Is organic food the real deal?
Is organic food the real deal?
The USDA has strict rules regulating who can use the label, but a Dallas Morning News analysis found those standards aren’t always enforced.
06:48 PM CDT on Monday, July 17, 2006
By PAULA LAVIGNE / The Dallas Morning News
One of the problems plaguing the organic-food industry, critics say, is vague rules about the treatment of animals.
More and more shoppers are forking out extra money for organic foods to avoid chemicals, eat healthy and support the environment.
But the USDA Organic label, stamped on foods as diverse as cookies, milk and mangos, may not be a mark the public can always trust.
Organic food is supposed to be free of most chemical pest killers, fertilizers, antibiotics, hormones and genetic engineering. Organic farmers and ranchers must enrich the soil and be kind to animals; chickens should strut outside and cows should regularly graze. more