10/10/07 Organic Fraud

Is the organic Industry spinning out of control? Are the product labeled certified organic organic? Purists worry the industry has sold out given the fact Wal-Mart and other food conglomerates with big bucks are now big players. Rapid growth is often accompanied by fraud and that is why the National Cooperative Grocers Association, an organization with clout and muscle recently launched the US Organic Fraud Protection Program. They want to keep the organic industry accountable to both retailers and consumers. The program, in development stages, will not change the organic certification process but will empower retailers by providing them with an additional means of determining the purity of an organic product. The Northwest plays a key role in developing the features of organic fraud prevention. NCGA selected the Seattle based PCC Natural Markets for its pilot program. While this bodes well for those who shop at co-ops it remains to be seen if major retailers will accept the parameters established by the National Cooperative Grocers Association.