>I was told recently by a certified organic farmer that she suspects that
>another certified organic farmer (certified by a different body) has been
>bad-mouthing her to a retailer she has been selling to for years. She
>thinks this farmer raised questions about the validity of the certifying
>body she works with and now the retailer is not buying much from her. This
>is a retailer she has been selling to for many years and their order has
>decreased dramatically.
This kind of stuff has gone on for nearly twenty years. That aside, not
all organic certification programs are equal. Politically incorrect to
say so, but some programs *are* better than others, sometimes a LOT
better. It is exasperating for me as an inspector to have a guy I've
inspected deservedly be refused certification, only to crop up a couple
of months later certified by a weaker program. Certain programs have
built their business by being *easy,* and picking up the farms that
can't make it with FVO or OCIA.
Frankly, the average consumer is a long way from being sophisticated
enough that any of this matters --- as long as it says 'organic,'
they'll buy it without asking any questions.
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