What Does It Mean to Be Organic

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What Does It Mean to Be Organic? Nathan Haines
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Organic Food Is a Growing Market
With sales of roughly 12 billion, organic food
remains a niche market within the 500 billion
food industry. But the sector's growing appeal to
consumers has fueled a 20 percent annual growth
rate in recent years, making it highly attractive
to food giants looking for gains in a slow-moving
business.
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Excluded methods. A variety of methods used to
genetically modify organisms or influence their
growth and development by means that are not
possible under natural conditions or processes
and are not considered compatible with organic
production. Such methods include cell fusion,
microencapsulation and macroencapsulation, and
recombinant DNA technology (including gene
deletion, gene doubling, introducing a foreign
gene, and changing the positions of genes when
achieved by recombinant DNA technology). Such
methods do not include the use of traditional
breeding, conjugation, fermentation,
hybridization, in vitro fertilization, or tissue
culture.
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To be sold or labeled as "100 percent organic,"
"organic," or "made with organic (specified
ingredients or food group(s))," the product must
be produced and handled without the use of (a)
Synthetic substances and ingredients, except as
provided in 205.601 or 205.603 (b)
Nonsynthetic substances prohibited in 205.602
or 205.604 (c) Nonagricultural substances used
in or on processed products, except as otherwise
provided in 205.605 (d) Nonorganic
agricultural substances used in or on processed
products, except as otherwise provided in
205.606 (e) Excluded methods, except for
vaccines, Provided, That, the vaccines are
approved in accordance with 205.600(a) (f)
Ionizing radiation, as described in Food and Drug
Administration regulation, 21 CFR 179.26 and (g)
Sewage sludge.
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Large companies and fast food industries are
using lobby power to influence Congress to allow
more exceptions to the current regulations.
Thus, it appears that deep pockets stand a better
chance of defining organic than any ideology.
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What Does It Mean to Be Organic?
Nathan Haines Scientific Expressions FS 101,
Section 26 09 November 2005
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Organic Is...

• Nutrition

• Gardening

• Commerce

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Organic Is Counterculture
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Organic Is Green
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Organic Is Mainstream?

• 12 Billion Sales
• 20 Annual Growth

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Organic Is Regulated!

• Excluded methods
• genetic modifications
• means of developmental influence not possible
  naturally
• processes not compatible with organic
  production

USDA National Organic Project Standards (http//ww
w.ams.usda.gov/nop/NOP/standards/)
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Organic Is Regulated!

• Incompatible processes
• cell fusion
• micro/macroencapsulation
• recombinant DNA technology

• Compatible processes
• traditional breeding
• conjugation
• fermentation
• hybridization
• in vitro fertilization
• tissue culture

USDA National Organic Project Standards (http//ww
w.ams.usda.gov/nop/NOP/standards/)
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Organic Is Regulated!

• Organic products cannot be made with
• synthetic substances (with a few exceptions)
• certain nonsynthetic substances
• nonagricultural substances used in processed
  products
• nonorganic agricultural substances
• excluded methods (except for vaccines)
• ionizing radiation
• sewage sludge

USDA National Organic Project Standards (http//ww
w.ams.usda.gov/nop/NOP/standards/)
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Organic Is Contested

• Regulations are a major battlefield
• big business seeks to relax standards
• major lobbying efforts in Congress
• exceptions are being leveraged as loopholes

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Organic Is...
Greener than you think?