'Organic' labels now will come with a guarantee
By Linda Marsa
Los Angeles Times
Shoppers who want to buy organic foods can be bewildered by the labels' often fuzzy claims, and may suspect they're paying a premium for edibles that aren't truly pesticide- or hormone-free. After all, terms such as "organically produced," "pesticide free," "100 percent natural," or even "certified organic" aren't guarantees of purity.
New government-approved labels, which will debut next week, should eliminate some of that guesswork. Under the guidelines, foods must meet U.S. Department of Agriculture criteria to be identified as "organic," and only products that contain 95 percent or more organic food can carry the USDA organic logo.
Previously, private certifying agencies and a patchwork of regulations, which varied by state, determined which products could claim to be organic. Some standards were more lax than others. Consequently, consumers had no assurances what labels meant.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's new labels are designed to help consumers see at a glance the organic content of the foods they buy. • Only products in which 95 percent or more of the ingredients are organic, can bear the USDA organic certification seal. This includes both products made domestically and imported. No genetically modified organisms, chemical pesticides, irradiation or sewage sludge can be used to make products that carry the "organic" label. • 100 percent organic: Exclusively cultivated and processed according to USDA standards. • Organic: At least 95 percent of the ingredients are organic. (For some packaged foods, key ingredients, such as spices or enzymes, aren't available in organic versions.) • Made with organic ingredients: At least 70 percent of the ingredients are organic. In this category, the word "organic" can be printed on the front of the package, but the product can't use the USDA logo. These products can't contain any added sulfites. • Some organic ingredients: Less than 70 percent of the ingredients are organic. On these products, organic ingredients can be listed on the side panel of the package along with other ingredients, but no organic claims can be made on the front of the package. — Los Angeles Times
"Anyone could slap on the word 'organic' and hike up the price," said Barbara Robinson, the USDA official in Washington, D.C., who is overseeing this program. "Now standards are uniform nationwide, and consumers know what they're getting. It helps the organic food industry too, because now they know exactly what to do."
The government's new criteria
After 10 years of intense debate among organic growers and retailers, conventional farmers, consumers, environmentalists and animal-rights activists, the USDA has created four organic categories: 100 percent organic, organic, made with organic ingredients and, for those products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients, a simple listing of the organic items in the ingredient panel.
But the USDA's definition of "organic" goes beyond defining whether or not the food has been sprayed with chemicals. The organic label can't be used on items produced with genetically modified ingredients, synthetic chemical fertilizers or pesticides, or sewage sludge, which is sterilized waste that can contain heavy metals such as lead and mercury. Nor can the label be used on products that have been irradiated, a process in which radiation is used to kill germs.
Consumers still must wrestle with some confusion in the health-food aisle. Terms such as "free-range," "hormone-free" and "natural" may still appear on foods, but those haven't been certified by the government.
For a product to carry the "100 percent organic" label, the grower must prove to an independent certifying agent that the farm has been chemical-free for at least three years.
Chickens, for instance, can't be given growth hormones or antibiotics, and must be fed only organic feed. Every step in the production process, by manufacturers and handlers, must also be certified as organic.
Although the rules take effect a week from Monday, consumers may still find some products with the old labeling system on the shelves. To determine whether the package adheres to the new regulations, look for the USDA logo (which will appear for the "100 percent organic" and "organic" categories) or for the stamp of the inspector who certified the product as organic.
"These regulations level the playing field," says Barbara Haumann of the Organic Trade Association in Greenfield, Mass., which represents organic growers, manufacturers and retailers. Now everyone has to abide by the same rules, she says.
Violators making false claims will be fined $10,000 per offense. The USDA will depend on a network of independent inspectors, state agricultural agents, and self-policing within the organic foods industry to catch offenders. "It's not easy to get an organic designation," says the USDA's Robinson. "Because this is competitive, you're going to call if you think someone else is cheating. The folks who are doing this legitimately are our eyes and ears."
