Food Fraud 2018 - Food Fraud in the Organic Industry

Description :
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Inspector General reported recently that they have failed to review required documents for products labeled as “organic”. This finding and report means a lack of controls at U.S. borders increases the likelihood that nonorganic products are entering the U.S. under “organic” labels.
But importing fraudulent organic products is the tip of the iceberg with some imports showing “organic” on the labels when contents are adulterated with GMO, pesticides or are blatantly non-organic. Indeed, the difference in pricing between organic and non-organic products continues to increase in the face of consumer demand and the need to preserve organic identity.
National Organic Program (NOP) standards were established in 2002. With almost every type of product now flying the “organic” flag from thousands of farms into hundreds of thousands of restaurants and retail establishments, the likelihood of organic food fraud has grown along with the market. The NOP prohibits the use of sewage sludge, GMO, ionizing radiation, synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones, artificial preservatives, flavors, dyes and covers specific labeling rules or products labeled as organic.
The US Department of Agriculture reports punishable fines up to $11,000 and encourages reporting complaints. They list fraudulent organic certificates and all companies legally certified as organic. With organic sales jumping 23% in 2016, The Packer reports explosive industry growth that lends itself to fraudulent practices.