The power of organic food is that it forces consumers to think about how their food is grown. Organic food presents consumers with a choice about whether they care about the use of pesticides, genetically engineered crops, or antibiotics in food production. And consumers are welcoming that choice. Over the past 10 years, the organic industry has grown around 20 percent a year and over 60 percent of U.S. consumers say they buy organic at least occasionally, according to the Organic Trade Association.
Organic milk has been one of the main drivers of the organic market and has faced recent supply shortages. So it is not surprising that milk is at the forefront of a battleground over the future of organic standards. Recently, the USDA announced that a California dairy operation had lost its organic certification for not complying with organic standards. The dairy had been one of many targeted by the Cornicopia Institute, an organic food watchdog, for confining their animals to pens and sheds rather than open grazing. The rebuild-from-depression blog has numerous photos and video of the California dairy.
Efforts to water down standards for organic dairy operations have been at the forefront recently as larger companies and operations try to take advantage of the fast-growing market. Organic certification expert Jim Riddle outlined the key issues facing organic milk production on the August 21 issue of Radio Sustain listed here.
To retain it's power, organic standards need to stay strong. Recent action to protect the integrity of organic milk was an important first step.
