Organic Labeling -- Are We Paying A LOT MORE For A Lot Less?

Consumers are generally willing to spend more money on organic foods these days, simply because they want to ensure the safety and nutritive value of what they eat.  Incessant food recalls are perhaps one of the major factors in the phenomenal growth of the organic food market along with a shaken confidence in our conventional food production system. The link between agricultural pesticides and serious illnesses has fast become as much of a part of our mainstream consciousness as concern over the consequences of genetically modified foods or items that are derived from cloned sources. As a result, half of all adult consumers are now purchasing organic products, which translates into a $23 billion dollar per year market that other sectors just can't touch.

Congress adopted America's organics law back in 2002 due to consumer and farmer demand -- finally, standards for produce, dairy and meat would become more stringent than that of mainstream foods, but more importantly, no matter the type of organic food, all were going to be regulated equally. Foods bearing the USDA organic label are supposed to be free of synthetics, GMOs, and be subject to yearly pesticide testing. Unfortunately, the USDA is now under scrutiny regarding the apparently lax regulation standards of the goods that they slap the organic label on. Processed foods have slipped under the radar and are now known to wear the USDA label even though they are generally produced with additives or chemical agents that have no known natural counterpart or "are not available in large enough quantities for mass production."

According to the Washington Post, "Under the original organics law, 5 percent of a USDA-certified organic product can consist of non-organic substances, provided they are approved by the National Organic Standards Board. That list has grown from 77 to 245 substances since it was created in 2002. Companies must appeal to the board every five years to keep a substance on the list, explaining why an organic alternative has not been found. The goal was to shrink the list over time, but only one item has been removed so far."

The governmental agency acknowledges that the greater desire for organic food has made it far more challenging for them to keep up with enforcement standards. USDA employees have been increasingly lobbyied by food manufacturers such as Dole, Kraft and Dean Foods to make exceptions and in general, the oversight of private organic certifiers is often tough to enforce. The organic standards that they were supposed to uphold have slowly but surely become loose tenants -- even their requirement that food be tested each year for pesticide residues has become optional.

The result is that the green and white seal which purports to certify that the product consumers are paying extra money for is truly organic is actually quite questionable, indeed.  The positive twist to this unfortunate reality is that the Obama administration has recently recruited progressive USDA leaders who are poised to revamp the system. That, coupled with the infusion of twice the financial resources toward our nation's organic program should help to turn things around. As a consumer, what do you think about this latest turn of events?

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Did you know that:

• Kraft Foods owns Boca Foods?
• Kellogg's owns Morningstar Farms?
• Coca-Cola owns 40% of Honest Tea?
• Dean Foods has been given the thumbs up to sell yogurt and milk branded as "Horizon," a natural & budget friendly option to organic products?
• Grated organic cheese contains wood starch to prevent clumping?
• Organic beer can be made from non-organic hops?
• Organic mock duck contains a synthetic ingredient that gives it an authentic, stringy texture?
• 90 percent of organic baby formula contains synthetic additives purported to boost brainpower and vision?