SAFER ALTERNATIVE

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Commercial Pressures Now Undermining
USDA Organic Certification

How bonkers is the thinking of the folks who award products the up-until-now highly regarded United States Department of Agriculture Organic Certification endorsement?

It seems likely that they are on the verge of allowing a plethora of (well, 38 to be exact) 'ingredients' into their 'acceptable' category that are PATENTLY NOT ACCEPTABLE as organic product ingredients just because many manufacturers have ALREADY been exploiting a bit of 'loose' stipulation of ingredient requirements over recent years...

The LOGICAL thing, of course, is to tighten up the 'legalese', to instruct manufacturers to 'reformulate' their products within a given time span, or else to suffer loss of their certification...But, hey! That could mean one or two fail to comply! They could lose certification! Hey...They could even lose some sales!!

BUT NO! A bit of corporate pressure has led to the likelihood of more-than-just-a-thin-end of a wedge being driven into the standards of what has, until now, been regarded as one of the worlds leading organic certifications!

The simple message is -- profit is more important than TRUE organic standards -- the response from consumers should be FORGET USDA as a reliable form of organic certification! Rely only on those who actually STICK to applying real standards to their organic requirements -- like ACO, Australian Certified Organic.

It seems necessary that for those who are seriously interested in REAL organic products, as opposed to 'dubiously' labelled and certificated products. the USDA must now be 'relegated' to the league of unreliable 'also rans'...

What is the point of a certification that allows a whole range of questionable ingredients into their 'supposedly organic' products -- such shallow commercial prioritization just stinks, and shows how little the USDA REALLY believes in organic values...they MUST simply see it as a way to scam the easily confused consumer out of more bucks for inferior and unreliable products!

In fact they only allowed a 7 day consultation period (finished over a week ago on 22 May!) for any comments on their proposals... So what hope for meaninguful feedback from the majority of consumers who might have made useful coment on this impending travesty?

IF USDA go ahead and compromise their standards as they seem likely to do -- then the message is CLEAR -- simply ignore USDA stamp and choose ONLY organic products that also bear other, more reliable certification.

For what is probably the safest, and truest organic range of body care, hair care, skin care and cosmetics, that have uniquely recieved only the highest reliable food grade organic certification, see http://www.saferalternative.com and read more about the need to 'go organic'. For more 'organic' news, information, and other 'rants' please be sure to call at http://www.gonando.com too!

The Miessence Range of products (personal care, household, and probiotics) are genuine organic products (offered via http://www.saferalternative.com) and although they gained USDA certification well before this impending reduction in standards, and without using questionable ingredients -- they also carry ACO and Japanese food grade organic certification so you can be sure of their REAL organic provenance!