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"The great organic food fraud"


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Con men plus regulatory ineptitude - what a sick  scammy mess. Corn & soybeans mostly. This struck me The scheme’s participants, Mock went on, had perhaps recognized that misrepresenting grain as organic was “kind of naughty,” while telling themselves, “Nobody’s getting hurt, or getting sick. It wouldn’t be, like, ‘We’re drug manufacturers, and we’re giving people bad drugs.’ ”

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37 minutes ago, heidih said:

Con men plus regulatory ineptitude - what a sick  scammy mess. Corn & soybeans mostly. This struck me The scheme’s participants, Mock went on, had perhaps recognized that misrepresenting grain as organic was “kind of naughty,” while telling themselves, “Nobody’s getting hurt, or getting sick. It wouldn’t be, like, ‘We’re drug manufacturers, and we’re giving people bad drugs.’ ”

 

I think that "organic" is un-regulatable. Grain looks like grain and no analysis will determine if it was grown by organic principles.

 

The govt could have agents all over who certify each field etc etc and track it through processing, but given that it is not a public health issue its hard to imagine justifying the expense.

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Right they can only test  GMO or not.  But once you set up a regulatory system you give the consumer the illusion/expectation that the labeling is valid. Maybe they  need to admit it is a joke.  I trust the small farmers with dirt under their fingernails at my Farmers Markets but beyond that - not really. At least they admit not certified but do not spray. I think Trader Joes sells bagged frozen spinach  that is labeled that way.  Con men, in my experience are like water and find the path of least resistance, while smiling at your gullibility. 

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some - but not all - chemicals used in 'less than organic' are detectable.  and in fact some 'converting' companies that advertise their products as 'organic' do routinely test as 'proof of claim'

 

all that said..... if one researches what chemicals/pesticides/etc USDA allows to be used under the guise of "organic" - one will be severely disappointed.

 

btw#2:  "organic seafood" - total bogus claims.  there is no industry nor legal definition for 'organic fish'

btw#3:  bottled water labeled "organic and gluten free" - well,,,,

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I stand by, and practice as much as possible, the purchasing of food products from sources as local, small, and direct as possible.  That means farmer's market (s) for much product, be it in person or via one of the delivery methods available to me. 

 

I've been skeptical of organic stuff for a long time.

 

 

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  • 3 months later...

A further look at where it's going...

 

https://civileats.com/2022/02/14/what-is-the-future-of-organic/

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"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Even if you don't account for fraud, the organic rules are like the tax code—complex, illogical, full of compromises and loopholes. They're perfect fodder for savvy companies that want the labelling, but have no interest in the spirit of the law. There are some industrial farms churning out middling produce that earns the organic label. Meanwhile there are fanatically quality-conscious small farms selling great produce with no label, often because they can't afford the certification process. 

 

Funny story ... several years ago I ordered a bunch of lamb loins from a Pennsylvania farmer with a great reputation (I found his name on several Michelin-starred NYC restaurants). He asked me if I wanted organic or conventional. I asked the difference. He said "$4.50 a pound." As he explained it, it cost a small fortune to get land certified organic (they have to do lab tests of soil samples in several locations). He decided to pay for getting half his property certified, and putting a fence down the middle. Essentially the same pasture, same soil, same grass, same sheep. But the ones on that side of the fence cost more. He decided to pass the cost of certification on to the consumer. I ordered conventional. 

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4 minutes ago, paulraphael said:

Even if you don't account for fraud, the organic rules are like the tax code—complex, illogical, full of compromises and loopholes. They're perfect fodder for savvy companies that want the labelling, but have no interest in the spirit of the law. There are some industrial farms churning out middling produce that earns the organic label. Meanwhile there are fanatically quality-conscious small farms selling great produce with no label, often because they can't afford the certification process. 

 

Funny story ... several years ago I ordered a bunch of lamb loins from a Pennsylvania farmer with a great reputation (I found his name on several Michelin-starred NYC restaurants). He asked me if I wanted organic or conventional. I asked the difference. He said "$4.50 a pound." As he explained it, it cost a small fortune to get land certified organic (they have to do lab tests of soil samples in several locations). He decided to pay for getting half his property certified, and putting a fence down the middle. Essentially the same pasture, same soil, same grass, same sheep. But the ones on that side of the fence cost more. He decided to pass the cost of certification on to the consumer. I ordered conventional. 

 

I have to say that sounds fair.

 

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