5 Sustainable Farming Terms to Know Before Buying Fresh Fruit

Walking through the grocery store or hunting through food delivery options online can feel a bit like swimming in alphabet soup. There’s so much terminology floating around in ads and messages, especially when it comes to buying things like fresh fruit: green, eco-friendly, sustainable, organic, and regenerative, just to name a few! Here at The FruitGuys, customers often ask us what these words actually mean and how they relate back to their food and the planet. These definitions matter because the more you understand about how your food was grown, the more informed your buying decisions will be. So, I thought I’d give you a little bit of a vocab quiz today.

Here are a few of the biggest buzzwords you might see that relate to food and farming, and what they mean. Try to guess each definition before you read it to test your knowledge.

Certified Organic

If a farm is certified organic, that means it has an organic certification from the United States Department of Agriculture. To earn that certification, farmers have to follow strict rules designed to keep our soil, water, and wildlife healthy. For example, certified organic farmers can’t use genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or most synthetic pesticides. It’s an eco-friendly approach to farming backed up by third-party inspections. The FruitGuys is a certified organic food handler, and we partner with organic farms across the country, like D.E. Boldt and Ferrari Farms, to grow delicious stone fruit for our organic fruit mixes.

Organic Practicing

Farms that are organic practicing aren’t organic certified, but do use eco-friendly organic farming methods. A lot of small farms that we work with fall into this category because they care deeply about stewarding their land, but don’t have the money or time that it takes to earn an organic certification. (One farm we partner with, Cuyama Orchards, told us they pay about $12,500 per year to stay certified. That’s a big investment!) You can learn more about the benefits and challenges of organic certification in this blog post.

Regenerative

Regenerative farming is similar to organic farming, but it’s broader and more holistic. In addition to considering the environment, it also takes into account things like animal welfare and the fair treatment of farmworkers. The word regenerative isn’t federally regulated like the word organic, but in 2025, the California State Board of Food and Agriculture suggested defining it as “an integrated approach to farming and ranching rooted in principles of soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem resiliency” that “enhances the ecosystem while maintaining or improving productivity, economic contributions, and community benefits.” Farms following regenerative practices can apply for a certification through the Regenerative Organic Alliance.

Biodynamic

Biodynamic farming is similar to regenerative farming, but with a more philosophical approach inspired by the scientist and thinker Rudolf Steiner. As the Biodynamic Association puts it, Steiner thought of “the farm as a single, self-sustaining organism that thrives through biodiversity, the integration of crops and livestock, and the creation of a closed-loop system of fertility.” The term isn’t federally regulated, but to earn a certification from the Demeter Association, Inc., farmers have to meet organic certification requirements, then go a step further. For example, they have to set aside at least 10% of the farm as a nature preserve, and make “preparations” with ingredients from the farm to add to their fields and compost.

Sustainable

Sustainable agriculture has a broad definition, but farmers generally use it to describe practices that are better for the planet than conventional options. Think using compost instead of synthetic fertilizer, capturing and reusing rainwater instead of pulling from groundwater for irrigation, or using integrated pest management (IPM) techniques like introducing beneficial bugs to control pests instead of spraying insecticides. Organic, regenerative, and biodynamic farming all fall into the “sustainable” bucket.

It All Goes Back to a Love of the Land

Knowing these buzzwords can come in handy when you shop, but ultimately, the way to learn about the food you’re eating is to talk to the people selling or growing it. I’ve spoken to a lot of The FruitGuys’ farm partners over the years, and I’ve found that no matter what certifications they hold or farming practices they use, they all have a deep respect for the land. They know how important it is to build our soil, conserve our water, and reinvest in the natural resources that help feed us all. We can vote for a healthier planet just by supporting those farmers and buying their fruit.