Organic Food Standard Ruined By Congress pass on...........

[Guest guest]

* 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.