Dear Ilmarinen Vogel, Riverkeeper. We are concerned about slow, but systematic changes to the wording of protective policies in food regulation, opening the avenue to more abuse by agro business and less protection for the consumer. As with life, words have plain meanings. That is, we all generally expect the basic meaning of a word to be what we know it to be through our experience and education. A cat does not mean a dog. Instead, they are what we expect them to be just as water is water and blue means blue. Without such commonly accepted meanings, we would be lost at sea, unable to communicate with one another and transmit information. Hence, shared definitions exist that typically transcend time and even cultures. Yet words can also deceive us, especially if the plain meaning that we expect to be there is not there. More than 200 years ago, the French moralist Joseph Joubert observed that words, like eyeglasses, blur everything that they do not make clearer. That is exactly what is happening with the word organic as its meaning is changed by those authorities we would think would be the most diligent in safeguarding it. What Is Organic? To most of us, organic food has a plain meaning. It means food that our grandparents or great-grandparents ate when they were young: natural and free of pesticides and other toxins and contaminants, and certainly not genetically modified! But, today, organic has been given a regulatory definition. The original regulatory definition in the United States arose from The Organic Foods Production Act, part of the 1990 Farm Bill. Among other things, this Act sought to create uniform national standards and certification for the production and distribution of organic foods through a USDA National Organic Program (NOP). Producers meeting NOPs organic standards (read, definition) are legally permitted to label their products as USDA Certified Organic. The USDA National Organic Program defines Organic production as, A production system that is managed in accordance with the Act and regulations in this part to respond to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity./[1] Thats concise, but not too useful as a working definition. So, the USDAs Consumer Brochure attempts to fill the definitional gap when it elaborates by saying: What is organic food? Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled organic, a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too./[2] (Note for the moment, the exceptions built into the definition.) In the European Union, organic is defined more stringently – but no more clearly – through its 2007 legislation, which states in pertinent part, organic production means the use of the production method compliant with the rules established in this Regulation, at all stages of production, preparation and distribution ... organic means coming from or related to organic production. (emphasis added)/[3] Other jurisdictions establish similar wiggle-room, where organic does not mean 100% organic. In the United States, this wiggle-room was expanded in 2008 when the U.S. Department of Agriculture changed the definition to mean that organic products must have at least 95% organically produced ingredients, but that five percent could be non-organic (including factory-farmed intestines, mercury, and other contaminants)./[4] So, unless the product is declared 100% Organic on its label, it is not really completely organic at all. And This Has What Exactly To Do With Codex? As our readers know by now, the Codex Alimentarius Commission concerns itself with setting international food standards and guidelines. One of its committees, the Codex Committee on Food Labelling, is responsible for the labeling of organic foods. So, at its most recent meeting, its 42nd, in Rome, Italy, the week of October 20, 2014, the Committee continued its review of the definitional standards for organic aquaculture (seafood). The Canadian Chairman, Paul Mayers, opened the meeting and quickly dispensed with some relatively minor, non-contentious agenda items. However, when it came to the agenda item on revising the Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labeling and Marketing of Organic Foods, the discussion quickly bogged down and became contentious. India was the first to speak up, with its Dr. Gouri arguing strongly for the deletion of the exculpatory language in the Organic Guidelines Foreword (Organic agriculture practices cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues due to general environmental pollution.). The National Health Federation (NHF) was the only other delegation to argue in support of Indias position; and the Chairman, in the first in a long series of incorrect decisions, told India and NHF that they missed the point, that Codex is adjusting to industry practices, and that the language will stay in. In fact, it was the Chairman who had missed the point. Other language to the effect that aquaculture production practices should aim to keep the impact on the environment low and consideration should be given to monitoring to ensure that this aim is achieved was also on the chopping block. Strong opposition by the European Union, Norway, and India, however, did not stop the Chairman from once again deleting protective wording from the Organic Guidelines.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 14:17:09 +0000
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