Organic food labels are no fresh guarantee

[S.Annadana]

A shopper checks her grocery list at a natural foods store.


Erin McCaslin, a former CSUN student, picked up a plastic container of strawberries at Whole Foods Market and made sure it had the green and white "USDA Organic" seal on it.

"You never really know what you're getting," McCaslin said. "But at least when I buy organic food, I know my family is not eating chemicals and pesticides."

Like many other consumers of organic foods, McCaslin is wrong.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicates that organic foods contain several of the same pesticides found in conventionally grown foods.

While environmentalists and federal agencies debate the meaning of the term "organic," consumers are left to their own assumptions about what lies behind the ambiguous label.

"It can be confusing for consumers," said Jimmy Rodriguez, produce manager at Whole Foods in Glendale.

"The truth is that all foods have pesticides, but organic foods have less synthetic ones."

In 2002, the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) implemented a set of standards that specified the methods, practices and substances that could be used in organic foods.

Synthetic pesticides are chemically based substances that farmers use to kill weeds, mold and insects. They are allowable in organic foods if the substance is listed on the USDA's National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances.

"The amount of synthetic substances allowed in organic foods are much less than the amount found in conventionally grown foods," said Mark Bradley, the associate deputy administrator at the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Services.

"When you buy organic, you are not buying into a guaranteed food safety program. It has more to do with the way the foods are grown and produced."

To be considered organic, farmers must abide by the USDA's rigorous farming practices. Unlike conventional farmers, they do not use chemical fertilizers and weed killers. Instead, the organic farmer conducts sophisticated crop rotations to manage weeds.

The NOP indicates that an organic farmer has to adhere to strict land management regulations. For example, a farmer must recultivate the land to ensure that it is devoid of all prohibited substances for at least three years.

NOP-certified agents continually monitor organic farmers to make sure they are not using prohibited chemicals to boost crop production. Organic fruits and vegetables spoil faster in shipment because they are not treated with waxes or preservatives. They may appear in odd shapes and varying colors because they are grown naturally.