Consumers are growing increasingly concerned about the
source of the food they eat and are turning to organic
and natural foods which they believe are not only healthier,
but better for the environment. The organic foods industry,
which began as a direct-to-consumer marketing movement,
has now entered the mainstream. While the food industry
as a whole has only grown by roughly one percent annually
in the last 10 years, retail sales of organic food products
have increased by more than 20 percent during the same
period, making it the fastest growing segment in the
food industry today.
To protect consumers and assure
them that the products they're buying are truly organic,
the Organic Food Protection
Act of 1990 was added to the 1990 Farm Bill. It charged
the USDA to develop national standards for the production
and labeling of organically grown agricultural products.
The resulting National Organics Program, (NOP) went into
effect on April 21, 2001 and states that all products
labeled 100 percent organic must come from farms or handling
operations certified by a third-party state or private agency accredited
by the USDA. Producers interested in becoming certified
organic should review the Farm Verified Organic Program
of the International Certification Services at www.ics-intl.com.
A recent survey conducted by the Whole Foods Market grocery
chain found that more than half of America's consumers
have tried organic foods, and that 75 percent of them
would be likely to eat organic foods more often if
a larger variety
was more readily available. They may get their wish.
The number of product offerings and companies entering
the
organic sector increased sharply following the October
17, 2002 launch of the USDA's certified organic labeling
program.
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