As organic food shifts from utopian movement to lucrative industry, a war is being waged for its soul. Record organic sales in the United States totaled nearly $50 billion in 2017….This has resulted in organic growers and food companies that, although technically adhering to the definition of organic….are a far cry from the idealism and high standards with which the movement began.
Now the Cornucopia Institute [GLP profile here], a farm policy research group best known as an organic industry watchdog….ranked all 45 domestic certifiers on their adherence to the spirit and letter of the organic law. The institute found significant variation in how certifiers interpret regulations….
…
California Certified Organic Farmers….is….noted as demonstrating documented unethical behavior. According to chief executive Kelly Damewood, CCOF certifies 4,000 producers, processors retailers and other organic businesses….Why does she think her company made the list of bad actors on Cornucopia’s scorecard?
“I can only presume that this organization’s rating of us is [because of] our certification of hydroponic operations. We are a federally accredited certifier and cannot deny certification based on philosophy or values alone….
Read full, original article: The organic food industry is booming, and that may be bad for consumers
