Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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ORGANIC ... OR NOT
These foods are not always what consumers think they are. Some are not 
chemical or pesticide free. Health benefits are questionable. Only certain 
thing? They cost more.
Jan 03, 2010 00:21 EST
http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/247004

Heather Fenimore is convinced organic food is the best choice for her family.

Fenimore, a Manheim Township social-services worker, first dabbled in 
organics more than 20 years ago, as a college student.

Motherhood intensified her desire to protect the environment and her new 
family's health. Organic produce, milk and eggs became staples on her 
shopping list.

So Fenimore was appalled when she saw the list of chemicals, pesticides and 
other synthetic materials — the very substances she's trying to avoid — that 
are completely legal in organic-food production.

"As informed as I thought I was, I was shocked by the clearly toxic chemicals 
in so-called 'organic' food," Fenimore said.

"I can't pronounce them."

Most organic consumers expect what they buy to be healthful, safe, and free 
of pesticides and chemicals, according to numerous studies by consumer 
groups, academics and marketing firms. Many assume organic food is grown by 
small farmers — ideally, even locally — using environmentally friendly 
methods and humanely treated animals.

Nearly three-quarters of Americans say they buy at least some organic 
products, often motivated by a desire to stay healthy, feed their families 
better food or prevent serious illness, such as cancer, according to the 
Organic Trade Association.

That concern for health has fueled an industry that's booming despite the 
recession. U.S. organic food sales have increased 500 percent since 1998 and 
now approach $23 billion annually, association reports show.

"I think there's an expectation [consumers are] getting something better," 
said Ned MacArthur, president of Avondale-based Natural Dairy Products Corp., 
which bottles Natural By Nature organic milk.

Such expectations come at a premium: Organic milk, for example, can cost more 
than twice as much as its conventional equivalent.

But sometimes consumers' perceptions of organic food don't jibe with reality.

"[Consumers] think 'organic' means not using any pesticides or chemicals," 
said Kerry H. Richards, director of Penn State University's Pest Management 
Information Center.

"Indeed, that's not really the truth."

In fact, current national standards allow dozens of pesticides, chemicals and 
other synthetic materials in organic food production.

And to safeguard against the possibility of prohibited substances ending up 
in organic food, the U.S. Department of Agriculture assigns only 16 staffers 
to its National Organic Program, which operates on a budget of $3.87 million 
— roughly equivalent to annual spending of the Fulton Theatre.

To help enforce national regulations and uncover violations, the organic 
program depends on a network of certifiers, whose inspectors are paid by 
farmers and typically visit organic operations once a year, on a prearranged 
basis.

Legally, only foods grown, raised, processed and handled according to federal 
standards may carry the USDA organic seal and be called "organic."

Some groups — among them, the Organic Consumers Association and National 
Organic Coalition — say the organic program's lack of funding and staff has 
led to a failure to properly enforce standards, eroding the USDA seal's 
integrity, as well as the public trust.

Some organic consumers, like Fenimore, say they'd rather buy directly from 
local farmers than rely on government to police the industry.

"When there's a personal relationship, there's an element of trust," she 
said. "Anytime there's a government ... approach to something as personal as 
food, that concerns me."

Even if aggressive oversight and enforcement did exist, the USDA offers no 
guarantee that organic food is superior, safer or more nutritious.

By the government's own definition, "organic" is simply a promotional term.

"Organic used to be more of a philosophy," said Brian Snyder, executive 
director of the Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture Association. "Now it's 
very much a marketing tool."

Critics like the Cornucopia Institute, an organic watchdog group, accuse 
large corporations of using the word "organic" to sell products that are not 
true to the original organic philosophy of promoting health, environmental 
stewardship and small, local farmers.

Meanwhile, chemicals with unwieldy names — and purposes most consumers could 
only guess — aid the production of something that once seemed unfathomable: 
organic junk food.

"The biggest problem right now is the disconnect in what was the original 
vision when the organic movement started, and what it has morphed into now 
that we have an organic 'industry,' " said Mark A. Kastel, co-founder of the 
Cornucopia Institute.

"The sad part is ... if the USDA was doing its job, we could buy any organic 
product and feel good about it."

The reality of organics

• 'Organic' does not mean free of chemicals or synthetic ingredients.
A recent national survey by the Organic Trade Association and Kiwi magazine 
found that most parents buy organic food to avoid processing, artificial 
ingredients, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics.

In fact, foods stamped with the USDA seal may contain up to 5 percent 
ingredients that are not organic.

Generally, all natural methods and substances are allowed in organic 
production. Synthetic methods and substances are not.

But the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances is essentially a 
16-page roster of exemptions, including food additives, processing aids, 
cleaners, animal medications and pest controls.

In 2002, when national organic regulations first took effect, there were 77 
exemptions. Since then, the list has ballooned to 245.

Some advocacy groups, including Consumers Union and the Organic Consumers 
Association, blame pressure from major corporations for the growing number of 
exemptions and what they see as a weakening of organic standards.

Seven of the top 10 North American food processors have acquired organic food 
companies, said Phil Howard, a Michigan State University assistant professor 
who studies the industry.

General Mills, for example, owns organic brands Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen. 
Kellogg owns Bear Naked, Kashi and Morningstar Farms.

"We know [big companies] are lobbying for changes in organic standards," 
Columbia organics consumer Jodi Swartz-Rankin said. "It would be naive of us 
to think they aren't."

The current list of exemptions includes copper sulfate and tetracycline. 
Copper sulfate is an algaecide toxic to fish and potentially dangerous if it 
enters public water systems, according to its Material Safety Data Sheet. 
Tetracycline, used to control fire blight on fruit trees, is toxic to the 
human liver and reproductive organs, its data sheet says.

Since these synthetic materials, including pest controls such as boric acid 
and cleaners such as bleach, are not ingredients, they do not appear on food 
labels.

Organic producers must petition the National Organic Standards Board to add a 
substance to the list.

The material must be unavailable in organic form, or not in quantities large 
enough for production. The limited supply of organic hops, for example, means 
conventional hops are allowed in the manufacture of organic beer.

Before voting on a material, the standards board evaluates any potential 
risks to people, animals or the environment. Some materials are approved but 
restricted in use, like phosphoric acid, allowed only to clean surfaces or 
equipment.

Fenimore said she thinks many organic consumers have no idea the national 
list exists.

"Shame on us, the consumer, for tolerating these kinds of practices." she 
said. "Holy cow, [the list] is a million pages long."

While the national list's length might alarm some consumers, current and 
former board members said some synthetics are necessary to produce organic 
food.

Conventional medications relieve pain and suffering in organic animals. 
Disinfectants promote sanitary food production.

Mark Bradley, director of the organic program's accreditation and 
international activities division, said materials that make the list are 
carefully reviewed and largely benign.

"They are generally such substances as leavening agents, baking soda or 
processing aids for which there are no organic agricultural substitutes," he 
said via e-mail.

Nancy Ostiguy, a Penn State University associate professor of entomology and 
former standards board member, said consumers' increasing interest in organic 
processed foods, such as potato chips and cookies, presents an interesting 
Catch-22. Chemicals may be required to prepare those foods for consumption, 
she says.

"There are things that are on the [national] list that you sort of shudder 
at," said Ostiguy, who has a doctorate in environmental toxicology. "It's 
mostly with processing that some of the items look a little scary."

• 'Organic' doesn't mean pesticide-free.
Many organic consumers believe their food is grown without pesticides, or 
materials that kill insects or weeds.

But certain pesticides, often called "botanical" or "natural," actually are 
allowed on organic farms.

"The majority of [organic] lettuce mix you buy in the store has been sprayed 
at least once, if not twice," Lititz farmer Andrew Buckwalter said. "They're 
just using certified organic pesticides."

Pesticides approved for use on organic farms contain chemicals found in 
nature, while conventional pesticides are manufactured from synthetically 
derived chemicals, Penn State's Richards said.

The current list of pest, weed and disease controls approved for use on 
organic farms runs more than eight pages. Permitted controls range from 
garlic and soap to copper and sulfur.

Dave Ryan, a spokesman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said 
most pesticides approved for organic use are pest-specific and have low 
toxicity.

"Very few pose any concern about chronic or long-term effects," he said in an 
e-mail.

But Richards, the Penn State expert, said natural pesticides are not 
necessarily safer for people, animals or the environment. Neem oil, extracted 
from the evergreen's fruits and seeds, kills beneficial bees. PyGanic, a 
commercial brand of pyrethrum — a botanical extract from chrysanthemum-like 
flowers — is toxic to fish.

Irresponsible handling of any pesticide can cause problems, Richards said.

"Does [organic] mean it's better or worse?" she said. "It all boils down to 
how you use it."

Some organic farmers apply pesticides only as a last resort. Buckwalter, who 
uses organic techniques but isn't certified organic, applied an 
organic-approved spray for the first time earlier this year, when his 
blighted tomato crop left him little choice.

Natural pesticides are a better choice than conventional, Buckwalter said, 
but not entirely harmless.

"Those [organic] chemicals, if not used properly, can do just as much damage 
as conventional," he said. "Farmers and consumers must know what is truly 
being applied to their foods. In fact, they should demand it."

• 'Organic' doesn't mean small.
Organic-milk consumers might picture contented cows munching grass under the 
watchful gaze of a small family farmer.

But that feel-good image isn't always reality.

Organic law does not dictate farm size. In fact, herds numbering in the 
thousands produce milk for top organic suppliers.

Some operations exploit loopholes in current national standards, which 
address animals' access to pasture — a central tenet to the original organic 
philosophy — only vaguely, said Kastel, director of Cornucopia's Organic 
Integrity Project.

Some of the country's top organic milk suppliers, whose products are sold in 
local grocery and discount stores, confine cows to large barns or pens, 
offering only rare opportunities to graze, and then on substandard pasture, 
he said.

Grazing is part of cows' natural behavior and a good form of exercise, said 
Dr. Hubert Karreman, a Gap-based bovine veterinarian who serves on the 
National Organic Standards Board. Studies also show that it boosts 
cancer-fighting conjugated linoleic acids in the resulting milk.

And, Karreman said, consumers simply like to see cows out in the pasture.

The Cornucopia Institute and other critics say it's impossible for a herd of 
thousands to graze adequately. Natural Dairy Products's MacArthur, whose 
company collects milk from 11 small Lancaster County Amish farms, said large 
dairies — and the lower prices their products command — put family farmers at 
a huge disadvantage.

Organic dairy is about more than just avoiding hormones and antibiotics, 
MacArthur said. True organic products come from small family farmers who 
allow their cows to eat as much grass as possible, he said.

"[Large dairies] don't abide by the rules," he said. "They have no commitment 
to organic. It's entirely about money. ... It's insane that they can be 
certified organic."

But Karreman said small farmers alone can't meet the rising demand for 
organic milk. There's no reason large farms can't be considered organic, he 
said, as long as they follow the rules.

"What's the problem?" he said. "What's [farm size] got to do with feeding 
people?"

• 'Natural' doesn't mean organic.
"Natural" is the leading label claim, appearing on nearly 1 in 4 new food and 
drink products, according to Mintel, a global market researcher.

But unlike "organic," "natural" has no seal, regulation or certification — or 
even a concrete definition.

"[Natural] doesn't mean anything," Cornucopia's Kastel said. "You just have 
to believe whatever the marketer says. ... Nobody is looking over their 
shoulders."

And a recent study by the Shelton Group, a public-relations and advertising 
firm focused on sustainable living, shows that consumers don't understand the 
difference.

In the survey, 56 percent of people chose natural as the "best" term on a 
product label. Only 26 percent — less than half as many — picked organic.

More respondents chose natural, not organic, as the government-regulated 
term. They also apparently thought organic was just a fancy word for 
"expensive."

Julie Elrod, a Lancaster city certified health counselor, said even 
well-informed consumers can get confused.

"We're constantly bombarded with decisions, and it's hard to make the right 
one," she said. "There are so many sides to the story, and everybody wants 
you on their side."

Retailers, Kastel said, aren't rushing to clarify any sources of confusion. 
And untrained employees might not distinguish between natural and organic.

Adding to consumer confusion, some companies are introducing natural product 
lines, often billed as lower-priced alternatives to organics.

Dean Foods' formerly organic-only Horizon brand, for example, now offers its 
first natural product, a yogurt aimed at toddlers. Horizon dropped "organic" 
from its name but kept elements of its distinctive red packaging.

In some grocery stores, products matching both descriptions intermingle in 
sections marked "natural and organic."

Robyn Talley, a Lititz consumer, said it's easy to see why many people fall 
victim to marketing practices that might be intentionally murky.

"Just because it's 'natural' doesn't mean it's good for you," she said. 
"Arsenic is natural, too. You don't want to be pumping that into your body."