State likely to revise organic standards to comply with new USDA regulations

State likely to revise organic standards to comply with new USDA regulations

Dec. 28, 2000

By Janelle Holden
Journal Staff Writer

Now that the USDA has announced a national standard for certifying organic food, the state of Colorado is likely to revise its own standards soon.

According to Don Gallegof, agriculture-program specialist for the Colorado Department of Agriculture, Colorado would either have to change the Colorado Organic Certification Act to meet the national standards, or implement them directly.

Currently, the Colorado program certifies only plant products, fruits, and vegetables. The national program would require the state to include livestock, livestock products, processing and handling.

The USDA standards finalized on Dec. 20 established organic labeling criteria, and specifically prohibit the use of genetic-engineering methods, ionizing radiation, and sewage sludge for fertilization in organic foods. Producers that sell less than $5,000 worth of organic produce a year would be exempt from certification, but others have 18 months to comply.

"I think there is a benefit to the consumer — they won’t have to look at a number of different standards now," explained Gallegof.

USDA estimates that the value of retail sales of organic foods in 1999 was approximately $6 billion. The number of organic farmers is increasing by about 12 percent per year and now stands at about 12,200 nationwide, most of them small-scale producers.

According to a recent USDA study, certified organic cropland more than doubled from 1992 to 1997. Two organic livestock sectors, eggs and dairy, grew even faster.

The Rocky Mountain Farmers Union has also given its stamp of approval to the standards. "It is tremendous to finally have these standards and to have standards upon which consumers, the organic community and producers agree," said RMFU President Dave Carter.

The USDA first issued proposed organic standards in 1997, but organic producers protested that they weren’t stringent enough. "The first set of organic standards reflected the interests of multinational food corporations, raising the ire of consumers and independent family producers of organic products," Carter said.

The dispute over genetically modified foods, radiation, and sewage sludge was resolved, however, and the rule also increases the minimum percentage of organic ingredients in products labeled "Made with Organic Ingredients" from 50 to 70 percent.

In his speech announcing the change, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman said, "The organic label is a marketing tool. It is not a statement about food safety. Nor is ‘organic’ a value judgment about nutrition or quality."

Some organic producers might not agree with this statement, however.

"I firmly believe that organic growing is healthier for people and for the soil and for the environment. As far as the specific nutrients in the food, I don’t know," said Bill Chambers, an organic farmer who sells produce in Cortez.

Consumers should start noticing a green circle with "USDA Organic" stamped on products by the summer of 2001.