OCA Denounces Degradation of Organic Food Standards by Congress

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Organic Consumers Association (OCA), the Nation's Largest Organic Consumer Group Denounces Degradation of Organic Food Standards by Congress.

San Francisco, CA - February 14, 2003 - Federal Standards governing the production of organic food took a sharp blow yesterday when Congress passed a $397 billion spending bill. Buried deep in the appropriations bill (Section 771) is language which overturns USDA regulations requiring all organic livestock to be fed 100% organic feed.

Under pressure from the Georgia House delegation, Congress caved in to corporate agribusiness interests and once again ignored the wishes of millions of organic farmers, consumers, and retailers. This move comes less than four months after national USDA organic standards were finally implemented on October 21, 2002. Now all farmers in the US who want to label their products as organic must be approved by a USDA accredited certification agency. Many organic farmers and public interest groups have been concerned that pressure from agribusiness would slowly degrade these standards over time.

"Rather than comply with regulations which uphold the integrity of organic food, corporate-run factory farms, who want a piece of the $11 billion a year organic industry, are manipulating the USDA and Congress to change the rules to suit their toxic-industrial style of farming," stated Ronnie Cummins, National Director of Organic Consumers Association. "Allowing non-organic, and potentially genetically
engineered, feed to be included under the definition of organic is a major setback for the integrity of what is the fastest growing sector of the food industry in this country."

In 1998 the USDA proposed organic standards, which would have allowed sewage sludge fertilizer, genetic engineering, irradiation, animal cannibalism, and intensive animal confinement. A massive consumer
backlash of 300,000 comments forced the USDA to back down.

The Organic Consumers Association, which represents 400,000 consumers across the US, believes this latest action on the part of congress is a slap in the face for the 30 million American organic consumers and family farmers genuinely committed to purchasing and growing organic food.

"We will continue to remain vigilant and encourage the nation's organic consumers to fight to keep the integrity of organic Standards, " stated Cummins, "but if the USDA continues to ignore the concerns of the
nation's organic farmers, consumers and retailers, then we will be forced to seek alternatives to these pseudo organic regulations."

For an op-ed on the current USDA organic standards "Is USDA Organic 'Grade B' Organic?" see
www.organicconsumers.org/organic/gradeB092902.cfm

CONTACT: Simon Harris, Organic Consumers Association, 510-459-6327 or simon@organicconsumers.org