When Organic Isn't Really Organic
Posted by Susan Ponsolle on 04-02-07
When you buy a gallon of organic milk, you expect to get tasty milk
from happy cows who haven't been subjected to antibiotics, hormones or
pesticides. But you might also unknowingly be getting genetically
modified cattle feed.
Albert Straus, owner of the Straus Family Creamery in the small northern California town of Marshall, decided to test the feed that he gives his 1,600 cows last year and was alarmed to find that nearly 6% of the organic corn feed he received from suppliers was "contaminated" by genetically modified (GM) organisms.
Straus and five other natural food producers, including industry leader Whole Foods, announced that they would seek a new certification for their products, "non-GMO verified," in the hopes that it will become a voluntary industry standard for GM-free goods.
A non-profit group called the Non-GMO Project runs the program, and the testing is conducted by an outside lab called Genetic ID. In a few weeks, Straus expects to become the first food manufacturer in the country to carry the label in addition to his "organic" one. With Whole Foods in the ring, the rest of the industry will soon be under competitive pressure to follow.
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