Tell the USDA and NOSB: We Need Real Organics!

Consumers looking for clean, healthy food have for years turned to foods with the USDA’s organic seal. This seal is understood to mean that the food has been grown in accordance with organic principles—most importantly, that the farming practices promote healthy soil, which in turn produces healthy food. Unfortunately, corporate influence has infected the USDA’s organic program to such an extent that it can be difficult to trust the organic seal. Until the USDA cleans up its act, consumers may need to start looking to alternatives, such as the Real Organic Project.

Write to the USDA and the NOSB, urging them to strengthen organic standards so that CAFO-raised eggs and milk, and hyrdoponic produce, cannot carry the organic seal.

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National Organic Standards Board, USDA

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We need real organic standards

Dear [Decision Maker],

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Consumers looking for clean, healthy food have for years turned to foods with the USDA's organic seal. This seal is understood to mean that the food has been grown in accordance with organic principles--most importantly, that the farming practices promote healthy soil, which in turn produces healthy food. Unfortunately, corporate influence has infected the USDA's organic program to such an extent that it can be difficult to trust the organic seal.

The USDA estimates that half of all organic eggs come from CAFOs. This is crucial for those seeking healthier options: organic eggs have been found to contain more micronutrients than conventional eggs: organic eggs have three times more omega-3 fatty acids, 40% more vitamin A, and twice as much vitamin E. Buying CAFO-raised organic eggs means consumers are not getting the benefits they think they are.

Organic milk suffers from a similar problem: half of organic milk sold in the US comes from CAFOs, according to the Cornucopia Institute. Recent exposés have detailed how CAFOs try to cheat the system by not pasturing their cows as required by organic standards.

Another way that organic rules have been undermined is the acceptance of hydroponic produce as "organic." Hydroponics is a technology for growing plants in water with dissolved fertilizers rather than actual soil. Produce grown hydroponically is often produced in massive warehouses under artificial lighting. Hydroponically-grown food is a betrayal of the organic principle of feeding the soil, not the plant.

The future of true organic farming is at stake. Small producers who take the spirit of organic farming seriously cannot compete with large producers who either break the law or take advantage of shortcuts.

Please strengthen organic standards so that CAFO produced eggs and milk, and hydroponically grown produce, cannot carry the organic seal.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Your Email]