Mollie Katzen Online

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NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS RULE

What is organic farming?

Organic refers to the agricultural systems used to produce food and fiber. Organic farming systems do not use toxic chemical pesticides or fertilizers. Instead, they are based on the development of biological diversity and the maintenance and replenishment of soil fertility. Organic foods are minimally processed to maintain the integrity of the food without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation.

What does certified organic mean?

Certified organic refers to agricultural products that have been grown and processed according to strict uniform standards, verified annually by independent state or private organization. Certification includes inspection of farm fields and processing facilities. Farm practices inspected include long term soil management, buffering between organic farms and any neighboring conventional farms, product labeling, and record keeping. Processing inspections include review of the facility's cleaning and pest control methods, ingredient transportation and storage, and record keeping and audit control.

Hi Friends!

Many of us care more than ever about organic agriculture, believing it to be better for people, better for farmers and better for the planet.

The National Organic Standards Rule being proposed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a sweeping interpretation of how organic foods should be sown, grown, harvested, transported, distributed, marketed, packaged and sold.

A record 300,000 American citizens were concerned enough about the USDA's very flawed last attempt (in 1998) to prevent its passage. We have been phenomenally successful in forcing the USDA to go back to the drawing board, insisting that the following NOT be considered organic:

Irradiated food
Genetically engineered food
Food grown in waste sludge
Animals that do not have adequate access to pasture
Standards that harm small and family farm operations

Two years ago, people expressing their opinions on a mass scale really made a difference! This has been a victory not just for health, but also for democracy! (And ultmately, all things good for us are linked.) This is very encouraging!

Now we are facing new proposed standards that are looking very positive. The period of time during which the public can respond and comment runs until a June 12 deadline.

I would love to encourage all of you to become well informed on this issue, and to express your opinions to the USDA as part of this critically important democratic process.

Why Should You Care About the USDA Setting Organic Standards?

There's no law that says you have to care or act. However, this proposed rule directly affects your dinner table if you:

Farm organic food
Process organic food--distributors, bulk sales
Sell organic food--from major grocery store chains to health food markets
Eat organic food
Promote sustainable agriculture
Protect environmental resources
Are concerned about the rapid growth of genetically modified foods
Are concerned about family farms

I and many other food writers, teachers, growers, and manufacturers hope that this new proposed rule will come closer to an accurate definition of organic. However, we are also realists. We do not expect that all agribusiness, multinational food processors and industrial farming interests will have suddenly converted to true organic agriculture. We must act to protect and preserve the integrity of organic farming.

Certain groups, likie RAFI-USA and Pure Food are scrutinizing the newly proposed rule and will soon announce their official response to the USDA rule. Bookmark the Action Alerts on their web sites to check for Breaking News, or sign up with them for e-mail updates.

Click here to find out more, and to get some guidance for joining the public dialogue:

www.rafiusa.org
www.purefood.org
www.ota.com | The Organic Trade Association