Inquiring legislative minds in Washington, DC, want to know just how organic those organically-labeled foods really are. The Washington Post reports on July 10, 2009:
A House agriculture appropriations bill that passed yesterday includes
$500,000 for the inspector general to investigate the U.S. Agriculture
Department's National Organic Program to determine whether federal
standards are being properly observed before farmers and food producers
are allowed to use the USDA-certified label on food products.
Adequate funding for monitoring of organic production and processing practices is key to ensuring that consumers get what they pay for when purchasing certified organic products, particularly because organic products often come with a price premium. I don't know how far a $.5 million will go to investigate the monitoring of farms and processing plants domestically and internationally, but it's a good sign that the House requesting at least some funding.
Stay tuned, the Senate version of the the bill does not yet include the same budget item.
