http://www.nyt.com/yr/mo/day/editorial/09thu3.html
March 9, 2000
New Rules on Organic Foods
In late 1997 the Department of Agriculture proposed rules that would have
established a nationwide certification program for organic foods. During
the 90-day comment period that followed, it became clear just how badly
the department had stumbled. Rather than heed the advice of its own
National Organic Standards Board, the agency would have allowed the use of
irradiation, sewage sludge and genetically modified organisms in the
growing and preparation of foods to be called organic. Whatever one thinks
of those particular practices, they are hardly what most people would
consider "organic." The outcry from consumers and organic farmers forced
reconsideration.
On Tuesday the agency released a Revised Proposed Rule. It is a
dramatically improved document that may signal a significant new direction
at Agriculture. To quote the department's own press release, the new rule
"specifically prohibits the use of genetic engineering, sewage sludge, and
irradiation in the production of food products labeled 'organic.' " It
also offers a strict standard defining what constitutes an organic food, a
step that should do a great deal to enhance consumer trust that a food
labeled organic really is organic.
For raw products to be deemed 100 percent organic, for example, they must
be grown or manufactured without added hormones, pesticides or synthetic
fertilizers. The new rules do not reflect a judgment on the relative
safety or quality of organic foods as compared with conventional foods.
Rather, they govern marketing claims.
The department's response to the community of organic farmers may herald a
welcome new sensitivity to a sector of the farming world that has suffered
from official neglect. The Clinton administration now needs to approve a
final rule before it leaves office. The Agriculture Department should take
what it has learned in developing these regulations -- especially the act
of listening intently to farmers -- and apply it to other programs that
affect small farmers. For their part, consumers and farmers should
recognize the power they wield when they work together.
Todd Hamner
Email: todd.hamner@miis.edu
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