Organic
Japanese: 有機・オーガニック
Food using ingredients grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. For fermented foods, both raw materials and production processes are subject to organic certification.
Organic fermented foods use organically grown ingredients and follow organic JAS production standards. For miso, this means organic soybeans and organic rice processed in a certified facility. Organic farming emphasizes soil microbial diversity, making it philosophically aligned with fermentation. However, organic does not equal delicious. Organic certification sets production standards, not flavor guarantees. Understanding this distinction matters too. What matters is not reflexively choosing organic as automatically good, but selecting based on your own values. Environmental consideration, taste, price—the ability to judge comprehensively leads to food autonomy.