Sales of “organic’ or “natural” foods are nearly doubling every three years–up to an estimated $4.2 billion this year–neatly matching Baby Boomers’ anxiety level about their own health and mortality. Yet no one has officially defined what “organic” means, even as the term is stretched and overused to the point of meaninglessness.
So Monday”s proposal by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish strict definitions, certifications and labeling requirements for foods claiming to be “organic” is welcome, even if it doesn’t go quite as far as some organic food producers would have liked.
The proposed definitions, which came after seven years of debate, are strict: The only raw foods allowed to carry the organic seal would be those grown without any hormones, pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Growers could not claim the organic label if their soil was treated with any synthetic fertilizers or pesticides during the previous three years, and processed foods would have to contain 95 percent organic ingredients.
Very specific requirements would govern the entire cycle of food production, including meats and poultry, and stiff fines of up to $10,000 would be imposed on producers who make false claims or violate the standards of the USDA’s National Organic Program.
The policing mechanism would be left mostly up to private industry groups. With a modest additional annual budget of $1 million and a staff of 12, the USDA essentially would be certifying the competence and qualifications of private industry inspectors. Foreign food products could be labeled “organic” if producers can prove they comply with USDA regulations.
As sales of natural foods spread, even to pet foods, nearly half the states independently tried to establish some guidelines and definitions. Private industry groups also came up with standards of their own, which complicated things even further.
Some in the organic foods industry already have criticized the USDA proposal for not going far enough by excluding three controversial techniques: irradiation, use of genetically engineered products and hormones, and use of sewage as fertilizer. But even purists agree that the new guidelines are a major breakthrough.
The new labeling system, which could go into effect as early as 1998, will greatly reduce consumer confusion about what foods are really produced without artificial ingredients, even if it doesn’t do much to alleviate Baby Boomers’ real worry–getting old.
