Congress has attached an action to next year's agriculture appropriations bill that will allow synthetic ingredients to be used in manufacturing products labeled with USDA's green "organic" seal. The move has been widely derided as a loophole for companies that want part of the annual $11 billion organics, the fastest growing segment of the food industry, are producing, without the added cost of adhering to stringent organic standards. Consumers will have to vote with their wallets on this one, but with a new vigilance, now that the handy green seal has been opened up to the lowest bidders.
Scripps Howard has more details, and EWG's work on organic standards is here.
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