No Greenwashers Need Apply to Organics Labels

by Catherine J. Frompovich

Finally, the SHTF with regard to maintaining integrity of the “organic” food label. At least that’s apparently what happened April 30th, 2014 when Organic Consumers Association’s political director Alexis Baden-Mayer stood firm against the illegally made changes to the USDA National Organic Program policy for approving and removing non-organic materials from organics and was taken into custody for failing to end OCA’s protest. [1]

Alexis Baden-Mayer, let it be known, that all who eat food in the USA owe you a great debt of gratitude and should applaud your integrity and courage. Thank you for standing our collective ground for keeping organic foods and their labeling from bastardization.

On April 29th “representatives of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and March Against Monsanto San Antonio (MAMSA) staged a protest at the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting in San Antonio, Texas.” [2]

Apparently, the reason for the protests centers around changes to the National Organic Program (NOP) listed here, which I encourage every reader to read carefully, especially §205.601 Synthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production wherein heretofore substances, chemicals, etc. not permitted in organic agriculture, etc. will be permitted.

Here are what this writer would call “wiggle-room-words” – “may only be used when the provisions set forth in §205.206(a) through (d) prove insufficient to prevent or control the target pest,” which may and/or probably will be interpreted by Big Ag to use genetically modified herbicides, insecticides and pesticides. That alone opens the floodgates of infiltration, in this writer’s opinion. Somehow there seems to be ‘fingerprints’ from multinational chemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation GMO makers’ lobbyists all over these revisions.

Now, check out this: §205.603 Synthetic substances allowed for use in organic livestock production. Notice this wording in particular:

In accordance with restrictions specified in this section the following synthetic substances may be used in organic livestock production: [CJF emphasis added]

which goes on to include (4) Biologics—Vaccines. [3] Vaccines! I guess Big Ag learned that the rejection of bST-produced milk raised red flags, so now they want to get it and other vaccines for animals approved in organically-raised food animals.

But, here’s the ‘gem’ of gems: The federal government considers vaccines as “synthetic substances.” What does that government agency’s admission in writing do for vaccine safety advocates? Lots! Didn’t the federal government just make their case for them? How? Well, chemicals and pollution now are proffered by scientists as the causes of autism. [4,5] So, which parent in their right mind would allow someone to inject synthetic substances into their child that have been scientifically suggested as contributing to autism? How crazy do they think parents really are? Some do take vaccinology’s religious beliefs seriously and vaccinate.

Furthermore, in the April 2012 article Top ten toxic chemicals suspected to cause autism and learning disabilities (Mount Sinai Medical Center) [5]

Scientists have prepared a list of ten chemicals considered likely to contribute to autism, learning disabilities and related conditions.

The second chemical, actually a toxic metal, listed after lead [Pb, another metal] is methylmercury, while they deliberately leave out the mercury in vaccines, ethylmercury, which at one point in its ‘metabolizing’ in the body actually converts into methylmercury. I discussed that obvious obfuscation by vaccinology in my October 2013 book, Vaccination Voodoo, What YOU Don’t Know About Vaccines, available on Amazon.com.

Let’s keep reading the NOP’s changes.

Here’s a real problem area for many who eat organically, I would imagine:

§205.606 Nonorganically produced agricultural products allowed as ingredients in or on processed products labeled as “organic.” Reading through the menu of “things” allowed ought to make one realize just how desperate Big Ag and non-organic food producers want to infiltrate the ORGANIC brand to pollute what semblance of non-contaminated and nutritious food stocks are grown and fit to eat, in this writer’s opinion.

However, to their credit the Organic Consumers Association is proposing an offensive measure that is as welcome as a beautiful spring day after this past winter’s horrors:

In the coming weeks, OCA will formally announce the formation of the Organic and Natural Health Trade Association. The new association will be open only to those companies and organizations that adhere to strict, ethical organic and natural health standards. [CJF emphasis added] [6]

Oh boy! What will that do? This writer can see all sorts of food producers chomping at the bit to have that label on their produce and products because so many want to maintain the integrity of organics, which everyone ought to applaud and support.

Obviously, the battle may not be over; the war may have just begun since Big Ag apparently was successful in getting those sweeping changes to NOP. Quoting further from the Organic Bytes Newsletter, [6]

In the meantime, the battle to overturn the NOP’s recent decision is far from over. And we have some heavy hitters on our side.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), both of whom were principal authors of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, have written to USDA Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, to voice their disapproval of the NOP’s latest power grab.

Ditto former NOSB chairs Jim Riddle, Jeff Moyer and Barry Flamm, who wrote that the recent changes “unilaterally enacted by the USDA’s National Organic Program . . . significantly erode the authority, independence and input of the NOSB.”

The NOP may have to arrest a lot more people before this showdown is over. Is that really how the USDA wants to run its organic program?

Consumer Action Needed

It’s time for consumers to take a stand about all the poisons Big Ag and Big Government demand that we consume. I for one support the establishment of the Organic and Natural Health Trade Association. Furthermore, I suggest that consumers approach your favorite grocery stores and tell them about the food problem, the war on organics, and that you want your food to come from and will purchase Organic and Natural Health Trade Association-labelled foods. Furthermore, those producers who become members of ONHTA should never sell out to the conglomerates, as many in the health food industry have done in the past. 

No greenwashers need apply!

Notes:

[1] https://bay178.mail.live.com/default.aspx?id=64855&rru=inbox#tid=cmyoVaEjbR4xGjgwAhWthGPg2&fid=flinbox
[2] http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_29909.cfm
[3] http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&SID=9874504b6f1025eb0e6b67cadf9d3b40&rgn=div6&view=text&node=7:3.1.1.9.32.7&idno=7
[4] http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/autism-rise-driven-by-environment/
[5] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120425140118.htm
[6] Organic Bytes Newsletter to CJF May 1, 2014

Resources:

Senator Leahy and Representative DeFazio Tell USDA to Back off on Allowing More Synthetic Ingredients in Organic
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_29903.cfm

Open Letter from National Organic Standards Board to USDA Regarding Degradation of Organic Standards
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_29877.cfm

Catherine J Frompovich (website) is a retired natural nutritionist who earned advanced degrees in Nutrition and Holistic Health Sciences, Certification in Orthomolecular Theory and Practice plus Paralegal Studies. Her work has been published in national and airline magazines since the early 1980s. Catherine authored numerous books on health issues along with co-authoring papers and monographs with physicians, nurses, and holistic healthcare professionals. She has been a consumer healthcare researcher 35 years and counting.

Two of Catherine’s more recent books on Amazon.com are Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, A Probe Into What’s Probably Making Us Sick (2009) and Lord, How Can I Make It Through Grieving My Loss, An Inspirational Guide Through the Grieving Process (2008).