Dutch Incident Underscores Holes in EU Organics Legislation

Growing organic food is a booming industry in wealthy nations that care about every aspect of health. Pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals have been linked to health problems, but also give produce a more aesthetic appearance and longer shelf life. So some companies find it easy to slap an organic label on any produce – grown with pesticide or not. Growing organic crops requires tolerance for blemishes, and any produce that has the polish of perfection can be suspect. Farmers who test for traces of chemicals and report their discoveries can find themselves ostracized by the industry, reports Nils Klawitter for Spiegel Online. Regulations that punish those who provide honest reports, filing complaints about trace chemicals, do not give consumers the protection they expect from the organic labels. – YaleGlobal