organic article

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The New Standards

What Does 'Organic' Really Mean? On Oct. 21, Food

Shoppers Will Find Out.

By Candy Sagon

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, October 9, 2002; Page F01

If a shopper buys organic lettuce from

California and organic tomatoes from

Virginia, are they both equally organic? Is the

fresh-squeezed organic orange juice bought at

a farmers' market in Pennsylvania as pure as

the carton of organic orange juice bought in a

supermarket in land? Just what exactly

does " organic " mean, anyway?

Until now, the shopper had no way of

knowing. There were no government

standards for the use of the word " organic. "

The definition could change from state to

state. Or, it could just be hype. If a company

-- or farmer -- wanted to call a product

organic, there was no one to check to make

sure it really was.

All that will change on Oct. 21, when any

food marked " organic " will have to meet

national standards set by the federal

government.

Under new rules from the U.S. Department of

Agriculture, consumers choosing organic

products will know that the food has been

produced without pesticides, hormones,

antibiotics, irradiation or bio-engineering.

Further, organic farmers will be required to

conserve soil and water to enhance

environmental quality and treat animals

humanely. These standards will apply to both

U.S.-grown food, as well as imported food.

The USDA will use accredited private companies and

state agencies to inspect and certify

companies as organic. In the Washington area, for

example, the Virginia Department of Agriculture

is a USDA-accredited certifying agent.

Foods that meet the standards can be labeled in one

of four categories: " 100 percent organic, "

" organic " (at least 95 percent), " made with organic

ingredients " (at least 70 percent) or

" contains organic ingredients. " Foods that are 100

or 95 percent organic have the option of

displaying the new green USDA Organic seal (see box

on Page F2).

Small farmers (those with less than $5,000 in

organic sales) will be exempt from the certification

process. However, if they call their product

organic -- at farmers' markets, for example -- they will

be required to comply with the new government

standards, meaning no pesticides, antibiotics or

other prohibited substances or practices.

Those who fail to meet the regulations but still

label their food as organic can face penalties of up to

$10,000 per violation.

Organic producers such as Cole, chairman of

Green Circle Organics, which raises certified

organic beef in Washington, Va., calls the new

standards " a great leap forward for the consumer "

and a huge boost for the organic industry. His

company introduced seasoned organic hamburgers

this summer. Like many others, he plans to

introduce new certified-organic products this month,

(heat-and-serve meals aimed at busy parents),

partly to take advantage of the publicity surrounding

the new rules.

Retailers, like the Whole Food supermarket chain,

are pleased with the standards as well. Margaret

Wittenberg, vice president for government affairs

for the chain, says the regulations have finally

created a level playing field. " They've gotten the

spirit and essence of what the organic industry has

been trying to do all along. "

Consumers won't see an immediate change on

supermarket shelves on Oct. 21. Manufacturers have

a grace period to sell existing products before the

new labels appear, explained a spokesman for

Giant supermarkets. At Whole Foods stores,

consumers will see signs with the USDA seal in the

produce section and brochures explaining the new

regulations. Some dairy products may also have

the new seals by that date, says a Whole Foods

spokesman.

While organic food represents a small sliver of

overall U.S. grocery sales, that sliver has been

growing at a healthy 20 percent per year in the

past decade. Sales of organic food and beverages

topped $9 billion last year (about 1 to 2 percent

of the country's $500 billion food industry), and

industry analysts expect that to grow to $20

billion by 2005. " There is tremendous opportunity

among American consumers who are concerned about

their longevity and health, " says Mark

, president of organic food company Walnut

Acres, who plans to have the new USDA

seal " on 100 percent of our products. "

The organic food business took root with

environmentalists in the '70s and gained visibility in the

'80s, thanks to food scares over cancer-causing

pesticides on apples and salmonella in eggs. By

1990, it had reached $1 billion in sales, and

Congress called for a national standard for organic

foods.

It took more than a decade for the new standard to

be hammered out. Just about every group

involved with food -- from farmers and

manufacturers to consumers, retailers and scientists --

wanted its say. The debate seesawed during those

years between the stricter standards favored by

the organic industry and consumers, and the looser

definitions supported by conventional farmers

and processors.

When proposed standards were issued by the USDA in

1997, more than 275,000 organic

producers and consumers wrote to criticize the

preliminary rules for allowing too many

conventional farming practices, including using

sewer sludge as fertilizer and pesticides to control

weeds and pests. Such practices were eventually

eliminated from the rules, but last-minute

maneuvering continues.

Earlier this year, the USDA considered a request by

a Georgia poultry company to allow chicken

and other livestock to be labeled organic, even if

the feed was not 100 percent organic. When the

USDA asked for public feedback on the issue, it

received 50,000 comments, most arguing for 100

percent organic feed, which is now required.

" There's still a lot of discussion -- about whether

chickens should be outdoors [to be certified as

organic], about 100 percent organic feed, " admits

Barbara , a USDA official overseeing

the program. " Probably half the people think [the

standards] are too strict, half think they're not

strict enough, so we must be doing something

right. "

Some groups aren't so sure. The Organic Consumers

Association, a 400,000-member nonprofit

group formed during the 1997 rules controversy,

calls the current standards " Grade B organic. "

" They basically meet the minimum aspirations of the

organic community, " says national director

Ronnie Cummins. He wishes products could advertise

" that they meet higher standards than the

USDA, " but he's satisfied that at least the new

rules " closed some of the loopholes. "

Organic businesses are more enthusiastic. " The seal

will be a boon to the industry. Consumers will

have more confidence in products with clear,

consistent labeling, " says DiMatteo with the

Organic Trade Association. Her group, representing

organic businesses in the United States,

Canada and Mexico, pushed for even stricter

labeling, including making the USDA seal mandatory

instead of voluntary.

A spokesman for Horizon Organic in Boulder, Colo.,

which produces organic milk and dairy

products, is even more adamant about the new

standards: " They will move organics to the next level.

It means the mainstreaming of organics, " says

director of marketing Laurie Coblentz.

That much is obvious by the number of large

corporations -- General Mills, Coca-Cola and Heinz,

among them -- who have been snapping up small

organic companies and selling their products in

mainstream supermarkets. General Mills recently

acquired Small Planet foods (which, in turn,

owned organic food companies Cascadian Farm and

Muir Glen) and has launched an organic

cereal line. Heinz has introduced organic ketchup

and canned spaghetti, while Coca-Cola bought

organic juice companies Odwalla and Fresh .

The word " organic " on a package, however, doesn't

necessarily mean it's healthier. New York

dietitian Mindy Hermann says reading labels is

still just as important. " You can't put your nutrition

knowledge on hold and just look for the word

'organic.' They can make organic doughnuts and

organic chips that are just as high in fat and

calories as the conventional kind. "

There is organic junk food, agrees Cummins with the

Organic Consumers Association, but he

argues that organic food, in general, is healthier

than conventional food.

" The public aren't idiots. That's why two-thirds of

people say they're buying organic -- because it

doesn't have the pesticides and growth hormones.

It's safer and healthier. "

© 2002 The Washington Post

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