USDA says COI failed to
- Communicate with hired inspectors about proper procedures or ensure they were adequately trained
- Adhere to internal procedures according to their operational manual
- Keep confidentiality agreements on file for all employees with knowledge about certification applicants or operations
- Indicate on certificates the effective dates for organic certification,
- Ensure adequate training for employees about the regulations
- Provide clients with cost estimates including inspection fees
- Clearly identify the company's responsibility to pay for any required pre- or postharvest testing
- Verify organic system plans against the actual practices of their certified operations
GOCA's reported problems included things like, "failure to require clients to use defined boundaries and border zones as required by the organic standards."
Do we really want to allow organic certification agencies to simply ignore producer's violations of the organic standards? If these agencies do not do their job, we will be paying an "organic price" or a "locally grown price" for food that does not really fit the qualifications. An interesting and popular topic that has come up lately has been, The U.S. industry is expected to go from $21.1 billion in 2010 to $36.8 billion in 2015. How come? Because of "the government's monetary and regulatory support and increasing acceptance of organic food in the country." Overall, this is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, all the food we will but now will REALLY be organic and we won't be purchasing what we think is organic yogurt but really is no different than typical Dannon yogurt. People will probably be more willing to pay a higher price if they know what they are buying is in fact organic. http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/03/busted-organic-food-certifiers-who-break-the-rules/72239/
It seems like all food companies are in cahoots together... and maybe oragaic companies are just trying to plot a takeover because they are sick of getting the short end of the sick? conspiracy?
ReplyDelete^Chris^
ReplyDeleteIt's so frustrating to know that companies are trying to sneak around the consumers back! If only we could trust what we bought. Hopefully this will end eventually....
ReplyDeleteSarah Johnson
Or maybe it's a conspiracy to undermine the small piece of the money pie that goes to organics?
ReplyDelete