Are there flaws in the legitimacy of labeling a food as "organic?"?

Question

'm not completely sure what the current specifications are for something grown to qualify as organic, at one point in time, it is my understanding that one of the requirements were that the land couldn't be treated with pesticides/chemicals for the last 5 years.

Now, I'm not sure if chemicals and pesticides have the half-life of say, plutonium, but is something labeled "organic" really devoid of various chemicals and toxins?

Also, how can we be sure that acid rain doesn't fall on organic farms?

Or that the honeybees and other pollinating insects specifically don't fly from a non-organic plant to an organic one?

Are the requirements too weak? Too strong? Impossible or economically improbably improve upon?

Answer 1

The term has been used and abused by so many people and now large corporations that it has become practically useless. The only way that you can be completely sure that the product is organic is to grow it yourself. Or buy it locally from a farmer that you can trust. If you buy from farmer's markets you can soon discover the growers that you can trust. Buy directly from small local growers where you can drive to their farms and observe their methods of growing. You will find good organic growers that do not even label their produce as organic because of all of the mostly useless regulations and paper work required.

Answer 2

Why is this program necessary? Why can't farmers growing without chemicals just call themselves "Organic" like they have for decades?

Congress declared that after October 21, 2002, any farmer selling over $5,000 worth of produce may NOT refer to their produce or growing methods as "Organic" unless they have been certified by a USDA accredited certification agency. Failure to comply with this order is punishable with fines up to $10,000 per violation per day. [NOP Final Rule: 205.100]

While the newly created certification process is affordable and pleasing to the huge organic agribusiness farms - especially those that specialize in growing only a few varieties of vegetable, its implementation has been counter-productive for the thousands of small, diversified family farms using natural methods and growing many different varieties of crops (a necessary and recommended practice for disease and insect control).

Diverse crops mean significant record-keeping burdens, as each crop requires a paper-trail from purchase of seed to sale of every pound of produce. Mounds of paperwork, plus high certification fees, make it unlikely if not impossible for many small farms to become certified organic. Some of the nations best organic farmers are ironically no longer able to call themselves "organic" anymore!

Certified Naturally Grown provides these small, local growers with an alternative label and certification system that consumers can quickly come to trust and understand.

Does this mean I shouldn't trust Certified Organic food anymore?

Certified Naturally Grown wasn't created to discourage people from buying USDA Organic produce, rather, it was created to ENCOURAGE people to purchase from the small diversified farmers that make up their local landscape.

While we don't mean to discredit the USDA Organic program, we do feel its important for people to understand that it is really designed to serve the larger farming operations. Most Organic food you buy in a grocery store is produced on huge factory farms owned by corporations that are more interested in earning profits than producing safe, sustainably grown food. The biggest organic food companies are now owned by Dole, Kraft, General Mills, Unilever and even Coca Cola!

This can be seen as either encouraging or depressing, depending on how you want to look at it. While its true that USDA Organic has come under a lot of attacks recently and is not accepted as a legitimate form of certification in other countries (US Farmers now need to have their food certified by European or Japanese accreditted certification agencies to sell in those markets due to concern over the legitimacy of the USDA Organic label) there are still many wonderful Certified Organic farmers out there. The point is, don't base your buying decisions on certification status. Instead, know your farmers and how they produce the food you're eating.

Because we are in no way affiliated with the USDA Organic program, we do have more control over the growing standards and practices that we allow, meaning that we can maintain a more strict adherence to the original ideals and principles of organic agriculture even as USDA Organic comes under constant pressure to water down standards to accommodate large agribusiness corporations.

As a consumer, how do I know I can trust that a farm that claims to be Certified Naturally Grown actually grows using ecologically sensitive methods, free of chemicals and GMOs?

Every aspect of the Certified Naturally Grown certification process is transparently open for the public to see and investigate - you will find every farmer's complete certification application on-line. Public access to scanned copies of Inspection Reports goes even further to ensure consumer confidence in this grassroots movement. Even the USDA program doesn't allow for this kind of public scrutiny.

The truth is, though, that farming is a solitary profession and no one can ever really know what may or may not be happening on an isolated farm at 5AM on a Sunday morning. No amount of USDA paperwork can catch the farmer who WANTS to cheat. Unlike the USDA Organic program which does NOT include tissue sampling for pesticide residues, CNG farmers agree to submit to random tissue sampling and laboratory testing for pesticide residues in their produce. The cost for such testing is paid for by CNG, not the farmer. Although not every farmer is tested every year, the possibility of testing is an additional deterrent and helps to maintain the legitimacy of the Certified Naturally Grown program.

The BEST way to ensure the food you eat is grown the way you want is to shop locally from farmers you can see, meet and feel comfortable with.

What do you do when you get a report of someone "cheating?"

A member of the Farmers Advisory Board verbally contacts the farmer and their original inspector(s). Generally, a second inspection with a new farm-inspector is required and  

Answer 3

organic farms get inspected quite often to make sure that they are organic. The soil etc gets tested to make sure there are no chemicals present. The standards are pretty good, but you are right, you cant be entirely sure. Just take confort in the fact that they are doing their best :)

Answer 4

The label is as honest as the person who placed it on a product.  However, the term 'organic' differentiates the product from those that are non-organic, using reasonable care and following current guidelines.

Answer 5

Well, this one has always driven me crazy, but from the other end of the argument.

'Organic' can be defined scientifically means something is made up of chemical compounds that are carbon based.  That would be any living thing you can eat.  The marketing definition is actually much looser then you describe.  No artificial pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, gene modification, or radiation.

My problem with the marketing definition is that it implies that anything made by humans is automatically bad... but how far do you go with that?  Nearly every 'natural' pesticide and fertilizer is still tweaked by humans.  Most are a combination of several different compounds, so what's the difference?

For that matter, why is 'human made' so bad?  A lot of companies try to imply that organic means 'no chemicals'...

...

What does THAT mean?  Again, it is implied that no chemicals made by man, but what about arsenic?  That's not man made, it's pretty common in nature, but I sure don't want arsenic coated apples!

I dunno.  I just don't like marketing...

Cheers!

PS:  The specs for the term as you use it are listed in the link.  Hope that helps!

Answer 6

Congress declared that after October 21, 2002, any farmer selling over $5,000 worth of produce may NOT refer to their produce or growing methods as "Organic" unless they have been certified by a USDA accredited certification agency. Failure to comply with this order is punishable with fines up to $10,000 per violation per day. [NOP Final Rule: 205.100]

While the newly created certification process is affordable and pleasing to the huge organic agribusiness farms - especially those that specialize in growing only a few varieties of vegetable, its implementation has been counter-productive for the thousands of small, diversified family farms using natural methods and growing many different varieties of crops (a necessary and recommended practice for disease and insect control).

Diverse crops mean significant record-keeping burdens, as each crop requires a paper-trail from purchase of seed to sale of every pound of produce. Mounds of paperwork, plus high certification fees, make it unlikely if not impossible for many small farms to become certified organic. Some of the nations best organic farmers are ironically no longer able to call themselves "organic" anymore!

Certified Naturally Grown provides these small, local growers with an alternative label and certification system that consumers can quickly come to trust and understand.

Does this mean I shouldn't trust Certified Organic food anymore?

Certified Naturally Grown wasn't created to discourage people from buying USDA Organic produce, rather, it was created to ENCOURAGE people to purchase from the small diversified farmers that make up their local landscape.

While we don't mean to discredit the USDA Organic program, we do feel its important for people to understand that it is really designed to serve the larger farming operations. Most Organic food you buy in a grocery store is produced on huge factory farms owned by corporations that are more interested in earning profits than producing safe, sustainably grown food. The biggest organic food companies are now owned by Dole, Kraft, General Mills, Unilever and even Coca Cola!

This can be seen as either encouraging or depressing, depending on how you want to look at it. While its true that USDA Organic has come under a lot of attacks recently and is not accepted as a legitimate form of certification in other countries (US Farmers now need to have their food certified by European or Japanese accreditted certification agencies to sell in those markets due to concern over the legitimacy of the USDA Organic label) there are still many wonderful Certified Organic farmers out there. The point is, don't base your buying decisions on certification status. Instead, know your farmers and how they produce the food you're eating.

Because we are in no way affiliated with the USDA Organic program, we do have more control over the growing standards and practices that we allow, meaning that we can maintain a more strict adherence to the original ideals and principles of organic agriculture even as USDA Organic comes under constant pressure to water down standards to accommodate large agribusiness corporations.

As a consumer, how do I know I can trust that a farm that claims to be Certified Naturally Grown actually grows using ecologically sensitive methods, free of chemicals and GMOs?

Every aspect of the Certified Naturally Grown certification process is transparently open for the public to see and investigate - you will find every farmer's complete certification application on-line. Public access to scanned copies of Inspection Reports goes even further to ensure consumer confidence in this grassroots movement. Even the USDA program doesn't allow for this kind of public scrutiny.

The truth is, though, that farming is a solitary profession and no one can ever really know what may or may not be happening on an isolated farm at 5AM on a Sunday morning. No amount of USDA paperwork can catch the farmer who WANTS to cheat. Unlike the USDA Organic program which does NOT include tissue sampling for pesticide residues, CNG farmers agree to submit to random tissue sampling and laboratory testing for pesticide residues in their produce. The cost for such testing is paid for by CNG, not the farmer. Although not every farmer is tested every year, the possibility of testing is an additional deterrent and helps to maintain the legitimacy of the Certified Naturally Grown program.

The BEST way to ensure the food you eat is grown the way you want is to shop locally from farmers you can see, meet and feel comfortable with.

Answer 7

Yes there are flaws.  Just because a farm isn't using chemicals doesn't mean that the farm beside it isn't.  The chemicals could float over in the air if they are applied from the air.  They could come in the runoff from neighboring land when it rains.

Answer 8

The current standards are pretty good. But they're pretty new. Not long ago there was no formal standard for organic produce, so it was really hit and miss. I think that impression has lingered.

Answer 9

Food is organic.  The organic label is pretty much meaningless.  Most of the inputs for fertilizers, etc. are inorganic yet they are approved.  the Substances that are banned, like herbicides, insecticides, antibiotics, and certain crops are all organic, but you can't use them to produce food.  The most toxic substances, strychnine and aflaitoxin for exampe are organic compounds.  Should they be sold on grocery store shelves as organic?