Washington Post Uncovers Fraud In Organic Grain Imports

[rcjordan]

^{I am shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you!  Who would have thought companies would lie for a measly $4 miillion?}

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/the-labels-said-organic-but-these-massive-imports-of-corn-and-soybeans-werent/2017/05/12/6d165984-2b76-11e7-a616-d7c8a68c1a66_story.html

weaknesses in the way that the United States ensures that what is sold as "USDA Organic" is really organic

No shit, Sherlock. You can PAY for all the organics you want, but you probably aren't actually buying many.

[ergophobe]

Such a thorny topic. Even assuming it is organic, with the rise of "industrial organic" it isn't always clear that it's actually better for the planet - some "organic" pesticides are permitted in large quantities and there are sometimes non-persistent, non-organic compounds that work better in small quantities.

At the end of the day, if you don't know the farmer, you don't know what you're getting. But since the farmers I know are not nearby, I will pay more for "local" and organic if I can find it. If I can't...

Related: I found this really interesting and surprising. Tiny Holland is the second largest food exporter in the world by value and has some of lowest pesticide use? Who knew? (Millions of people, of course, but not me)
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/09/holland-agriculture-sustainable-farming/

[rcjordan]

>pesticides are permitted in large quantities

Yeah, most people equate organic with pesticide-free. That's far from the case. 

https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2016/12/01/myth-busting-on-pesticides-despite-demonization-organic-farmers-widely-use-them/

The National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances
https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&SID=9874504b6f1025eb0e6b67cadf9d3b40&rgn=div6&view=text&node=7:3.1.1.9.32.7&idno=7#se7.3.205_1601

[Mackin USA]

Keto Comment

Ya should not eat corn or soy; therefore, no problem

[ergophobe]

Ya should not eat corn or soy; therefore, no problem

I don't think "organic" beef, chicken, broccoli or kale are exempt from this question. Or fish. Is that "wild caught" salmon really wild caught and how would you know? And is wild caught better?

[ergophobe]

not completely unrelated
https://qz.com/1116757/the-globalization-of-corn-means-most-people-have-never-eaten-a-real-tortilla/

Gruma's 2016 annual investors' report notes that the company may have inadvertently bought GMO corn that hasn't been approved for human consumption and that this corn may have found its way into its products.

[edit: quote added]

[rcjordan]

>No sh##, Sherlock. You can PAY for all the organics you want, but you probably aren't actually buying many.

-OR- Your margin is my opportunity.

NYT Recognizes "That Organic Cotton T-Shirt May Not Be as Organic as You Think" | naked capitalism
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2022/02/nyt-recognizes-that-organic-cotton-t-shirt-may-not-be-as-organic-as-you-think.html