their food organic even though it hasn't been certified, which makes it difficult to decipher what is really organic, and how chemical/pesticide-free it is.
Many restaurants confuse "organic" with "locally grown". They may be listing menu items as organic when really they are grown with chemicals and pesticides.
Restaurants may not update their menus to reflect if an item is no longer organic. Restaurants may occasionally buy an organic product when it is available, but continue to list the item on the menu as organic when they bought conventional ingredients. This is most obvious in winter when little produce is grown locally and a menu is still claiming that it is from a local organic farmer.
"Naturally raised," "free range" or "sustainable" meat is not the same as "organic". Meat and poultry are now becoming the most mislabeled products. Terms such as "Naturally raised," "free range" and "sustainable" have no legal definition, are not verified independently, and are not the same as "organic". Particularly on this last point, many restaurants are mistaken, as they continue to menu items with these products as "organic".

So what is the consumer supposed to do?

Ask the restaurant to verify any claim they make by showing you the box or bag that it came in, which will have a certification label attached, or an invoice showing who it was purchased from. If the claims are true, why wouldn't they show you? Be suspicious of "locally grown" claims when it is obvious that the growing season has ended.
Ask about the specific ingredients in a dish. Because the restaurant is buying some organic ingredients, it doesn't mean that they were used in what you are ordering.
Express your interest in having certified organic food offered by your favorite restaurant. You may help motivate it to add organic items, particularly if they know that customers are informed about what they are eating and expect verification of claims.

(Jump to: List of Chicago Restaurants and Chefs using Organic produce to some degree)

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