Watering down the definition of organic

More

I'm not an expert on organic food, but this seems sort of weak: "The Department of Agriculture, the final arbiter of all things organic, is poised to approve a list of non-organic ingredients that can be used in food stamped with its green-and-white organic seal."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the whole point of organic food that the ingredients are organic? The organic advisory board recommended that 38 non-organic ingredients be added to a list of substances allowed in organic foods. Some complain that, while this may not be a significant event by itself, it's indicative of efforts by big businesses to water down the definition of organic to increase profits.

The industry and regulators must walk a tight line. Making minimal adjustments that don't change the meaning of organic substantially could make products more affordable for more Americans. That's good for everyone -- farmers, retailers, and consumers.

On the other hand, changing it to the point where organic no longer means anything (sort of like "homemade," which means nothing) would kill the industry.

Assuming the changes are made with little public outcry, it could be good for companies like Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ: WFMI), which could see a decrease in its cost of goods. Passing the savings onto the consumer would result in more organic shoppers. As of right now, many Americans really can't afford to shop organic. Lowering prices could change that.

Symbol Lookup
IndexesChangePrice
DJIA-37.1910,741.98
NASDAQ-16.872,374.41
S&P 500-5.921,159.90

Last updated: March 19, 2010: 06:47 PM

Hot Stocks

General Electric

18.07-0.12(-0.66)

Alcoa

14.26-0.04(-0.28)

Apple Inc

222.2499-2.4001(-1.07)

Google Inc 'A'

560.00-6.40(-1.13)

Bank of America

16.82-0.26(-1.52)

Wal-Mart Stores

55.34-0.60(-1.07)

Exxon Mobil Corp

67.04-0.35(-0.52)

Ford

13.29-0.44(-3.20)

Citigroup

3.90-0.12(-2.99)

IBM

127.71-0.67(-0.52)

Yahoo

16.44-0.12(-0.72)

Starbucks

24.97-0.05(-0.20)

Microsoft

29.59-0.02(-0.07)

Home Depot

32.36-0.04(-0.12)

DailyFinance Headlines

TheFlyOnTheWall.com Headlines

BioHealth Investor Headlines

WalletPop Headlines

My Portfolios

Track your stocks here!

Find out why more people track their portfolios on AOL Money & Finance then anywhere else.

BloggingStocks Partners

More from AOL Money & Finance

WalletPop Headlines