Wal-Mart Accused of Organic Fraud

The Cornucopia Institute, a farming advocacy group is accusing Wal-mart of selling foods labeled as organic which do not meet organic standards. The group has visited a variety of wal-mart stores in 5 different states and found over a dozen violations among organic labeling. According to Cornucopia, they found similar misleading instances back in September and warned Wal-mart at the time. The problems were still apparent at the most recent check of organic products. In November a complaint was filed with the USDA United States Department of Agriculture since wal-mart did not respond or make any changes. One of the most common violations was labeling "Natural" foods as "Organic".

The USDA gives expensive penalties for organizations who miss-label organic foods, a standard that should remain high so consumers know what they are paying for. The fine is as much as $10,000 per violation. The USDA is reviewing the claims against wal-mart and will make any major decisions as a result of their findings. Whether or not foods are truly organic can be confusing but when a large chain store such as Wal-mart leaps jumps on the bandwagon they should be prepared to face scrutiny and make sure what they are selling meets the highest standards and products need to be correctly labeled.

Wal-Mart sells a variety of potentially organic products from milk to meats, peanut butter to fruits and vegetables. They recently even began selling organic cotton baby clothing. Their pricing generally is less than popular stores such as Whole Foods and Vitamin Cottage. When wal-mart announced their intentions about including organics some farmers worried about what it would mean for the entire industry.

So what exactly is organic and what standards do foods need to meet to be given this popular labeling? Organic food has to meet high standards and is regulated by the USDA. Produce and other crops must be grown and harvested without the use of harmful fertilizers, pesticides and if they are processed it must be without ionized radiation or preserving food additives. Meat must come from animals raised without antibiotics or hormone injections which often stimulate growth. Organic food does not contain any genetically or man made ingredients.

It used to be that organic food had to be purchased directly from the grower, and then you knew the source and quality. You could get an idea by visiting the farm, talking to farmers, seeing how they care for their crops and animals. Some were certified to grow organics while others were not. Now organics must be approved by the USDA strict guidelines before farmers can sell them as advertised organics.

More and more people prefer the benefits of organic foods which mean the demand for supply has gone up significantly. No longer do you have to go to local farmers (though if it's possible this can be the best way to purchase food) popular grocery store chains have added an organic line for many of the products they sell. This is when the label of "certified organic" is important so consumers know what they are getting.