Little-Known Fact: There's A Lot Of Controversy Surrounding Labels & Regulating

The Organic Foods Act calls for a board — charged with helping to set the standards for organic foods — made up of four farmers, three conservationists, three consumer representatives, a scientist, a retailer, a certification agent and two organic food processing company reps. All good. All great! However, the Times article we were talking about before revealed that farmers and consumers are getting the shaft, with their seats often being filled with agricultural academics and corporate executives.

While the board's personnel makeup leaves much to be desired, it does welcome public comment and recommendations which go directly to the Agriculture Department, says Mason. "From what I've witnessed, no one on the Board is jockeying for control, even when they are often tasked with difficult decisions that are not black and white."

Skeptics often cite the previous facts on this list as reason for their cynicism. For example, Potter calls the certified-organic label a fraud and refuses to put it on Eden’s products. On the other hand, "The USDA organic seal is the only way a shopper can know if what they purchase is truly organic," says Mason. "Unless you have a personal farmer who grows all your food." That might not be such a bad idea.



Photographed by Ingalls Photo