Is organic, organic_

Is organic, organic_

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Stores that specialize in organic foods are booming, and according to some scientists, the boom can sometimes be based on a false premise. The vast number of people who seek out organic foods at places like the Boise Co-Op or Whole Foods in Boise may not want to hear this, but you cannot ignore both sides of the story. When consumers buy organic foods, they are making the assumption that these foods are produced without herbicides, pesticides, hormones and the like. In fact there are lots of reports that the demand for organic foods is growing faster than any other segment of the grocery industry. And, why not. One of the derogatory names for Whole Foods is Whole Paycheck. When you buy organic, you pay big time. But, here’s a problem. If I, as a consumer, buy these products, I am trusting that they are truly organic. And who verifies that assumption? There is a USDA website that offers all kinds of information regarding organic authenticity, but according to Mischa Popoff who is the author of the book, Is it Organic? this whole market is not heavily regulated. A former organic farmer, he realized there was no appetite in the industry to eliminate fraud and gross negligence, nor to improve the quality of organic food. Popoff says that not only is testing for organic production not a mandate by the USDA, it is all too often not done by organic producers. “Your standard is being run as an honor system but the verbiage is in there that does explain how you would do a test if you did one. Now a lot of people in the organic industry are quick to say... ‘Oh we test when we are suspicious’... that is not how any other industry works. I’m not taking either side but I do think there is a lot of controversy surrounding organic foods needs to be addressed.
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