The organic civil war

The organic apple in your lunch might come from a tree treated with an antibiotic. The organic milk in your coffee this morning could have come from a cow that — a little more than a year ago — could be found on a conventional farm, treated with antibiotics and fed non-organic grain. And that organic chicken in the oven? There’s a chance it’s been fed a synthetic amino acid. All these things are allowed under the green and white “USDA Organic” seal on packages in the grocery store, but there’s a civil war raging in the industry over how much longer such exceptions should be permitted and how to best to get rid of them. The antibiotic used on apple trees is already on its way out. It’s a fight that played out this week in San Antonio, where a 15-member panel charged by Congress with advising the Agriculture Department on its organic food standards haggled over a large stack of seemingly obscure rules. But while these organic food specialists were arguing over the use of streptomycin — the antibiotic used on apple trees — and methionine — the amino acid put in chicken feed — there’s a much bigger implication for that coveted “USDA Organic” label.  Organic food and fiber sales grew to $35 billion in 2013, up 11.5 percent from 2012, and that was before recent announcements from Target and Wal-Mart that they are upping their role in the game. American consumers are increasingly looking for food that is free of pesticides, antibiotics and synthetics, leaving what was once a niche industry struggling to meet the demand for foods that are certified as organic...more