Organic Food: Outcry Over Rule Changes that Allow More Pesticides, Hormone

[theoceansnerves]

the original article is here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/05/22/MNGMT6QD0H1.DTL&type=printable

but it's posted here with better formatting: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0522-09.htm

basically, the usda decided to weaken standards for food to be considered organic and labeled as such.

...

Pesticides: Now, some pesticides can be used even if they contain unknown inert ingredients if a "reasonable effort" has been made to identify them. Before, the ingredients had to be approved before use.

Livestock feed: Now, organic cattle and poultry sold for their meat can eat non-organic fishmeal, even if it contains a synthetic preservative or toxins. Before, only organic feed was allowed. The fishmeal is allowed in any quantity as a "feed supplement."

Antibiotics in dairy cows: Now, calves and cows can be treated with antibiotics or any other necessary drug, if other means of helping them have failed, but a year must pass before their milk is sold as organic. Before, most dairies interpreted the rule to mean that a cow treated with antibiotics had to be removed from the herd forever (they were sold to conventional dairies), but some certifiers allowed drug use with a 12-month hold on the milk.

Scope of organic standards: Now, any seafood, pet food and body care products can be called organic without meeting any standards other than their own. That's why the USDA hasn't objected to things like "organic" salmon in fish markets. Before, the three groups were included under the organic law although specific standards hadn't been written to cover them; some won organic certification by following the rules for livestock and crops.

[Mrs. Overall]

1. Very Upsetting....

Thank you for posting this article. I am definitely going to keep up with what is going on in the organic industry.
I mistakenly thought it was one area I could trust and not stress about...

[theoceansnerves]

2. well

there are no standards the bush administration won't weaken. what you can do is look for foods certified under the california organic foods act of 1990 (which many still are.) the standards are stricter than the usda's and there aren't any "levels of being organic" as under the usda's guidelines.

[KT2000]

3. This is such BS

when they adopted the new standards 1 1/2 years ago there was a huge fight to keep this very weakening of organic standards from being adopted. They were swamped with people irate about the proposed changes and they capitulated.
Now this! They just interpret the regs to their corporate satisfaction and say that the way to fight this is to change the regs?

Now all organic food products will have to be priced to allow for the constant legal battles to save the industry.