Organic Food Standard Ruined By Congress

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Sat, 29 Oct 2005 14:30:20 -0000

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Misty L. Trepke

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Organic Food Standard Ruined By Congress

Congress Rams Through OTA Sneak Attack

On Organic Standards Despite

Massive Consumer Opposition

From Organic Consumers Association

10-29-5

 

Changes Were Sought by Large-Scale Food Processors to Cut Costs of

Meeting Current Law. Congress voted yesterday to weaken the nation's

organic food standards in response to pressure from large-scale food

manufacturers.

 

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) and food processors have been

pressing Congress to change the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA)

to allow for the use of numerous synthetic substances in products

labeled " organic " and to weaken organic dairy standards.

 

A recent court decision ruled that the OFPA does not allow synthetic

(non-natural) ingredients to be used in foods labeled " organic " and

that the act must ensure a strong standard under which dairy cows are

converted to organic milk production. After rejecting efforts by

members of the public interest and environmental community to reach

an agreement on these issues, major food processors in the organic

food industry, including Smucker's, Dean Foods, and Kraft, pushed

Congress to " quietly " change the law to allow the use of such

synthetic ingredients and potentially weaken the organic dairy

standards.

 

" Congress voted last night to weaken the national organic standards

that consumers count on to preserve the integrity of the organic

label, " said Ronnie Cummins, National Director of the Organic

Consumers Association. " The process was profoundly undemocratic and

the end result is a serious setback for the multi billion dollar

alternative food and farming system that the organic community has so

painstakingly built up over the past 35 years. The rider will take

away the traditional role of the organic community and the National

Organic Standards Board in monitoring and controlling organic

standards. Industry's stealth attack has unnecessarily damaged the

standards that helped organic foods become the fastest growing sector

in the food industry. "

 

As passed, the amendment sponsored by the Organic Trade Association

allows:

 

Numerous synthetic food additives and processing aids, including over

500 food contact substances, to be used in organic foods without

public review. · Young dairy cows to continue to be treated with

antibiotics and fed genetically engineered feed prior to being

converted to organic production. Loopholes under which non-organic

ingredients could be substituted for organic ingredients without any

notification of the public based on " emergency decrees. " The

amendment was vigorously opposed by consumer, retail and growers

groups, as well as public health and environmental groups, including

National Cooperative Grocers Association, National Organic Coalition

and Rural Advancement Foundation International - USA, Beyond

Pesticides, National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, Organic

Consumers Association, and Consumers Union. Consumers sent more than

300,000 letters to Congress imploring members to stand up against

industry's efforts to weaken the organic standards.

 

In October 2002, just days after the rules governing organic under

NOP were implemented, Maine blueberry farmer Arthur Harvey filed suit

against USDA claiming that the USDA regulations governing foods

labeled " organic " contravened several principles of the OFPA. Having

initially lost on all counts, Harvey prevailed in January 2005 when

the Court of Appeals ruled in his favor on the three counts finding:

 

1. Synthetic substances are not permitted in processing of items

labeled as " organic, " and only allowed in the " made with organic "

labeling category.

2. Provisions allowing up to 20-percent non-organic feed in the first

nine months of a dairy herd's one-year conversion to organic

production are not permitted.

3. All exemptions for the use of non-organic products " not

commercially available in organic form " must be reviewed by National

Organic Standards Board, and certifiers must review the operator's

attempt to source organic.