Organic Certification: Is it Really Organic?

With the surge of organic certified produce doubling in the past ten years and corporations buying into the organic market, the national standard for naturally grown or organic guidelines has changed significantly. The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 gave way to a national standard for the market. But many opponents of the bill have argued that corporations are taking over the market by outsourcing to other countries and producing a cheap, low-quality product that often doesn't even fit the description of organic.

In the 1940's, a man by the name of James Irving Rodale helped to create a revolution in the world of gardening and farming. He believed that eating food grown without the use of modern day chemicals and antibiotics was the backbone of a healthy lifestyle. He believed that ingesting the many pesticide and herbicide residue as well as ingesting fertilizers that were created through means of man-made chemical processes, could lead to serious health problems in the future. Many farmers began using compost to replace these chemicals, thus the market for organic food was born.

On the other hand, the environmental effects are well observed. We've seen the decline of many species of animals, particularly raptors, directly related to the use of DDT, a chemical pesticide used extensively in the sixties. At the time, little was known about the long term effects of these man made substances.

As well as health of the plant or animal, nutrient density is increased by using organic methods as opposed to chemical means. Studies have shown that a cow fed a diet consisting of organic feed is much healthier and more nutritious than one fed a feed produced with chemicals. Organically grown foods have shown increases in nutrient density in 85% of studies. These studies compare nutrients like vitamin C and protein content to conventionally raised foods and have found that the organic method does produce a more healthful product.

With organic certification, the product must be grown with organic methods. "100% organic" is as close to being truly organic as we're going to get with the National Organic Program, created by the USDA. According to section 205.101 of the NOP, 70% of a product needs to be organic for the product to be labeled as such as long as prohibited substances indicated by the National List are not used in their production. The USDA certification guidelines read as if the organic grower had some kind of choice in what chemicals they can use. Current guidelines state that a cow can be fed non-organic grains and be treated with antibiotics prior to it's conversion into the organic dairy market. If the guidelines show that a cow doesn't have to be organic to be certified as organic, what's to stop the guidelines from going even further?

The USDA has amended what they call the National List many times. This list is a compilation of toxic substances that are allowed in the production of organic foodstuffs. The list contains copper sulfate and chlorine dioxide, to name a few materials "suitable" for organic production. The National List is nothing more than guidelines for getting away with using chemicals on large scale, "organic" factory farms.

The Organic Consumer's Association, a Minnesota based group, has been giving the USDA and large corporations like Wal-Mart a good fight. The OCA and their contributors inform the public on issues that are often overlooked by the mainstream media and act as a goldmine for topics including chemicals still used by organic outfits and genetically engineered crops. Another group involved in the fight for real standards in the organic food market is the Cornucopia Institute, a progressive watch-dog group based in Wisconsin. Their website says they are "dedicated to the fight for economic justice for the family-scale farming community". They began the Organic Integrity Project with the idea that the standards shouldn't be compromised for profit. Their main objective is to protect the growing organic label for the consumer against the weakening national standard for organics.

For the grower, there are alternatives to the USDA organic certification. Certified Naturally Grown is a certifying agent built by farmers who didn't want to pay the outrageous price of USDA certification. There standards currently meet or exceed the standards set out by the USDA for organic products.

In all, there are conscientious growers in the organic market. Many growers still use the sustainable method of making and using compost, which is the backbone of the organic method. There are also many who aren't following these standards. Many large "organic" producers are owned by large corporations. If your favorite brand is also owned by a tobacco company or a pharmaceutical conglomerate, that may be a sign that you aren't getting a truly healthful product. Do your own research on your favorite brands and find out for yourself.