The following article is from the NAFB News Service:
According to Food Safety News – the Consumer Reports National Research Center released a survey yesterday of more than 1,000 adult U.S. residents. The survey found 84-percent buy organic food and 45-percent buy organic at least once a month – but 81-percent believe the organic label means no toxic pesticides were used and 61-percent believe it means no antibiotics were used.
While federal law prohibits the use of substances such as fertilizers and antibiotics in organic agriculture – the National Organic Standards Board issues exemptions for up to five-years at a time. The NOSB is meeting in San Antonio this week and will discuss several of these exemptions and see how they are handled after the five-years have passed.
Consumer Reports says the survey underscores the fact that NOSB’s renewed listing of exemptions doesn’t represent what consumers expect from the organic label – as 7 out of 10 expressed they wanted as few artificial ingredients as possible.
Despite the fact the public doesn’t want a host of artificial ingredients in their organic food – Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability Center Executive Director Dr. Urvashi Rangan says some national advisers and decision-makers in the National Organic Program have expressed the desire to grow the exemption list to grow the organic market. Consumer Reports believes this violates the public’s trust of what organic means.
Source: NAFB News Service
Posted by Haylie Shipp
