The downfall of the USDA Organic Seal

Just when you thought getting REAL preservative- and additive-free organic food was hard enough, the Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports has downgraded the USDA Organic Seal from “highly meaningful” to “meaningful,” commenting that the organic program is notably slipping from its original mandate to serve as a gatekeeper for providing humanely raised, low-impact, truly clean food to the growing health movement in the United States.

What prompted this might you ask? One example was the swift dismissal without any real investigation by the enforcement division of the National Organic Program (NOP) of the formal legal complaint fillings by the Cornucopia Institute with the USDA against 14 giant poultry and dairy CAFOs. The filing included the submission of hundreds of high-resolution photographs, satellite imagery and state regulatory documents, which clearly warranted more than this blanket response: “The NOP has reviewed these complaints and has determined that investigation is unwarranted.”

With all that said, don’t fret, as the solution is not out of reach.  Getting to know your local organic farmers and personally verifying their practices, or even simply growing your own food, is the natural solution to this dilemma.

Source:

Cornucopia.org