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Weaker organic standards

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot

portait of Carolyn Herriot

• I suppose it was predictable that, once the ‘corporate giants’ got their hands on the organic food sector, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) would discover pesticide residues on almost 50% of ‘organic’ fruit and vegetable samples as they did in recent tests. Many consumers now have doubts about how genuine supposedly organic products are.

A gap in the EU rules on organic food allows producers to use artificial aromas so that ‘organic’ strawberry yoghurt doesn’t necessarily contain any fruit at all. “In the long run, standards that are not trustworthy can jeopardize public confidence and lead to market failure,” says the draft of a new EU directive. EU Farming Commissioner Dacian Ciolos wants to remove the many exceptions that lead to an organic product not consisting 100 percent of organic ingredients. Today, farms are allowed to engage in organic as well as conventional farming, but the Commission plans to forbid that to reduce the danger of fraud and contamination.

Monsanto and the food industry have already signalled that 2014 will be a decisive year for GMO labelling. The Grocery Manufacturers Association, representing more than 300 food manufacturers and trade groups, is pressuring the FDA and Congress to pass a law that would pre-empt mandatory GMO labelling laws.

This year, consumers will have to fight for a right so basic that nearly every country except the US and Canada recognizes it: The right to a simple label that tells us whether or not our food has been contaminated with genetically modified organisms. Surely, the word natural loses credibility now that ‘natural’ food is allowed to contain GMO ingredients?

As a certified organic grower for many years, I pay fees, keep records and undergo annual inspections of my operation, records and inventory (PACS 16-533). I comply with the standards and requirements and stay educated on changing products and practices. Consumers should be reassured by the Canadian organic logo on my product because Canadian certified organic food contains:

No toxic synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fumigants.
No chemical fertilizers or sewer sludge used as fertilizer.
No synthetic hormones or antibiotics.
No artificial preservatives.
No artificial colours or synthetic flavours and sweeteners.
No trans fats.
No irradiation.
No genetically engineered ingredients or use of cloned animals.

However, on my certificate for 2014, I note I am certified for 95% + organic ingredients, which leaves me questioning what this infers about the remaining 5%. In BC, there are 600 certified organic operators compared to 2,767 ‘uncertified organic’ producers. Many of these are small-scale operators without long-term access to land and although they follow prescribed standards and practices, they cannot advertise as being organic. As a solution, the Certified Organic Associations of BC (COABC) Organic Sector Development Program is exploring the possibility of an education-based accreditation for the grower, rather than the present inspection-based product certification. Certifying the grower is certainly an idea worth considering because it leads to the development of much needed education in food production for a growing community of inexperienced farmers.

When you consider that before 1935 all food was organic, perhaps the way forward is to turn back the clock 80 years and grow all food organically again. I say we need to revert to certification for 100% of the ingredients because it’s a slippery slope watering regulations down to the point where they lose significance.

Carolyn Herriot is author of The Zero-Mile Diet and The Zero-Mile Diet Cookbook (Harbour Publishing). She currently grows ‘Seeds of Victoria’ at The Garden Path Centre. www.seedsofvictoria.com. Info and online catalogue at www.earthfuture.com/gardenpath

One comment

  1. Thanks for sharing this beautiful article!

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  1. 2 February 2014 | World Organic News - [...] As the corporate players join the organic band wagon this article explores the drop in organic standards. Click here. …

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