11/22/05 What becomes organic

There are many reasons someone might purchase an organic product, but as industy struggles to define itself many of those reason could very well become mute. Supporting small sustainable farms has been a major motivator for people to buy organic, but with more and bucolic little farms being gobbled up and branded by mega corporations like General Mills and Kraft that could no longer be a justification. Even Wall-Mart is going green, after seeing green, as in the annual 20 percent growth rate of the organic industry, so is an organic Wall-Mart an oxymoron. Then there are those among us who buy organic products because they are natural and chemical free. These attributes are under fire as well given that the Organic Trade Association reveling in the growth of sector, recently lobbied for an amendment that if adopted would allow for use of synthetic ingredients under the organic label leaving one to wonder if the virtues that made the organic industry so special can survive the success. Source: Chicagotribune.com 10/26/05 Organic farmers fight ruling