Summary
The interpretation of the British Government's Food Standards Agency report, that was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is another misguided attempt to discredit organically raised food products, knowingly or not. As the NOP continues to become a tool of large food producers and their desire to capture the one segment of the food industry that continues to out perform all others.
Analysis
The large food producers and processors of the world have continually kept a close eye on the organic industry. As its profits and growth have been consistently performing much better than the conventional sectors by a wide margin, these companies have made large moves into the organic industry. Driven by their need to become major players in the industry, they have taken large positions in organic companies as well as bought many outright. In many cases, this has been a boon to the industry. It has also driven the standards in the USA NOP to be relaxed in some areas. This is where new problems now begin to take on a whole new direction. Just as the consumer has become better informed and better educated to the principals and practises of organic food production, some large corporations have become influential in attempting to change the rules of the certification and standards associated with the organic movement.
This coupled with the latest release of the British government's Food Standards Agency study on organic practices by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, begins to place large concerns with the consumers and there organic food buying habits. This brings into focus the potential of derailing an industry that has struggled and is finally gaining acceptance into the mainstream of the food industry. If the NOP label becomes suspect, the buying public will look at its certification as nothing more that big business manipulation and cease to buy products.
This would be most unfortunate.
James Aliucci consults with leading institutions through GLG
Analyses are solely the work of the authors and have not been edited or endorsed by GLG.
