Is Anyone Watching Over Organics?

by Nichol Nelson, Posted Mar 22nd 2010 @ 3:00PM

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You seek out organics at the grocery store, and often pay for the privilege. But is what you're buying really organic? Official organic standards have been in place in this country since 2002, but according to an investigation by the United States Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General earlier this month, that bag of organic salad mix you tossed into your cart last week might not even meet basic federal standards. The problem? The Feds simply aren't enforcing their own rules.

It's the job of the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) to oversee organic products (ensuring they meet organic standards and carry correct labeling), but the OIG discovered major failings. One of the worst? Organic laws call for periodic residue testing, but no testing program exists. (This boggles the mind, no?)

From the OIG report: "None of the four certifying agents we visited conducted periodic residue testing of the approximately 5,000 certified operations for which they were responsible, and there is no assurance that certifying agents performed regular periodic testing at any of the approximately 28,000 certified organic operations worldwide. Without such testing, the potential exists that an operation's products may contain substances that are prohibited for use in organic products."

Another major problem is the USDA's poor handling of cases of involving companies selling conventional food as organic. The OIG found it took as long as 32 months to resolve complaints like these -- and the companies were allowed to keep selling the mislabeled products in the meantime.

The worst situation is in California. It's the biggest state for organic farming by far -- it boasts more than 2,000 farms with the designation -- but investigators found that local enforcement of organic laws was almost nonexistent. In short, the Golden State is a mess.

As grim as these findings are, most food activists and policy wonks are pleased that the USDA is taking organics seriously. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), author if the 1990 Organic Foods Production Act, seems optimistic about the future. "As important as the Inspector General's recommendations are, to me it is equally important that USDA accepts them and pledges to act on them," Leahy says. "I am pleased that this administration has made strengthening USDA's National Organic Program a top priority."

But until this mess gets cleaned up, you might want to find a CSA or farmer's market you trust. Because right now, Big Brother isn't paying much attention.

Filed Under: Food Politics, News
Tags: organic food standards, organic foods, organic products, organic standards, united states department of agriculture, usda

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-22-2010 @4:50PM Michael Schmitt said... Not sure if your advice of "you might want to find a CSA or farmer's market you trust" is the best advice. Those same farmers may be certified by the same agencies that aren't doing residue testing, and just because the herbicide or pesticide they are using are on the the "approved" organic chemical list doesn't mean the chemical residue levels are at the acceptable levels. No testing means that no one knows what the levels are.

Remember, cyanide is natural and organic and is poisonous to our bodies; just because something is organic doesn't make it good for you...

Organic foods are in a grey area as a category of food. There are no scientific methods to prove or disprove that a food is organic or conventional. The only benefits that one can conclusively say about organic foods is that it makes people feel better about their foods from an emotional standpoint.
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3-22-2010 @6:02PM shabadeux said... I think the operative term in that advice is "you trust." Many of the farmers I purchase from at the farmers market are not certified organic because the certification process is expensive. Instead, I ask them about their practices. Same thing with the CSA I joined. Ask questions. Ask if you can visit the farm. If you want to know how your food was grown, buy your food from someone who will honestly answer your questions.