House Approves $500,000 for Organic Certification Probe

The House has approved an extra $500,000 in funding for a US Department of Agriculture probe into the certified organic program. Government officials hope to protect the integrity of the federal label by ensuring that food producers observe federal food standards and remain truthful about organic practices.Rep. Rush D. Holt (D-N.J.) introduced the bill after reading about questionable organic certification practices in a report published in The Wall Street Journal two weeks ago. But the criticism runs much deeper. Dedicated to protecting the label, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has called for a major investigation into certification practices that he recognizes are major targets for food lobbyists and industrial producers. The investigation--which will be expanded with the new burst of funding--will also focus on government oversight of independent certifiers who are hired by producers to determine whether food crops meet government standards.Aimed at preventing farmers and producers from lying about pesticide use, the federal organics law has come under fire for becoming unacceptably lax since it passed through Congress in 2002. The WSJ found that an increasingly large number of producers were allowed to use pesticides and synthetics in their certified organic food products. Most certified organic baby formula, for instance, contains synthetic additives after a federal officer who was lobbied by formula makers decided it was permissible under USDA guidelines.Although the Senate's version of the bill does not yet include any extra funding for the organics investigation, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-V.T.)--the author of the 2002 law--is considering adding an amendment to the budget bill to augment the probe's budget. Said Leahy:

It will unravel everything we've done if the standards can no longer be trusted. If we don't protect the brand, the organic label, the program is finished. It could disappear overnight.

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