“Organic” is becoming a scary word!

Those who believe in using organic foods as a part of their sustainability initiatives are concerned by the erosion of the word “organic” as it is being applied to food products.

At the National Organic Standards Board’s meeting last month, Chairman Jeff Moyer noted the growing tension. “As the organic industry matures, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find a balance between the integrity of the word ‘organic’ and the desire for the industry to grow.”

Just what, exactly, does he mean by that incredible statement?

Well, it seems that under the original organics law, 5 percent of a USDA-certified organic product can consist of non-organic substances, provided they are approved by the National Organic Standards Board. In 2002 there were 77 substances on that list. Today there are 245. Companies must appeal to the board every five years to keep a substance on the list, explaining why an organic alternative has not been found. The goal was to shrink the list over time, but so far, only one item has been removed. Also, the original law’s mandate for annual pesticide testing was also never implemented — the agency left that as optional.

So if the meaning of “organic” changes over time how can it be trusted? And how can it be a part of a sustainability program if the meaning is a moving target?

Please read further about this important issue as reported in the Washington Post article.