HOUSTON —
THE QUESTION
Are organic food labels changing?
SOURCES
- USDA National Organic Program
- FDA
- 1990 Farm Bill
- USDA Economic Research Service
- H-E-B
- Kroger
- Whole Foods
THE ANSWER
Yes, the rules for organic products are changing.
WHAT WE FOUND
Rules have changed for the organic food industry as of March 19. The National Organic Program (NOP) says new regulations are now closing the gap that allowed non-certified organic suppliers to enter the U.S. marketplace.
The NOP is a federally regulated program overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
KHOU Verify spoke with NOP Deputy Administrator Dr. Jennifer Tucker about the changes.
"Organic is a very important part of the food market and retailers are going to make decisions about what they carry, based on consumer preferences. Our job here at the National Organic Program is to make sure that when that consumer, at whatever store, when they reach out to grab that organic product they can truly be incredibly confident that it meets our standards here at the USDA," Tucker said. "It is a federally protected seal which means we can use the full weight of the law to prosecute violators of the standards. So if someone is selling organic that isn't certified or isn't following the rules we have a lot of power as the federal government to protect that product and hold people accountable for any fraud or violations of the standards."
Shoppers will not see a significant difference at the grocery store when it comes to these new rules. Rather we learned that the supply chain is the most impacted by the rules.
We checked with three grocery stores -- H-E-B, Kroger and Whole Foods -- about compliance with the new regulations. All three told KHOU Verify they will and are in compliance as of the implementation deadline.
In a statement, Kroger also tells the KHOU Verify team in an email, "Kroger is not forecasting any price increases associated with these new guidelines."
There is only one organic label that is allowed in the U.S. and that is the USDA Organic label, according to Dr. Jennifer Tucker. Shoppers will be able to spot the USDA Organic logo in two forms, one with the registration trade symbol and another without. The USDA allows certified organic operations to choose between the two versions of the logo.
Watch the video below from the KHOU Verify team interview with Tucker on what she said about the use of labels in the marketplace.
Learn more about the four different organic labels and their meaning by clicking here.
If you suspect a product that could violate the organic rules, click here.