What is Organic?

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With so many newcomers rushing to cash in on organic cachet, self-policing hasn't always worked. At present, the term "certified organic" relies in large part on the honest representations of farmers about the growing process. Only 11 state governments certify crops and food as organic. Six others have independent organic certification agencies, but each has slightly different criteria. To bolster consumer confidence, the industry asked the government to draft a clear national standard.

And, in fact, there is a lot to like about the proposed standards. They require that organic crops be grown in soil that is enriched with compost, manure, and other natural materials and not treated with unapproved synthetics for three years. Farms and processing plants would face inspection by independent verification agencies, much like the system now in place in California, considered the pace-setter for the organic industry. Those that passed would earn the right to display a "certified organic" label on their product, a form of Good Housekeeping seal much like the USDA stamp on Grade A eggs.

But it was what the standards did not address that has generated so much controversy. Under pressure from the fertilizer and chemical industries, and from factions within the USDA, the government ignored the Organic Standards Board recommendations calling for a ban on genetically engineered crops, irradiation to kill bacteria, and the use of fertilizer made from municipal waste. "The Department of Agriculture must have stayed up nights to come up with such creative, flagrant violations of the spirit of organic agriculture," fumes longtime organic farmer Douglas Hines. "I was prepared for the worst, but this exceeded even my wildest, most cynical expectations."

Of these issues, genetic engineering is the most troublesome. President Clinton and agriculture secretary Glickman have taken the position that severe restrictions could hamper groundbreaking research. But as nearly everyone in the organics movement is quick to point out, genetically engineered crops are by definition not organic. Period. "If genetically altered food can be called organic," says Scowcroft, "organic wouldn't mean a thing. This issue is the line in the organic sand."

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