Coming soon: "Organic" GMOs?

(More on the problem of GMO contamination of Organic Foods)

When the USDA approved Monsanto’s gene-modified (GMO) alfalfa back in January, the Big Ag party line was that Organic producers had nothing to worry about. There was just not that much risk of contamination.

Now, barely two months later, stories like this one are being seeded in the mainstream media: “A Growing Debate: How To Define ‘Organic’ Food“

"There once was a person from Crew
Who found a dead mouse in his stew…"

That NPR story explains that some folks are being silly purists. Folks likeRonnie Cummins of the Organic Consumers Association who think Organic should be… Organic. American farmers have been following Organic standards for decades – how hard can it be?

Pretty hard, it turns out. They can’t sell food that hasn’t been contaminated, because it doesn’t exist anymore.

…most organic corn in the U.S. typically contains anywhere from half a percent to 2 percent GMOs, according to companies that sell such corn to organic dairies or poultry farmers. It has been that way since genetically engineered corn and soybeans became popular, more than a decade ago.

But does that matter? Tom Spohn, director of dairy operations for Horizon Organic, says it doesn’t keep the company from calling its milk organic.

“We just make sure we’re meeting the letter of the organic regulations to the T,” he says.

According to those regulations, if an organic farmer plants non-GMO seed and uses organic methods, the harvest is organic, even if a few stray genes blew in.

What are a few stray genes among friends?

The story goes on to warn that by focusing too much on the fact that, you know, our food is tainted, it will cause a ‘Perception problem” with consumers. (Why? Organic consumers have this quaint idea about purity and healthiness.)

(Read the rest of the story at Red Green and Blue)

More on Monsanto and GMOs:

• The Trouble with Monsanto and GMO – David Suzuki spells it out
• Why Genetic Engineering Is Dangerous
• Scientist urges USDA to rescind approval of Monsanto’s GMO alfalfa
• Genetically Modified Foods Causing Animal Miscarriages, but Who Cares?
• Monsanto blocks research on GMO safety, harasses scientists
• An alfalfa farmer explains why he sued Monsanto
• Monsanto employees in the halls of government
• Did the White House pressure USDA to approve GMO alfalfa?
• End of Organics? Monsanto’s GMO Alfalfa Approved
• Too Much of a Bad Thing: Monsanto Did NOT Buy Blackwater

(Cow photo Some rights reserved by Paul Stevenson)