USDA Waters Down Organic Standards

[1vegan]

Treehugger.com (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/06/organic_standards.php)

Organic food is organically grown, except when it isn't. Confused? So are we. (Man, are we ever.) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) greenlighted a proposal late last Friday allowing 38 new non-organic ingredients in products bearing the "USDA Organic" seal, despite more than 10,000 e-mails and letters from concerned consumers and farmers, according to the Organic Consumer's Association.

The USDA's proposal will mean that Anheuser Bush will be allowed to sell its Organic Wild Hops Beer without using any organic hops at all. USDA Organic-certified sausages, brats, and breakfast links will be allowed contain intestines from factory-farmed animals raised on chemically grown feed, synthetic hormones, slaugterhouse waste, and antibiotics. Fish oil with the USDA seal of approval may also contain toxins such as PCBs and mercury for that extra flavor. Cats and dogs will be forced to live together. (Okay, we made that last one up.)

If, like Howard Beale on Network, you're mad as hell and you're not going to take it anymore, seize advantage of the 60-day public-comment period and send a letter to the USDA now. :: Organic Consumers Associaton

Direct link to the site where you can sent a protest letter:
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=11401

For me, it looks like the USDA is "giving in" for the sake of the big companies who want a piece of the action?

[Fauxmage]

Its been that way all along for "organic" toiletries. Shampoos, soaps, lotions, etc. only need about 10% of the ingredients to be organic, for them to be able to call their entire product organic.

Consumers in the USA have to be a lot more savvy, that's all. We are used to deceptive labelling. Its been status quo for my entire life. :rolleyes:

[1vegan]

I knew that "organic" can stand for just about anything, but I thought certified organic or USDA organic was a good standard :(

[Bowwowmeow]

It still is for fruits and vegetables, other produce like grains, and anything that is a whole food. For manufactured products with mutliple ingredients, it clearly is not. We have to be diligent about manufactured products, and know our ingredients, like the fifteen different names they are legally allowed to call sugar, so that people will be deceived about exactly how much sugar is included in a product.