Aug 14 2008
How Organic is “Organic”?
If you thought you could avoid the ills of food industrialization by eating only certified organic food, think again. A new report by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week revealed that some products labeled “organic” may not meet organic criteria. The USDA’s National Organic Program announced on August 5th that 15 of the 30 Accredited Certifying Agencies with whom they contract failed USDA organic audits. If the certifiers do not meet the standards within one year, they will lose their accreditation. Among the agencies in question is the French company Ecocert, which certified as organic Chinese-imported ginger containing more of the pesticide Aldicarb than is legal in even conventionally-produced ginger. Because China doesn’t permit foreigners to inspect its farms, certifying Chinese produce requires working with Chinese sub-contractors. Part of the problem is that Congress has not appropriated enough funding for enforcement of organic standards for foreign imports, or even in-person inspections of domestic farms. Hence the USDA relies on the certifying agencies, half of whom are now in question.
GUEST: Ronnie Cummins, National Director of the Organic Consumers Association.
For more information, visit www.organicconsumers.org.
One Response to “How Organic is “Organic”?”
Organic foods sold in the United States must meet the standards of the U.S. organic regulatory system, a system initiated by the organic businesses and the public. You may not remember what it was like before federal organic regulations were in place, but if you do, you’ll realize that product labels–and the standards organic farmers and processors follow–are much more reliable now.
Part of the good news about having federal requirements for organic farming and food products is that the organic regulations have built-in features for continuous improvement. For example, farmers must maintain or improve the soil condition—no other regulated system of farming includes such requirements.
This system is working—problems are uncovered and corrected. The certifiers verify that farmers and processors are following the regulations, and the USDA verifies that the certifiers are doing their jobs properly. As a result of these processes, the USDA released reports on certifiers up for renewal as certifiers allowed to verify products for sale in the U.S. Everyone can read what they found. (See: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5071121&acct=AQSS) This level of transparency and accountability is not common in our food system today.
As a result, people can choose organic products with confidence, knowing that products face traceability from the farm to the consumer, and that there is a process in place for verifying that they are truly produced using organic practices.
—Organic Trade Association