The organic food industry is booming, and that may be bad for consumers
Summary
In a scorecard released last week, the Cornucopia Institute ranked all 45 domestic certifiers on their adherence to the spirit and letter of the organic law. And many multinational agribusinesses produce hydroponic fruits and vegetables that bear the USDA Organic label. Experts argue that hydroponic farming should not qualify for the organic label because of its reliance on chemical nutrients and growing mediums that are frequently not sustainable. People come to organics because of what the food doesnt contain, said Cornucopias executive director Mark Kastel, and also because they think they are doing something good for society, animal welfare, soil health and economic justice for the small family farmer. They laud the Organic Crop Improvement Association, which works with large companies such as Eden Foods - but the scorecard does prompt questions about whether, in the institutes opinion, big is always bad.