ATLANTA — Elysa Greenwald said buying organic food is important to her. She said it's so important, she's willing to pay up to 50 percent more for groceries.
"I specifically look for fruits and vegetables that are organic and have the USDA label," said Greenwald.
Records revealed the organic food business made $26 billion in 2008. Consumers can tell if an item is organic by the price and the USDA label. Government rules show the USDA is supposed to certify that a product claiming to be organic truly is. Still, research by the agency's own watch dog group found real problems with that program. Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Jim Strickland got looked at an audit that spelled it all out.
According to USDA procedures, organic foods get the label only after inspectors verify the farm uses no chemicals to kill the weeds or bugs.
The organization confirmed it uses mostly private inspectors, but the audit found its oversight is poor and the standards inconsistent. The audit cited slow responses to complaints and lax enforcement against cheaters.
Officials Call For Organic Foods Oversight
"There's not enough oversight that's actually occurring to ensure that what you're buying is indeed organic," said Dr. Mike Doyle of the University of Georgia's Center for Food Safety. "If you're going to put that label on it to say it's organic, then you have to follow those standards."
Federal law also states the certifiers are supposed to spot-check organic foods to look for forbidden chemicals. Auditors said they found no evidence of periodic testing anywhere.
"I've been feeding my children foods that I thought were giving their bodies more support, and nobody's watching it," Greenwald said.
One reason could be the cost of the testing. Channel 2 Action News paid a local lab more than $1000 to test three samples of Whole Foods' frozen organic vegetables we bought at Harry's Farmer's Market. All had the organic seal, but the label showed they came from China. The testing revealed the vegetables were chemical free. A representative at Whole Foods told Strickland the company does its own spot-checking.
Officials with the federal government said its testing program will begin in September.
Meanwhile, members of the advocacy group Georgia Organics said consumers can exercise control themselves by buying from local farms and buying in season.
"I guess in everything there are going to be cheaters. That's one more reason to know your farmer and know where your food stuff comes from," said Alice Rolls with Georgia Organics.
WSBTV
