Purdue News
Purdue News
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January 12, 2001 Horticultural meetings outline changes in organic food rulesWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Organically produced foods are commanding larger spaces on supermarket shelves and in meat and dairy cases. Farmers hoping to cash in on the organic trend must carefully follow changing federal and state regulations, says Liz Maynard, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service vegetable specialist. Organic regulations recently were finalized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and updated in Indiana, Maynard says. The rules define "organic," outline crop and livestock production practices for growing organic products and strengthen an organic labeling program. "The Indiana and federal laws also provide for certification of organic producers," Maynard says. "Farmers cannot market products they claim are organic unless they're certified." Hoosier farmers who want to know more about the organic food industry can attend organic workshops at the 2001 Indiana Horticultural Congress and Trade Show, Jan. 29-31 at Adam's Mark Hotel in Indianapolis. The three-day event also includes educational sessions on fruits, fresh vegetables, vegetables grown for processing, new and specialty crops, wine and grapes, direct marketing and market planning. Purdue Extension, the university's Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, and industry groups are sponsors. Organic farming is a fast-growth industry. According to USDA statistics, retail sales of organic foods reached $6 billion in 1999. The number of organic farmers increases about 12 percent each year, and the size of certified organic cropland more than doubled between 1992 and 1997, according to the USDA. The growth of organic eggs and dairy products is outpacing crops. About 80 Indiana farms produce organic products, divided almost evenly between field crops and produce. "We're seeing more types of organic products available," says Maynard, who serves on the horticultural congress program committee. "There are more snack foods and convenience foods coming out." "Some of the larger produce companies have gotten into organic foods, which makes it easier for these products to get into grocery stores and not just specialty stores," Maynard says. "Organic foods are getting into the normal distribution system." There is no easy explanation for what makes a food organic. Generally speaking, organic foods are produced with fewer pesticides, no genetically modified organisms and without sludge for fertilizer. But that does not mean organic products are chemical-free. "There are some pesticides considered safer than other pesticides that may be sprayed under certain conditions," Maynard says. The USDA's new organic order is a weighty document – more than 580 pages, says Cissy Bowman, vice president of Hoosier Organic Marketing Education and chairwoman of the Indiana Organic Peer Review Panel. Bowman will lead a horticultural congress session on organic regulations. Consumers should notice one USDA rule change in the coming months: new organic labeling on food packages. The new labels could begin appearing on packages this summer. "Up to now you could label a processed product as organic if 50 percent or more of the product is made from organic ingredients," Bowman says. "That number has been changed to 70 percent or above." Bowman says this latest round of organic food regulations likely isn't the last. "I don't think we'll ever see organic rules carved in stone," she says. "There will always be room for improvement." Registration for the 2001 Indiana Horticultural Congress and Trade Show is $30 for members of the Indiana Vegetable Growers Association, Indiana Horticultural Society, Indiana Farm Market Association and Indiana Wine Growers Guild; $40 for nonmembers. Additional fees will be charged for walk-up registrations, luncheons, banquets and special events. For registration or other information, call (765) 494-0342 or (765) 494-1293; or log onto the horticultural congress Web site. CONTACT: Maynard, (219) 785-5673; emaynard@purdue.edu; Bowman, (317) 539-4317; cvof@iquest.net. Related Web sites: Compiled by Beth Forbes, (765) 494-2722, bforbes@aes.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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