Viewpoint: Organic food companies count on ‘consumer ignorance’ to sell their products

OrganicProduce e
Image: Lee-Anne Armitage Acupuncture

Consumers today have more food choices available than at any other time in human history …. but the terms and labels that communicate differences in food production and preparation are all too often more confusing than helpful. The word “organic” is one of these.

Many people believe that something labeled organic means the product is healthier than a non-organic version. That’s the impression organic growers and manufacturers have tried to create ….

Organic marketers understood that the higher price tag of their products would deter customers unless they made them afraid to use the cheaper alternatives. So in addition to touting non-existent health benefits, organic marketers embarked on a campaign to make consumers believe they would be harmed and their health undermined if they bought conventional food.

In making these pesticide-free and natural claims, they count on consumer ignorance of the fact that organic food can have synthetic ingredients, over 50 of them, all determined by organic farmers and lobbyists appointed to an industry panel within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

These tactics have been wildly successful.

In the 18 years since the USDA organic label was created, organic food has become a $124 billion industry based on claims that the government specifically said were false.

Read full, original article: Opinion: Organic label misleads consumers

{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}

Related Articles

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Does glyphosate—the world's most heavily-used herbicide—pose serious harm to humans? Is it carcinogenic? Those issues are of both legal and ...

Most Popular

Screenshot-2026-04-22-at-12.21.32-PM
Viewpoint: Why the retracted Monsanto glyphosate study doesn’t change the science—the world’s most popular herbicide is safe 
ChatGPT-Image-Apr-16-2026-02_56_53-PM
Financial incentives, over diagnosis, and weak oversight: Autism claims are driving up Medicare costs
Picture1
The FDA couldn’t find a vaccine safety crisis, so it buried its own research
global warming
‘Implausible’: Top climate scientists reject worst-case scenario—soaring temperatures and fast-rising sea levels
ChatGPT-Image-May-1-2026-11_42_59-AM-2
Viewpoint: NAD is the wellness grifters latest evidence-lite longevity fad. At least the mice are impressed.

Sorry. No data so far.

glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.