Radically Different Approaches
Finally, the US and the EU have radically different views on the overarching principles of organic production. The EU believes that organic agriculture is good for society and good for the environment. Therefore it is deserving of support. In other words, the organic industry in Europe is subsidized, with much of the subsidies conferred on small farmers. The US, by contrast, views the organic sector largely as growing market feeding consumer demands. The bottom line? Getting certified is expensive. The EU offsets these costs. The US does not.

From the 1960s through the 80s, US organic food production was the purview of mainly small, independent farmers, selling locally – at farmer’s markets and small health food stores. True, it could be difficult to verify whether or not a product really was organic; instead it was largely a matter of trust.
Today, the organic market in the US has migrated from a movement dominated and controlled by those small farmers and cooperatives serving Whole Earth Catalog-toting hippie consumers to a federally regulated industry appealing to large players. Kraft, Pepsi, Unilever, M&M Mars, Heinz, Tyson, Dole, Cargill, General Mills, to name but a few, all own organic operations.
Not exactly the Green Brigade.

Controversies
There are controversies. This August, The USDA announced that 15 of the 30 accredited organic certifiers they recently inspected failed the USDA audit and will have 12 months to make corrections or lose their accreditation. That will teach them! Also in August, an article appeared in Colorado Biz magazine which detailed the hullabaloo surrounding Aurora and Horizon’s factory farms labelling their non-organic milk as organic. Another controversy arose over Anheuser-Busch’s organic beer made from non-organic hops. (Hops is one of the new items on the NOP National List). And this September consumer advocates are up in arms over Kraft’s use of Monsanto’s genetically modified sugar derived from beets for an organic line.

A Better Standard?
These stories might explain why some organics food stores are willing to illegally stock products that have EU certification but not USDA certification. One Greek importer I spoke with told me that the store buyers he speaks with tend to believe that the EU certification is a better measure of the quality of the product than the USDA certification. When I asked him why some of his producers decided against certifying under USDA rules – Greek certification agencies like DIO provide this service – he told me they can’t afford to.

I’m all for supporting local farmers. I’m less interested in supporting multinational corporations. So, when in New York, I’ll buy what I can at the Union Square farmer’s market. What I can’t find grown nearby by a reputable organic producer, I’d prefer to buy from a small European producer. Unfortunately, there is a chance this one day might get even harder. The EU and the US are in negotiations to bring their respective standards in line so that each may accept the others organic certification.
This means that the EU would open its market to USDA certified organic imports. Who do you think will most benefit from this? The small artisanal farmer or the multinational corporation? e