Organic Standards May Slide Even Further

The USDA may relax standards for organic foods, and allow 38 different spices, colorings and other nonorganic ingredients to be included in foods labeled organic, according to the LA Times. Organic food advocates are seeking to stop this action, calling it a blow to the organic movement and claiming that it caters to moneyed food producers who want the benefits of the organic label without any of the work involved.

Food has to be grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides in order to be considered organic, and animals raised without antibiotics and growth hormones. Many non-organic ingredients are already used in organic foods, however. In 2005, a federal judge who disgreed with the USDA's loose interpretation of the Organic Foods Protection Act gave the USDA two years to revise its rules; this new list is part of its response. Sales of organic foods have more than doubled in the past six years, and more big companies are seeing the potentially huge profits to be made in the organic market.

How strict do you think the rules should be for ingredients in foods labeled organic?

And here's a list of the proposed non-organic ingredients.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Beth Green in Food on June 10, 2007 2:22 PM

Comments [rss]

JMH

None of these things seem offensive to me - look at the list. It's not like these "food colorings" are artificial, even. Oh no, blueberry juice! Red cabbage extract! [/sarcasm]

guest

The 38 ingredients are already being used and have been since the NOPs creation in 2002. These 38 ingredients have received more public input than any legislation ever. This is not an assault on Organics, it's a return of the organic rules to the original rules set forth in the NOP. The famous Harvey case attempted to strengthen the rules to purist standards. Please take a look at the list and comment on how many of them you think are dangerous.....celery powder? Are you really afraid of ingesting gelatin?

I agree with the comments about food miles. Local, organic food is the gold standard.

All currently labeled organic food is certified by a third party like QAI....not sure what that comment is about. the USDA doesn't certify anything. Private certifiers ensure our food is organic based on USDA rules and regulations.

guest

our organic standards are continually assaulted by big agribusiness interests. we should just buy locally what is in season and get to know our farmers. what good is it to buy something "organic" that's travelled 2,000 miles from a far off place. that is pollution we can do without. think twice the next time you pick up a fruit from australia or some far off lands at the whole foods.

guest

It's crap. But you know what? The Market has its blowbacks. Pretty soon the USDA Certified Organic label will mean nothing, and consumers who actually care about food purity will just simply look for products with third party certification like QAI.

That said, if you're only buying organic food, I'm sure you're a label reader by nature. It's not that hard to spot something you don't agree with and avoid purchasing it.

Toby von Meistersinger

The rules should be über strict and agribusiness should have no say in it. However, we can just wonder what sort of quid pro quo is going on here between agribusiness and the administration.