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Tag: Organic - Organic Lifestyle Magazine Tag: Organic - Organic Lifestyle Magazine

Farming with Organic Certification

When organic certification began, each state set its own standards. In time it was decided one uniform code was necessary. The USDA began a nationally recognized certification program in 1990.

Consumers think organic means organic. No pesticides. No herbicides. Nothing unnatural. Simple, right? Unfortunately, no. It’s not that simple. The organic label has quite a bit of wiggle room. It also has its share of controversy.

USDA organic certification requires time and money. Farmers are required to maintain documentation, to pay for inspections, and to pay for labs to test their produce. While it’s still true that food with an organic label is a superior product with more nutrition than its conventional counterpart, some farmers say USDA certification doesn’t guarantee strict adherence to the standards that originally defined organic and the label itself has become misleading.

In an Internet letter to their customers, the Whistling Train Farm, a fully organic farm in Washington State, goes into great detail explaining why they have chosen not to be certified as a USDA organic farm. Among their reasons are a number of practices allowed that they don’t agree with such as: “The use of blood and bone meal from non-organic livestock as fertilizers. We don’t feel safe using these products because of the BSE risk.” and “A long list of allowed substances, including broad-range botanical pesticides.”

As the Coleman Farm explains, “Among other things, certification would require us to keep records of input and output for each crop. We would have to pay for farm inspections and lab tests of our produce. For a farmer growing a thousand acres of broccoli the time required is insignificant. We raise and market nearly two hundred products, many of which yield only a few pounds a year. We think the time and money that certification would require is better spent working our farm and serving our customers.”

Vernon Mullins, the Organic Program Manager for the Georgia Department of Agriculture does not agree with the claim that documentation is a time consuming task. “Certification requires documentation,” he says, “but this can be done in a spiral notebook, on a calendar, or in an Excel spreadsheet.”

The forms available for download do look a bit overwhelming, though it appears a careful and complete set up of documentation would go a long way toward simplifying on-going record keeping. Organic certification is definitely not for scatterbrained types or for procrastinators. Careful due diligence is required.

Mr. Mullins also tells us the U.S. government has subsidized the costs of organic certification through the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program, which was originally available for farmers in 15 states. A second program included in a 2002 farm bill made financial assistance available to every state. Though funds are currently exhausted, a new bill is in appropriations awaiting funding.

Is the certification too expensive? Too time consuming? Is it meaningless because the standards are slipping?

There certainly appears to be contradictory opinions. OLM is going straight to the source. We’re going to ask the farmers. Look for our survey results in upcoming months.




Organic vs. Conventional

Oh Organics, My Organics

“Organics” have arrived. They are more popular than ever, but what exactly is organic food? How does organic farming differ from conventional farming? How does the organic labeling process work? And, what does it all mean to you, the well-intentioned consumer? You might be surprised by some of the answers.

Over the past few decades, organics have moved from the “lunatic fringe” to the red carpet. Literally. This paradigm shift was most evident at the 2004 American Music Awards held in Los Angeles. Each year, celebrities, usually accustomed to receiving gaudy gift bags brimming with fancy fragrances and trendy technology, were instead presented with a more natural offering: “ecogift bags” filled with organic treats like Annie’s Homegrown Organic Macaroni and Cheese, Taylor Maid Farms organic coffee, and organic cotton tote bags from Patagonia.

Organics are not only en vogue among luminaries and de rigueur among foodies, middle America is going organic, too. The 2002 Organic Consumer Trends Report found that thirty-nine percent of the U.S. population uses organic products.

Organic food production is a $16 billion-a-year industry, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA) – and it is rising precipitously. Even though organic still accounts for a mere 3% of overall food sales, it is growing at a sizzling rate of 17-20% per year as compared to a glacial rate of 2-3% for conventional foods.

“Once you have Kraft marketing an organic product, albeit through another brand, you really can’t be more part of the mainstream than that,” said Don Montuori, editor of Packaged Facts, an industry publication.

More people eating healthier food produced in safe and sustainable ways is all good, right? Well, not necessarily.

Double-digit growth can be a double-edged sword. Organic food production is growing so rapidly that it is straining the system. There are not enough organic farms and organically raised animals in the United States to meet demand.

When demand outpaces supply, things can go awry. For example, in 2006, The Cornucopia Institute, an organic watchdog organization, filed a legal complaint before the USDA against Dean Foods, the largest milk bottler in the United States. The complaint alleged that Horizon Organic Milk came from cows reared in factory farms that violated organic standards. Specifically, Horizon’s dairy cows did not have sufficient access to pasture and were kept in inhumane conditions. The case is still pending.

“As organics become more mainstream, the standards are at risk,” says Ronnie Cummins, a national director for the Organic Consumer Organization. “Mass market and organics aren’t always compatible,” he adds.

First, let’s get clear on the differences between organic and conventional farming –how and why the distinction was originally drawn.

In 1990, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Bill included The Organic Foods Production Act, which was created to establish uniform national standards for the production and handling of foods labeled as “organic.” The Act authorized a new USDA National Organic Program to set national standards for the production, handling, and processing of organically grown agricultural products.

The USDA National Organic Program now oversees mandatory certification of organic production. The Act also established the National Organic Standards Board which advises the Secretary of Agriculture in setting the standards upon which the National Organic Program is based. Producers who meet standards set by the National Organic Program may label their products as “USDA Certified Organic.”

Here is the technical definition of “organic food” according to the USDA National Organic Program website: “Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled ‘organic,’ a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.”

Fairly clear cut, right? Unfortunately, things aren’t so clear. The ability to emblazon a food product with the word “organic” is a valuable marketing advantage. And, when a subtle advantage can be leveraged for financial gain, it’s a breeding ground for situational ethics — and compromised standards.

Organic certification is intended to protect consumers from misuse of the term, and to make buying organics more straightforward. However, as the demand for organics rise, some large food manufacturers are attempting to weaken organic standards. Even the slightest downgrade in those standards can represent a financial windfall to large food companies.

Some believe that the U.S. government is also seeking to undercut organic standards. For example, Congress passed a $397 billion spending bill that contained a buried provision which could jeopardize U.S. organic standards. The provision, which was slipped into the bill at the last minute without debate, would “permit livestock producers to certify meat and dairy products as organic even if the animals had been fed non-organic or genetically engineered grain.” The provision would override the NOP’s requirement that 100% organic feed be used to produce organic meat products.
While many forces seek to soften organic standards, others go above and beyond to safeguard and uphold them.

“We’re talking about people’s health here,” says Dr. Jack J. Singh, founder of Organic Food Bar, Inc. Health is our most precious asset. Food companies should protect that at all costs! When you run a food company, you are feeding families with children. It is incumbent on everyone in this business to do everything they can to protect people’s health, particularly now as we face a health care crisis in this country.”

What the big companies don’t quite grasp is that unflinching integrity is good for customers – and good for business, too.

  • If you want to eat purely organic food, the label should read: “100% organic” and nothing less. Only products made entirely with certified organic ingredients and methods can be labeled “100% organic.”
  • Products with at least 95% organic ingredients can use the word “organic” and can also include the USDA organic seal. The other 5% can be conventionally-grown ingredients.
  • A third category, containing a minimum of 70% organic ingredients, can be labeled “made with organic ingredients.”
  • In most cases, the word “natural” on a product label means very little because, unlike the designation “organic,” the word “natural” has no legal definition.
  • Whenever possible, buy food produced closer to home. That way, you know your food is fresher — and you know where it comes from! The recent food scare with China, while unsettling, has compelled many Americans to examine the origins of their food. This is good. The fact is that locally-produced food is better for you, it’s better for your community — and, it’s better for the planet.

To learn more about organics, visit The Organic Trade Association at: http://www.ota.com

For more healthy living tips, visit: http://www.organicfoodbar.com




Letter From The Editor

Welcome. Organic Lifestyle Magazine is not just about food; it encompasses the choices we make each day. In these pages, we explore alternative healthcare; fitness; environmental issues; farming practices (including fair treatment of animals and farmworkers); politics as they relate to organics, alternative medicine, and supplements; and how these issues affect us.

Organic is going mainstream. It’s popular—downright trendy. Even big companies appear to be jumping on the bandwagon. But which ones have our best interests at heart? Which ones are lobbying to change the stringent requirements of the organic label? Which ones have been cited for violations?

Now that you can buy organic chocolate and organic wine, are you wondering why your grocery bill has increased while your health, or lack of health, has stayed the same?

With so many choices from acupuncture to reiki, from glucosamine to probiotics, from grandma’s home remedies to new age wisdom, it’s hard to know what’s best. We’re here to help you make informed choices for yourself, your family, our world, and your lifestyle.

Welcome to OLM!

 

Michael Edwards

Signature

Editor in Chief




What Does Organic Really Mean?

Most of our readers have a pretty good idea what they’re looking for when they go into their grocery store to buy organic foods. But what does organic really mean?

Webster defines organic (in reference to organic food) as follows:
“Of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides.”

Organic is better for the environment and better for us. When we purchase organic foods, we are buying foods that have not been genetically modified or poisoned with manmade chemicals. The organic label stands for a commitment to agriculture that achieves balance with our ecosystem. The soil is healthy. It retains a higher concentration of minerals. Animals are treated humanely (at least in comparison to non-organic methods). The groundwater runoff doesn’t poison our streams. The plants are able to naturally reproduce.

If you’ve never noticed the difference between organic and conventional foods, buy two organic apples and two conventional apples.

On day one, do a taste test. Which apple tastes better? Does one taste more alive? More full of energy?

On day two, eat an organic apple for breakfast (and nothing else) and notice how you feel. How long does it take for you to feel hungry again? What do you crave for lunch? How is your energy level?

On day three, repeat this process with the conventional apple and ask yourself the same questions.

Now the bad news. Organic standards as defined by the USDA are under attack and have been since their inception. Large companies and big agriculture want to make organic foods less expensive to produce, because they know the organic market is growing. They don’t care if the label is meaningless.

The phrase “all natural” now means little to health-minded, educated consumers. If big business has their way, you can expect the same erosion of the organic label.

Various organizations like the OCA wish to protect standards and keep the word organic synonymous with health and environmentally sound practices. Please visit their website to learn more about this issue and to help protect organic standards.