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  • From: Leigh Hauter <lh AT pressroom.com>
  • To: market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: USDA Organic
  • Date: Fri, 4 Oct 2002 09:01:20 -0400


Organic Consumers Association Criticizes New Federal Labeling, Says 'USDA Organic' Is 'Grade B' Organic

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Story Filed: Tuesday, October 01, 2002 10:41 PM EST

LITTLE MARAIS, Minn., Sep 30, 2002 (ASCRIBE NEWS via COMTEX) -- On October 21, many products at local supermarkets and health food stores will bear the new label "USDA Organic." The Organic Consumers Association, representing 400,000 consumers across the US, believes this new federal organic standard and label is an inadequate response to the 30 million American organic consumers and farmers genuinely committed to purchasing and growing organic food. These standards represent the lowest common denominator of what traditionally has been certified as organic, falling short, for example, in certain instances of IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) standards already in place in Europe and other nations. While USDA Organic is certainly safer and better than the chemical-doused, genetically contaminated, or irradiated food typically found on grocery store shelves, it is decidedly "Grade B" organic.

The USDA Organic standards ignore or downplay important issues such as social justice and equity for farm workers; consideration of "food-miles" as an impact on the environment; the importance of local and regional organic production; preservation of biodiversity and diverse crop and animal varieties and breeds; and a consistent and specific delineation of what constitutes humane treatment of farm animals.

The new USDA federal standards also prohibit existing certification agencies such as Oregon Tilth and California Certified Organic Farmers from maintaining higher standards than the lowest common denominator put in place by the "USDA Organic" label, even when farmers are already producing according to higher standards.

Real "Grade A" organic standards should promote principles of environmental stewardship and social responsibility, favoring small family or cooperative farms, local distribution, and Fair Trade to assure living wages and decent work conditions for organic producers.

Today, there are more prisoners than farmers in the US. While the US had six million family farms at the end of the Second World War, these numbers have today dwindled to less than two million, 70 percent of whom, according to the USDA, are too small to be economically viable. Part of the reason for this is that the USDA continues to subsidize conventional farms, especially large farms and ranches, with billions of dollars in subsidies ($28 billion in 2001), while throwing crumbs to organic farmers or conventional farmers who would like to make the transition to organic (less than $10 million for organic research and promotion in 2001).

The new organic standards, if accompanied by substantial subsidies such as those in Europe to help convert family farmers to organic, could help save small farmers by facilitating their entry into the rapidly growing mass market of organic. Instead the new USDA Organic standards do the opposite, favoring large, industrial farms.

Twenty-five percent of all greenhouse gases in the US are a by-product of industrial agriculture, food processing, and long-distance food transportation. If the new organic standards included requirements in packaging reduction, efficient processing, and limitations on food-miles, they would make American agriculture a catalyst for sustainability and help solve other problems simultaneously.

"Products bearing the 'USDA Organic' label are certainly safer and better than conventional food, but socially responsible consumers still need to exercise their judgement and intelligence and give preference to organic foods and products which are produced locally or regionally, equitably, and humanely," according to Ronnie Cummins, National Director of the Organic Consumers Association.

The Organic Consumers Association was formed in 1998 in the wake of the massive consumer backlash against the original proposed USDA Organic standards, which allowed sewage sludge fertilizer, genetic engineering, irradiation, animal cannibalism, and intensive animal confinement.

For more information, see www.organicconsumers.org or call 888-403-1007.

For an op-ed on the new USDA Organic standards "Is USDA Organic 'Grade B' Organic?" see www.organicconsumers.org/organic/gradeB092902.cfm



  • USDA Organic, Leigh Hauter, 10/04/2002

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