Really Organic?
July 9, 2021 6:57 PM Subscribe
How much of the food we buy that is sold as organic is not really organic?
I've learned from resources, such as the Cornucopia Institute's excellent "scorecard" evaluations of organic milk and meat producers, that there are various degrees of adherence to organic standards, and transparency about adherence, but I'm wondering whether some of the food that we buy that is labelled organic is actually not at all organic due to fraud or unintentional mislabeling or mishandling.
I've learned from resources, such as the Cornucopia Institute's excellent "scorecard" evaluations of organic milk and meat producers, that there are various degrees of adherence to organic standards, and transparency about adherence, but I'm wondering whether some of the food that we buy that is labelled organic is actually not at all organic due to fraud or unintentional mislabeling or mishandling.
The organic mark indicates that the farm has been assessed by one of the many Organic certification bodies. The standards they apply vary quite a lot between different agencies and different countries, some just cover the basics of not adding chemicals to the soil, but others stipulate much more detail particularly around animal welfare. Some agencies are much stricter than others at regularly checking up on what the farms do.
Any producer who knowingly bends the rules is taking a big risk, losing their certification would mean losing most of their customer base overnight.
If you are looking at an organic product and the details of who did the organic certification are missing, or in impossibly small text hidden on the back of the packet, that's a red flag.
It is worth reading up on the different certification schemes to see which are the best, but you can also glean quite a lot from just looking at the price, generally you get what you pay for.
posted by Lanark at 6:40 AM on July 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
Any producer who knowingly bends the rules is taking a big risk, losing their certification would mean losing most of their customer base overnight.
If you are looking at an organic product and the details of who did the organic certification are missing, or in impossibly small text hidden on the back of the packet, that's a red flag.
It is worth reading up on the different certification schemes to see which are the best, but you can also glean quite a lot from just looking at the price, generally you get what you pay for.
posted by Lanark at 6:40 AM on July 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
Food grown according to strict organic standards can still be contaminated by pesticides sprayed on a neighboring farm. Having worked with many small organic farmers, I can tell you that they care deeply about the quality of the food they grow, and any contamination is unlikely to be the result of mishandling with them. They also will be totally upfront with you about what their standards mean. With big farms, things might be different. Huge corporations will push the envelope in terms of what counts as organic.
If you’re buying food from small producers, mislabeling can really only happen at the point of retail (on a sign or something). I’m not sure what could happen if a large company has an organic and a not organic version of the same item. I think it’s unlikely the factory would be packaging both in the same facility.
posted by Comet Bug at 8:51 AM on July 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
If you’re buying food from small producers, mislabeling can really only happen at the point of retail (on a sign or something). I’m not sure what could happen if a large company has an organic and a not organic version of the same item. I think it’s unlikely the factory would be packaging both in the same facility.
posted by Comet Bug at 8:51 AM on July 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
I'm not really sure I understand the Cornucopia Scorecards, but the concept seems valid to me, with this caveat:
the organic certification is determined by very specific parameters, which are regionally determined. So if the focus is on wether the food is entirely free of pesticides and artificial fertilizers, you can mostly trust that. But if you are looking for animal welfare, that may be compromised, because that may not be not part of the certification.
Comet Bug mentioned pesticides from a neighboring farm, in some regions that will be disqualifying, in others not.
These facts has not made me suspicious of organic certifications, just more curious about what is behind the label.
But there are also different circumstances for different products. For dairy, beef and veal, I always buy organic, mostly because pesticides show up in the dairy products and the beef and veal production is closely tied up with the dairy production. For chickens and pork, I look more for documented animal welfare. Chickens and pigs that are outside foraging for most of the year taste good, and if the corn they get during a few winter months is fertilized, I can live with that. On the other hand, pigs and chickens that are fed only organic food, but are kept under terrible circumstances taste of nothing, and their treatment is cruel. For lamb, I don't care, I just go for what tastes the best, because you can't raise lamb under cruel circumstances. The same goes to a large extent for ducks and geese.
I never buy farmed fish, organic or not (I obviously also never buy fish that are overfished).
In this region, potatoes and onions are mostly OK even if they aren't organic, but I prefer organic cucumbers, tomatoes and strawberries at the supermarket, because non-organic industrial farmers of these fruit and vegetables seem to be over-reliant on pesticides. This might all be entirely different in your region. It all depends on how the farming is actually done. IMO it is not a black and white question. It would be overwhelming to study the organic vs. mainstream quality of every vegetable, so if I am in doubt, I buy organic. If I buy from a local garden farmer I know, I go for the quality of the produce rather than the organic label. And even in the city, there are green grocers I know, where I trust their judgement and providers and buy non-organic if they recommend it.
posted by mumimor at 10:31 AM on July 10, 2021 [3 favorites]
the organic certification is determined by very specific parameters, which are regionally determined. So if the focus is on wether the food is entirely free of pesticides and artificial fertilizers, you can mostly trust that. But if you are looking for animal welfare, that may be compromised, because that may not be not part of the certification.
Comet Bug mentioned pesticides from a neighboring farm, in some regions that will be disqualifying, in others not.
These facts has not made me suspicious of organic certifications, just more curious about what is behind the label.
But there are also different circumstances for different products. For dairy, beef and veal, I always buy organic, mostly because pesticides show up in the dairy products and the beef and veal production is closely tied up with the dairy production. For chickens and pork, I look more for documented animal welfare. Chickens and pigs that are outside foraging for most of the year taste good, and if the corn they get during a few winter months is fertilized, I can live with that. On the other hand, pigs and chickens that are fed only organic food, but are kept under terrible circumstances taste of nothing, and their treatment is cruel. For lamb, I don't care, I just go for what tastes the best, because you can't raise lamb under cruel circumstances. The same goes to a large extent for ducks and geese.
I never buy farmed fish, organic or not (I obviously also never buy fish that are overfished).
In this region, potatoes and onions are mostly OK even if they aren't organic, but I prefer organic cucumbers, tomatoes and strawberries at the supermarket, because non-organic industrial farmers of these fruit and vegetables seem to be over-reliant on pesticides. This might all be entirely different in your region. It all depends on how the farming is actually done. IMO it is not a black and white question. It would be overwhelming to study the organic vs. mainstream quality of every vegetable, so if I am in doubt, I buy organic. If I buy from a local garden farmer I know, I go for the quality of the produce rather than the organic label. And even in the city, there are green grocers I know, where I trust their judgement and providers and buy non-organic if they recommend it.
posted by mumimor at 10:31 AM on July 10, 2021 [3 favorites]
A product can contain up to 5% non organic ingredients and still be labeled as organic by the FDA.
Allegedly* cross contamination between organic and non-organic produce can happen in the supply train.
*This comes from a former (~20 years ago) Whole Foods employee who was told during company orientation that unlike other grocery stores, WF does not do this.
Also have you read Organic: A Journalist's Quest to Discover the Truth behind Food Labels ?
posted by oceano at 4:14 PM on July 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Allegedly* cross contamination between organic and non-organic produce can happen in the supply train.
*This comes from a former (~20 years ago) Whole Foods employee who was told during company orientation that unlike other grocery stores, WF does not do this.
Also have you read Organic: A Journalist's Quest to Discover the Truth behind Food Labels ?
posted by oceano at 4:14 PM on July 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks oceano, looks very interesting and exactly aimed at my topic of concern.
posted by Dansaman at 7:37 PM on July 10, 2021
posted by Dansaman at 7:37 PM on July 10, 2021
Organic Insider has some good coverage of organic fraud.
One important thing to remember is that organic doesn't mean pesticide free. There are many pesticides that are accepted for organic use.
posted by Orrorin at 1:18 PM on July 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
One important thing to remember is that organic doesn't mean pesticide free. There are many pesticides that are accepted for organic use.
posted by Orrorin at 1:18 PM on July 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
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