"Organic" Isn't Always Organic

Foods stamped "USDA Organic" give consumers assurance that the products have met government standards. But those standards could allow the use of dozens of nonorganic ingredients, some of which are so widespread that virtually any processed food labeled "organic" could be made with one or more of them. For a list of the foods on the list, click here. The Department of Agriculture was to have decided Friday which nonorganic farm products would be on the "organic" list. The ingredients under consideration include a number of common flavoring and coloring additives, and even the hops approved for "organic" beer. Longtime advocates for and consumers of organic foods have long criticized the USDA labeling, and some small farmers who shun the use of harsh chemicals have balked too because of the heavy paperwork involved. That leaves consumers with incomplete assurance that the food they buy meets their own standards, according to a story in the June 9 Los Angeles Times.

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