Do You Still Trust USDA Organic?
Why the National Organic Program needs a strict audit.
On August 4, the Washington Post ran a story about requests from the organic community to clean up inconsistencies and omissions in the National Organic Program (NOP) and bring its practices in line with more stringent international organic standards. The House and Senate approved an expenditure of $500,000 to conduct an independent audit of the program and its certifying agencies.
The USDA has now announced the audit. Why is this needed? As the new USDA deputy secretary Kathleen Merrigan puts it, this step is part of department efforts "to strengthen the integrity of the NOP and to build the organic community’s trust in the program."
Distrust, as we learned when the British Food Standards Agency released its report on the nutritional equivalence of organic and conventionally grown crops, is rampant. The public deeply distrusts the integrity of the organic standards, the honesty of the inspection process, and the claims made for the benefits of organic foods.
When I reviewed the organic program in preparation for writing What to Eat, I was impressed by how everyone connected with organics thought the system worked well and was honest. That’s not what I’m hearing these days.
This audit is badly needed. Let's hope the Commerce Department auditors hold the NOP to the highest possible standards.
Marion Nestle
Noted author Marion Nestle is a Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. She is the author of What to Eat.read full bio.
buy the book
What To Eat: Expert advice on food, health and nutrition issues that are in the news.
Comments | Add a comment
| so far.. |
|
Marion Nestle writes about her strong arguments in favor of public awareness ... read more.
rss
- Are Vegetarian and Vegan Diets Healthy?
- Would You Pay $8.50 a Gallon for Gas? Then Why Pay It for Soda?
- The Answers to 4 Perplexing Questions About Sugar, Fat and Calories
- Should You Be Eating Genetically Modified Corn?
- How Many Calories Do I Need to Eat to Gain One Pound?
- No, My Dog Is Not Destroying the Environment
- No, My Dog Is Not Destroying the Environment
- How Many Calories Do I Need to Eat to Gain One Pound?
- Forget "Food Miles." Eat Less Meat
- Would You Pay $8.50 a Gallon for Gas? Then Why Pay It for Soda?
- Myth or Fact? A Bill in Congress Will Mean the End of Organic Farming
- Michael Taylor Appointed to FDA: A Good choice!
|
||||||||||
 |
Enter your city or zip code to get your local temperature and air quality and find local green food and recycling resources near you.
|
 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||||
