Page Title

Copyright 2005 Minnesota Public Radio.

MARKETPLACE , November 3, 2005 Thursday
Lawmakers blindside food purists on how organic organic foods have to be

KAI RYSSDAL, anchor:

Food purists are a little peeved at the United States Senate. They say lawmakers have blindsided
them on how organic organic foods really have to be. And if you think just reading the label will tell you
what's in what you eat, don't think that. More now from MARKETPLACE's Hillary Wicai.

HILLARY WICAI reporting:

Arthur Harvey is an organic blueberry farmer in Maine. He wishes the Senate would leave the
chemical-free farming to him.

Mr. ARTHUR HARVEY (Organic Blueberry Farmer): Well, I don't think the Senate knew what it
was doing.

WICAI: But the lobbyists did. They urged lawmakers to add a little industry-backed ingredient to the
agriculture appropriations bill. The provision that passed the Senate today allows organically labeled
food to include synthetic ingredients, like artificial pectin, the stuff that makes fruit into jelly.

Mr. HARVEY: What's at stake is the integrity of organic food.

WICAI: Harvey had sued against synthetics getting the USDA organic seal. And in January, a
federal judge ruled that the seal required the food be 95 percent organic and 100 percent natural. So
no synthetics. But that's a tough standard for major food manufacturers, and they got Congress
involved. Katherine DiMatteo is with the Organic Trade Association, an industry group. She says now
bigger players will be able to meet growing demand, and that's good for organic farmers.

Ms. KATHERINE DiMATTEO (Organic Trade Association): If the category of organic is allowed to
continue to grow with 95 percent or more organic ingredients, that will require more and more farmland
to meet that supply.

WICAI: But will it be 95 percent? The new provision would also allow conventionally grown food to
be substituted for organic ingredients when some things aren't available. Craig Minowa is with the
Organic Consumers Association, a group already planning a counterattack.

Mr. CRAIG MINOWA (Organic Consumers Association): The non-profit community, in fact, a lot of
the organic industry itself is already working hard on the Organic Restoration Act of 2006.

WICAI: There's a lot to fight for. With sales of $12 billion a year, organic's the fastest-growing
category in food. In Washington, I'm Hillary Wicai for MARKETPLACE.