Organic Labels on Body Care & Clothing Can Be Deceiving

EarthTalk: Buying Organic
Readers Ask Questions About Buying Organic Food
by EDITORS AT E MAGAZINE | posted 12.17.03 |

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Dear EarthTalk: How do I know if what I am buying is genuinely organic?
--Michael Faber, Acton, MA

"With produce and other food items, the required U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) certification and labeling process is stringent enough,
but the USDA doesn't regulate household cleaners, body care products, and
other household items, and that's where fraudulent labeling occurs,"
according to Craig Minowa, environmental scientist at the Organic Consumer
Association. He says that consumers need to be careful when shopping for
organic goods because companies currently add minimal or questionable
organic ingredients to traditional toxics so they can market the product as
"all natural" or "100% organic." One such trick involves the use of
hydrosols, which are a byproduct of distilling organic plant matter and
making essential oils. Companies are capturing the steam created in this
process and using it in place of regular water as the base of products,
allowing them to claim that a large percentage of the product is organic.
"The use of hydrosols a big loophole in organic standards right now," says
Minowa. "They're used to inflate organic labeling percentages."

Product labeling has also made headlines lately because of the controversy
surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs). A bill to require
labeling of such food, sponsored by Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich is
feared to not make it passed Congress. However, GMO labeling in other
countries is taking off. Regarding food labeling in this country, in
addition to USDA certification, there a voluntary labeling program created
by the National Organic Standard Board. Their standards prohibit the use of
genetically modified organisms, irradiation, sewage sludge, or antibiotics
in organic meat and poultry production, and require 100-percent organic feed
for organic livestock. There are three different labels, based on the
percentage of organic ingredients in a product: "100 Percent Organic";
"Organic" (contains at least 95 percent organic ingredients by weight,
excluding water and salt); "Made with Organic" (contains between 70 to 95
percent organic ingredients). To help consumers, the USDA has designed a
seal that can be used on products labeled as "100 Percent Organic" or
"Organic."

Organic labels are popping up everywhere for other types of products, but
buyer beware: just because your T-shirt is made of certified organic cotton,
doesn¹t mean that it was treated with chemical-free, organic dyes. Sandra
Marquardt, project coordinator for the Organic Trade Association's (OTA)
Organic Fiber Council, says that while certification for organic cotton
already exists, the OTA is in the final stages of developing organic fiber
processing standards that would address the treatment and dyeing of organic
cotton.

CONTACT: Organic Consumers Association, 6101 Cliff Estate Road, Little
Marais, MN 55614, (218) 226-4164, www.organicconsumers.org; Organic Trade
Association, P.O. Box 547, Greenfield, MA 01301, (413) 774-7511,
www.ota.com,info@ota.com.