Interest in Organics Surges Around the Globe

Kim Severson / San Francisco Chronicle 19jul00

Like much of the rest of the world, the United States continues to lurch toward a national standard for organic food.

The Department of Agriculture gathered the last of some 41,000 public comments on the proposed national organic standard in June. By fall, a final version of the regulations should be ready for adoption. It will take another 18 months, USDA officials estimate, to actually put the standards into practice.

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman has said that the pending national organic program will be ``the most comprehensive and strongest organic standard in the world.''

Meanwhile, the U.S. organic industry continues to see unprecedented growth. Average organic-food sales are expected to grow by almost 25 percent a year for the next decade, according to USDA estimates.

The United States is not alone in the organic revolution. An estimated 130 countries are producing significant amounts of certified organic food, according to Organic Perspectives magazine. Advances abroad include:

• Japan. A new organic certification and production system is set to take effect in April. But because only a limited amount of food meets the new standards, many producers are likely to use alternative labels like ``reduced chemical.''
• Australia. The sale of organics rose by about 30 percent last year, driven by concerns over food safety, the environment and a fear of genetically engineered food. But the Australian organic market is still relatively small, with about $150 million in sales a year.
• New Zealand. An office to certify organic products for export is expected to be in place by March. Exports will focus on produce, but could expand to include meat and poultry products.
• France. The French are going wild for organic milk. In 1999, production of organic milk in France rose 77 percent to about 25 million gallons. French officials expect that figure to rise to 40 million gallons this year.

Back in the United States, the proposed USDA regulations offer a national definition of the term ``organic.'' Currently, organic food is certified by various private and state organizations that each use their own standards for the term.

The national standard will establish clear labeling criteria so consumers know exactly what they are buying. Among other rules, the regulations will prohibit the use of genetic engineering, sewage sludge and irradiation in the production of food products labeled ``organic.'' Antibiotics in organic livestock production and feed will also be banned.

The regulations, first introduced in 1997, will make it easier for organic farmers to export their products because international trade officials prefer to deal with one national standard rather than multiple state and private standards. To learn more, log on to www.ams.usda.gov/nop