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The
meaning of 'organic'
March 6, 03
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Just
what does the word “organic”
mean?
On food labels, the term has had varied
meanings. But federal regulators, at the
behest of Congress, last year implemented
standards for the use of the term in an
effort to provide clear guidance to
consumers.
Now a backroom deal in Congress threatens
to muddy the waters again.
The National Organic Standards, 12 years
in the making, had been in effect for
less than six months when a congressman
from Georgia took advantage of
last-minute negotiations over the 2003
federal budget bill to have a short
clause inserted into the 3,000-page
document. Rep. Nathan Deal's provision,
added on behalf of a Georgia poultry
producer, permits meat producers to label
products as organic even if the animals
were fed conventional, nonorganic feed.
The provision kicks in if producers claim
that organic feed costs twice as much as
conventional feed. Organic feed is free
of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and
sewage sludge. Conventional feed can
contain these contaminants.
With the provision in place, there may be
no way for consumers to know whether meat
labeled organic came from animals raised
on organic feed.
President Bush is expected to sign the
budget bill — and the provision
— into law. However, Sen. Patrick
Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. Sam Farr
(D-Calif.) are working to push forward a
bill to repeal the provision.
The controversy underscores the fragility
of the new standards and reflects the
long battle over the terms.
At stake is an $11 billion organic food
industry that has been growing by at
least 20 percent annually for the past
ten years. In comparison, the mainstream
food market has been growing at 2 percent
to 3 percent per year.
Prior to the establishment of national
standards, the organic food industry had
been self-regulated for decades with
varying certification standards. But as
demand for organic foods increased in
recent years, it became apparent uniform
standards were needed to help consumers
know what they were buying.
Congress passed a law that required the
U.S. Department of Agriculture to draft
regulations laying out standards for
organic food producers, handlers, and
certifiers.
The rule-making process was long and
contentious, with mainstream food
producers pushing for standards that fell
far below standards generally accepted by
traditional organic growers. Eventually,
the final rule satisfied longtime organic
food producers and for the first time
created a national definition for the
term “organic.”
The new rule prohibits genetic
engineering and irradiation of foods
labeled organic. Organic food may not be
grown using synthetic pesticides,
herbicides, fumigants, and fertilizers,
nor can sewage sludge be used as
fertilizer.
The standards establish criteria for food
labels as well. Food with only one
ingredient – fruits and vegetables,
for instance – can bear the USDA
Organic seal, which means the food is 100
percent organic.
For foods with more than one ingredient:
• 100% Organic. Means that every
ingredient in the product is 100%
organic. May use the USDA seal.
• Organic. At least 95% of the
product consists of organically produced
ingredients. May use the USDA seal.
• Made with Organic Ingredients. At
least 70% of the product is composed of
organically produced ingredients. Cannot
use the USDA seal.
Products containing less than 70% organic
ingredients can list specific organic
ingredients on the side panel, but they
may not show the term organic on the
front of the package.
Let's hope the threat to the National
Organic Standards is quickly reversed so
that consumers and producers can continue
to rely on their integrity. If you would
like to write your congressman about this
issue or to learn more, visit the Organic
Trade Association's web site at www.ota.com
for information.
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