Viewpoint: Bolt-tightening for USDA organic labeling is long overdue

Point of view: The tightening of bolts for organic labeling ofUSDA is long overdue

Amanda Zaluckyj, AGDAILY*

The complete revision of organic farming regulations is long overdue. And finally, it seems to have arrived…at least on paper. The United States Department of Agriculture has just unveiled its regulations on strengthening the application of organic regulationswhich, he hopes, “ protect the integrity of organic production and enhance farmers’ and consumers’ confidence in the organic label of theUSDA ».

Reading all that this new rule is supposed to do – from strengthening organic import certification to more rigorous national on-site inspections and better data reporting – I mightn’t help but wonder what what do all these organic farming activists think now that theUSDA basically admitted that the system they were defending was deeply flawed.

Despite the reality of what the organic label has meant, the public perception of organic is strong. This little green and white label conjures up images of sustainability, happy farmers and green meadows where livestock graze. It is presented by its advocates as a healthier food that perfectly nourishes our body.

But that promise doesn’t live up to the hype. We know that organic food are not healthier than conventional foods. Good farmers are not limited to one type of production. Farm animals receive top-notch care in all areas of animal husbandry. And sustainability is more complex than a label.

I’m happy that theUSDA has (finally) recognized that many products marketed as organic are not grown according to program requirements. The fact that counterfeits are presented as genuine products is detrimental to all those involved in food production.

The repression of biological fraud by theUSDA is supposed to be done by increasing surveillance from the farm, through the supply chain, and perhaps to your table. The organic sector will have one year from the date of entry into force of the regulations to comply with the implementing measures. The mainstream media salivated at the news, especially the Washington Postwhich shares an owner with the organic food supplier Whole Foods. The media hastened to reports ” what ” government standards require that products bearing the organic label be produced without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides (ouch… do we really have to go back to the thousands of products labeled biological pesticides) and that the organic label is authorized ” only for products that meet certain soil quality standards and other stuff (sorry to tell the author, but soil health plays no role in whether a farm is organic or not).

This is because these myths of the old organic system have persisted and been promoted by players in the organic sector such as the Washington Post that a strengthening of organic regulations is important. I’USDA says its new approach will support organic farming control systems, improve farm-to-market traceability, strengthen import monitoring and effectively enforce organic farming regulations.

Yet even proponents of the organic program admit that enforcement of these regulations by theUSDA it’s been too late. I’Organic Trade Association was one of the main lobbyists for these changes. Tom Chapman, who leads the group, said it was the biggest change to the program since its inception and would help ” build trust in the label.

Frankly, I’m just glad it’s finally been recognized that the organic label isn’t as sacred and blameless as its proponents have long wanted us to believe. Does that mean we can start having an honest conversation regarding the absurdity of it all? According Statesmanthe US market for organic products was worth $57.5 billion, or regarding 4% of food purchases, in 2021 compared to $13.26 billion, or a market share of 2.5%, in 2005. As the former secretary of theUSDADan Glickman, the organic label is a matter of marketing. It has nothing to do with nutrition, safety, sustainability or profitability. It is even managed by the Agricultural Marketing Service of theUSDA.

Unfortunately, I am convinced that we have not reached that peak, especially since we are now going to double surveillance. Wouldn’t it be better to focus instead on researching and implementing the best production practices for each geographic area and each farm?

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* Amanda Zaluckyj blogs under the name The Farmer’s Daughter USA. Its goal is to promote farmers and combat the misinformation that swirls around the US agrifood industry.

Source : Perspective: USDA’s organic label crackdown is long overdue | AGDAILY