Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

Not to be picky but to make a point - the organic standards don't actually
allow a percentage of residuals or disallow them. Certification simply does
not involve routine testing for banned substances. It's all about the
paperwork, showing you got seeds, materials, etc. from approved sources,
and claiming not to have used non-organic pesticides and fertilizers. They
cannot test your produce for chemical fertilizers. There isn't any such
test. Testing for various pesticides would be outrageously expensive and
unreliable, and it just isn't part of organic certification.

In addition, there are huge loopholes in the existing rules, as you point
out with soy lecithin. All so the multinationals can make off with the
profits from unsuspecting customers. 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 1/29/2008 at 9:08 AM Pumpkin Lady wrote:

>yarrow@sfo.com wrote:
>> AFAIK, certified organically grown food is not allowed to have any 
>> GMOs. I assume GMOs have crept into just about everything else. (
>
>That's true...except they are allowed a percentage of residuals and 
>stuff just like you're allowed to have a percentage of foreign matter in 
>nearly anything. So, yeah, it has less GMO stuff in it...but there 
>really isn't any guarantee there isn't a little residue.  So, chocolate 
>with GMO soy lecithin can be certified organic because the soy lecithin 
>is less than the percentage to exclude it from Organic Certification. 
>Fun eh? :~(
>
>Also, then you have to find a place that HAS something that is certified 
>organic. That may be very easy where you live...or very hard. It's very 
>hit and miss here. I live in GMO central. They don't talk about GMO, but 
>even health food stores have only a small selection. Sometime the local 
>"market place" grocery store has a better selection of Certified organic 
>stuff just because their buyer, who is based elsewhere, decided the 
>chain should carry a particular brand and that brand happens to be 
>organic certified.
>
>Morgan
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