Organic Food
Overview
Canada’s Organic Food Certification system is « little more than an EXTORTION RACKET », a report says.
In Canada, there is NO MANDATORY LABORATORY TESTING of products to ensure organic-labelled food is actually farmed without pest control products, leaving the Organics Industry in the hands of the honour system.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency did internal SPOT TESTS in 2011, and found that nearly 24 PER CENT CONTAINED PESTICIDE RESIDUE.
Organic crops and livestock are NOT TESTED in Canada before they are certified, thus making Organic Certification essentially MEANINGLESS.
A certifier really has NO INCENTIVE WHATSOEVER to crack down on a grower who might be breaking the rules.
LYING, CHEATING, and FRAUD
are the ONLY ways to make
Organic Food Production
appear to work effectively
Organic Food
Extortion Racket
In Canada, Organic Certification is little more than an EXTORTION RACKET.
Organic Food is NOT TESTED before it is CERTIFIED, thus MAKING ORGANIC CERTIFICATION ESSENTIALLY MEANINGLESS.
MANDATORY LABORATORY TESTING would ensure that Organic Food is actually farmed without pest control productpest control products.
With NO VERIFICATION THROUGH TESTING, the Organic Industry operates on a BOGUS HONOUR SYSTEM, providing a clear INVITATION FOR FRAUD AND ABUSE.
Consumers are PAYING A HEFTY PREMIUM FOR ORGANIC CERTIFICATION THAT REQUIRES NO PROOF.
Organic Food amounts to little more than an EXTORTION RACKET, one that the greediest of mafiosi would envy.
In fact, Organic Food Production DOES NOT WORK and is A DISMAL FAILURE !
There are NO viable, efficacious, economical, or low-risk alternatives and practices to replace conventional pest control products.
It is IMPOSSIBLE for growers to provide so-called Organic Food that is Pesticide-Free.
LYING, CHEATING, and FRAUD are the ONLY ways to make Organic Food Production appear to work effectively.
Organic
Nightmare
& Extortion
November 24th, 2012
National Post
Selected and Adapted Excerpts
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
Certification Might Mean Almost Nothing
Inside the enormous Whole Foods Market in Oakville, west of Toronto, a red and yellow streaked Honeycrisp is plucked from the top of an orchard’s worth of apples in wooden crates near the entrance.
A round sticker near its stem says ― « Certified Organic ».
At $7.68 per kilogram, four of them cost $6.51.
Firm, juicy and sufficiently tart, it’s a tasty apple, to be sure.
But what does that sticker mean ?
It might mean a lot.
And « Certified Organic » MIGHT MEAN ALMOST NOTHING.
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
Excoriating Report From Frontier Centre For Public Policy
Annual organic agricultural sales in Canada exceed $2.6-billion, by recent estimates, with supermarket chains joining alternative stores in stocking an ever-widening array of Organic-Labelled Products.
As the popularity of Organic Food explodes in Canada, it has drawn NEW SCRUTINY THAT RAISES QUESTIONS OVER ITS AUTHENTICITY, MEANING, AND VALUE.
It is the AUTHENTICITY of Organic Food labelling that forms the core of an EXCORIATING REPORT from Frontier Centre For Public Policy written by Mischa Popoff and Patrick Moore.
Frontier Centre For Public Policy is an independent, Western-Canada-based public policy THINK TANK with offices in Winnipeg, Regina, and Calgary.
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
No Proof Required ― Invitation For Fraud And Abuse
Canada’s legislated Organic Certification Process is an INVITATION FOR FRAUD AND ABUSE, the report argues, with consumers PAYING AN OFTEN HEFTY PREMIUM FOR A CERTIFICATION THAT REQUIRES NO PROOF.
In response to the Organic Industry’s growth, Canada ENACTED A LABELLING REQUIREMENT.
Since 2009, products making an ORGANIC CLAIM MUST BE CERTIFIED by an agency accredited by Canadian Food Inspection Agency ( CFIA ).
NOT INCLUDED in that process, however, is MANDATORY LABORATORY TESTING of products that could ensure Organic Food is actually farmed without pest control products, leaving the Organic Industry in the hands of a BOGUS HONOUR SYSTEM.
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
Extortion Racket
According to Mischa Popoff and Patrick Moore in their report entitled Canada’s Organic Nightmare ―
It amounts to little more than an EXTORTION RACKET, one that the greediest of mafiosi would envy.
The report was published by Frontier Centre For Public Policy, an independent, Western-Canada-based public policy THINK TANK with offices in Winnipeg, Regina, and Calgary.
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
Dirty Little Secret ― Certification Meaningless
According to Popoff and Moore, the Organic Industry has a « DIRTY LITTLE SECRET » about ORGANIC CERTIFICATION ―
Organic crops and livestock are NOT TESTED in Canada before they are certified, thus MAKING ORGANIC CERTIFICATION ESSENTIALLY MEANINGLESS.
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
Integrity Needs Defending
The Organic Industry rejects that notion and defends the INTEGRITY of its members and the system. [ ?!?! ]
According to Stephanie Wells, Senior Regulatory Affairs Advisor with the Canada Organic Trade Association ―
Organic farmers and processors undergo scrutiny with audits and inspections against Canada’s organic standards.
The organic standards in Canada are very robust. [ ?!?! ]
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
For-Profit Certification Businesses
Canadian Food Inspection Agency ( CFIA ) said organic products are subject to its regular chemical residue monitoring program, along with all other food products.
The federal agency, itself, does not provide ORGANIC CERTIFICATION, but rather accredits PRIVATE BUSINESSES to do it.
Most are FOR-PROFIT BUSINESSES.
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
Perversion Of Lies
According to Mischa Popoff and Patrick Moore in their report entitled Canada’s Organic Nightmare ―
The greatest PERVERSION LIES in the fact that most CFIA-accredited organic certifiers also COLLECT « ROYALTIES » of between 1 per cent and 3 per cent on their clients’ gross revenue.
So, A CERTIFIER REALLY HAS NO INCENTIVE WHATSOEVER TO CRACK DOWN ON A CLIENT WHO MIGHT BE BREAKING THE RULES.
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
Certification With Little Direct Oversight
The CFIA-approved certifying agencies include companies abroad who can, in turn, bestow CFIA’s blessing onto Canadian producers, with LITTLE DIRECT OVERSIGHT.
There are agencies providing CFIA-approved ORGANIC CERTIFICATION in Albania, Algeria, Burkina Faso, China, Colombia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Sierra Leone, and others places where environmental standards and business practices may not be as strict.
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
CFIA Response
According to Canadian Food Inspection Agency ( CFIA ) in a written response ―
The certification bodies are responsible for verifying that organic operators are producing organic products in accordance with Canada’s organic standard.
CFIA did not dispute that it relies largely on the HONOUR SYSTEM ―
Verification officers, employed by these certification bodies, conduct on-farm and facility inspections to ensure that organic producers are conducting their operations according to the Canadian Organic standard.
And problems have been found.
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
Problems With Organic
CFIA documents showed that the agency did internal spot tests in 2011, and found that nearly 24 per cent of 178 Organic Apples it tested CONTAINED PESTICIDE RESIDUE.
The results were kept for internal discussion only until CBC News compelled their release through the Access To Information Act.
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
Organic-Lunatics Will Say ANYTHING To Keep Their PROFITS
According to Stephanie Wells, Senior Regulatory Affairs Advisor with the Canada Organic Trade Association, pest control products found in Organic Food likely come from INADVERTENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION KNOWN AS DRIFT [ ?!?! ] ―
We don’t have a problem with testing.
We have a problem with too much testing, which could add a HORRIFIC COST for consumers. [ ?!?! ]
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
What Consumers Think They Know About Organic Food
Ben Campbell is an Assistant Professor with the University Of Connecticut’s Department Of Agricultural And Resource Economics.
Campbell works with colleagues at Ontario’s Vineland Research And Innovation Centre.
They studied what consumers know — or think they know — about Organic Food.
Their study is about to be published in the Canadian Journal Of Agricultural Economics.
A large majority of those surveyed ( 83 per cent ) got the essential concept correct ― that organic meant no synthetic pesticides used.
But the study also found large gaps in knowledge and a subset of consumers getting it completely wrong.
According to Ben Campbell ―
There are a large number of consumers who have MISPERCEPTIONS of what organic means, attaching to it things that generally aren’t true.
For example …
29 per cent said it also meant no natural pesticides were used, which is often NOT TRUE.
17 per cent said it meant the food was grown or produced locally, which is DRAMATICALLY UNTRUE, since more than half of all Organic Food purchased in Canada is imported.
52 per cent of consumers relate organic as better for the environment. [ Wrong ! ]
34 per cent believed organic tastes better.
34 per cent believed organic provides more nutrition. [ Wrong ! ]
Consumers with the best understanding tended to be better educated, of Western European heritage, female and the primary shopper in the house.
Consumers who shopped most at independent stores or farmers’ markets were most likely to get aspects WRONG, attaching additional or UNTRUE BENEFITS to organics, the study found.
According to the study ―
This seems to indicate that as consumers invest themselves, whether through perceived knowledge or interest in foods, they gravitate to a more positive view of local and organic AT THE EXPENSE OF CONCLUSIVE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE.
Organic Food
Not Healthier ― Stanford Study
Recent studies have also questioned the health value of Organic Food.
A recent high-profile study by researchers at Stanford University in California found that, as a whole, Organic Food offered no more vitamins and nutrients than conventional products.
The study, published in the Annals Of Internal Medicine, analyzed the results of 240 previous studies.
According to Crystal Smith-Spangler, the study’s lead author ―
There WASN’T ANY STRONG EVIDENCE to support the idea that Organic Foods are significantly healthier.
The analysis did find Organic Food was 30 per cent less likely to contain trace levels of pest control products.
Additionally, the study’s researchers said it was UNCOMMON FOR ANY FOOD, ORGANIC OR CONVENTIONAL, TO HAVE UNSAFE LEVELS.
According to Stephanie Wells, Senior Regulatory Affairs Advisor with the Canada Organic Trade Association, the Stanford study created a lot of negative buzz, but notes it did find Organic Food contained significantly lower levels of pest control products, showing the organic system, as a whole, was working. [ ?!?! ]
FORCE OF NATURE — ORGANIC FOOD — 2012 09 03 — ORGANIC FOODS NOT HEALTHIER OR MORE NUTRITIOUS ( Report )
Organic Food
Not More Nutritious ― American Academy Of Pediatrics
Similarly, the American Academy Of Pediatrics recently published advice to parents in the journal Pediatrics that feeding Organic Food to children should reduce their exposure to pest control products, but that ORGANIC FOOD WAS NOT NECESSARILY MORE NUTRITIOUS THAN CONVENTIONAL FOOD.
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
Questioning Authenticity
According to Mischa Popoff and Patrick Moore in their report entitled Canada’s Organic Nightmare …
… WITHOUT PROOF, ORGANIC AUTHENTICITY SHOULD BE QUESTIONED.
When LARGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY are involved, such things like HONOUR SYSTEMS, and the like, CANNOT BE RELIED UPON ―
Should there not be, at least, a bit of SCIENTIFIC SCRUTINY in this premium-priced food market ?
Organic Food ― Nightmare & Extortion
Canada’s Organic Nightmare ― Executive Summary
October 2012
Mischa Popoff and Patrick Moore
Frontier Centre For Public Policy
Selected and Adapted Excerpts
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency ( CFIA ) is supposed to protect Canadian consumers by ensuring food is safe and that it conforms to all labelling claims.
Every year, the CFIA pulls food samples from all points in the food chain, from the farm to the grocery shelf, and every year it brings the gavel down on violators who put consumers at risk by selling second- or third-rate product or downright fraudulent product.
This goes on everywhere, every day of the year, behind the scenes, to protect you and your family … everywhere, EXCEPT IN THE ORGANIC SECTOR.
A SUSTAINED ASSAULT is being levelled AGAINST AGRICULTURE across North America.
It comes generally from environmentalists, but more specifically, from the Organic Industry, which survives, for the most part, by LEVELLING UNFOUNDED ATTACKS AGAINST ANY FORM OF FOOD THAT IS NOT ORGANIC.
Through all the court cases against biotechnology and the public relations campaigns against pest control product and fertilizer use — to say nothing of the ABSURD ALLEGATIONS that most of the food we eat is unsafe, even toxic — the organic activist crowd harboured a dirty little secret ―
ORGANIC CROPS AND LIVESTOCK ARE NOT TESTED IN CANADA BEFORE THEY ARE CERTIFIED, THUS MAKING ORGANIC CERTIFICATION ESSENTIALLY MEANINGLESS.
An inspection of an organic farm or processing facility consists mainly of a review of the applicant’s records, followed by a brief tour, during which an inspector might notice minor, technical infractions, but is UNLIKELY TO FIND EVIDENCE OF FRAUD OR GROSS NEGLIGENCE.
Since the inspected party knows well in advance when the inspector will be dropping by, there is no such thing as a surprise visit.
There is talk in the United States of introducing routine, across-the-board, unannounced testing of organic crops, livestock and stored product.
The United States’ federal organic standards allow for this, and so, in a healthy example of subsidiarity, some states voluntarily carry out MANDATORY, SCIENTIFIC ORGANIC FIELD TESTING at the local level in their application of U.S. federal organic standards.
However, in Canada, there is no such testing anywhere, just the exhaustive review of paperwork, because CANADIAN FEDERAL ORGANIC STANDARD DOES NOT EVEN ALLOW FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF SCIENCE-BASED ORGANIC FIELD TESTING.
It was left out of our federal organic standard.
This is ironic considering that the CFIA, a world-renowned, science-based regulatory agency, is currently undergoing a major overhaul in order to « to bring consistency to food inspection in Canada with mandatory preventive controls for all foods across the supply chain ».
Again, it must be stressed, this evidently means ALL FOODS, EXCEPT FOR ORGANIC.
Defenders of the status quo routinely claim that testing organic farms would be expensive, but as we will show, all evidence points to the contrary ―
TESTING ORGANIC FARMS WILL, IN FACT, COST LESS THAN A TENTH OF THE COST OF RUNNING THE CURRENT ORGANIC CERTIFICATION SYSTEM !
It comes as no surprise that with more than $2-billion per annum at stake, the Canadian Organic Industry lobby is DEAD SET AGAINST ORGANIC FIELD TESTING, and will go to any lengths to discredit anyone who promotes the application of the scientific method to the Organic Industry.
True rank-and-file organic farmers, meanwhile, have no affinity whatsoever for the class of self-appointed, urban political activists who claim to represent them.
Canadian organic farmers, like their U.S. counterparts, support field testing, as they know better than anyone that they have nothing to hide, and they know first-hand the many benefits that science and technology have to offer to the field of agriculture, even organic agriculture.
Considering that Canada’s food system is FAIRLY SAFE, and is ONE OF THE MOST EFFICIENT IN THE WORLD, and considering that only clean air and water are more important than food to the smooth functioning of an economy, it is probably a good idea for Canadians to take up the cause of DEFENDING OUR FOOD SYSTEM AGAINST ASSAULTS BY A BRANCH OF THE GLOBALIST ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT.
Their attacks really DO NOT HOLD UP, NOT EVEN TO CASUAL SCRUTINY.
In short, while there is nothing preventing the Organic Industry in Canada from someday developing an acceptable, science-based foundation, this paper argues that CANADIAN ORGANIC STANDARDS ARE NOWHERE NEAR ACCEPTABLE in their current configuration given the lack of field testing, which would ensure that applicants are following the rules.
Until scientific laboratory analysis is at least admitted into the Canadian Organic Industry, ORGANIC SPOKESPERSONS WOULD DO WELL TO CEASE AND DESIST ATTACKING THE REGULAR FOOD INDUSTRY.
REFERENCE — ORGANIC FOOD — 2012 10 00 — CANADA'S ORGANIC NIGHTMARE — POPOFF — MOORE
Mischa Popoff
Mischa Popoff is research associate at Frontier Centre For Public Policy.
Frontier Centre For Public Policy is an independent, Western-Canada-based public policy THINK TANK with offices in Winnipeg, Regina, and Calgary.
He earned a B.A. from the University of Saskatchewan where he specialized in the history of nitrogen for fertilizer and warfare.
He then worked as an Advanced Organic Farm and Process Inspector, inspecting over 500 organic farms and processing facilities on both sides of the American-Canadian border.
He now works as a political columnist and radio host.
He is the author of the critically-acclaimed book, Is It Organic ?
Dr. Patrick Moore
Dr. Patrick Moore, Ph.D., ( the « Sensible Environmentalist » ) has been a leader in the international environmental field for nearly 40 years.
He is a co-founder of Greenpeace and served for nine years as President of Greenpeace Canada and seven years as a Director of Greenpeace International.
As the leader of many campaigns, Dr. Moore was a driving force shaping policy and direction while Greenpeace became the world’s largest environmental activist organization.
In recent years, Dr. Moore has been focused on the promotion of sustainability and consensus building among competing concerns.
He was a member of British Columbia government-appointed Round Table on the Environment and Economy from 1990-1994.
In 1990, Dr. Moore founded and chaired the BC Carbon Project, a group that worked to develop a common understanding of climate change.
Dr. Moore currently serves as Chair and Chief Scientist of Greenspirit Strategies, a consultancy focusing on environmental policy and communications in forestry, agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, mining, biodiversity, energy and climate change.
NORAHG is the National Organization Responding Against HUJE that seek to harm the Green space industry.
Communities and businesses are being HARMED by PROHIBITIONS against the use of pest control products in the Urban Landscape.
NORAHG morally represents the VAST SILENT MAJORITY of people associated with turf and ornamental plant maintenance who are OPPOSED to Anti Pesticide PROHIBITION and the CLOSURE or ABANDONMENT of green spaces under the RIDICULOUS PRETEXT of somehow « saving » the environment.
NORAHG is a NATIONAL NON PROFIT NON PARTISAN organization that does not accept money from corporations or governments or trade associations, and represents NO VESTED INTERESTS WHATSOEVER.
NORAHG is dedicated to reporting the work of RESPECTED and HIGHLY RATED EXPERTS who promote ENVIRONMENTAL REALISM and PESTICIDE TRUTHS.
NORAHG pledges to deliver reports that are worthy of peoples’ time and of peoples’ concern, reports that might ordinarily never have breached the parapet.
NORAHG was the brainchild of William H. Gathercole and his colleagues in 1991. Mr. Gathercole is now retired, although his name continues to appear as founder.
For the original copy of this Force Of Nature Report, go to the following link …
For a copy of the Pesticide Truths Report, go to the following link …
Here are Web-Pages and Reports concerning AGRICULTURE, just in case you missed them …
AGRICULTURE – ORGANIC FOOD … DISMALLY BOGUS ( Web-Page )
AGRICULTURE – TARGETED BY ANTI-PESTICIDE ACTIVISTS … AND MORE ( Web-Page )
AGRICULTURE – AGRICULTURE IS NEXT ! – CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY WANTS TO ANNIHILATE THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY – JERILYNN MAKI – KAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA – 2012 06 19 ( Reports )
AGRICULTURE – AGRICULTURE IS NEXT ! – CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY WANTS TO ANNIHILATE THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY – AGRICULTURE — EXPLORING THE CONNECTION – 2008 08 13 ( Reference )
AGRICULTURE – THE WISDOM OF WHELAN & AMERICAN COUNCIL ON SCIENCE AND HEALTH ( ACSH ) – UNMASKED — AGRICULTURE – PESTICIDES ON FOOD ARE SAFE – 2012 01 18 ( Report )
Here are previous reports concerning ORGANIC FOOD, just in case you missed them …
FORCE OF NATURE — ORGANIC FOOD — 2012 09 03 — ORGANIC FOODS NOT HEALTHIER OR MORE NUTRITIOUS ( Report )
FORCE OF NATURE — ORGANIC FOOD — 2012 03 24 — FAILURE OF ORGANIC — DIRTY DOZEN DEBUNKED — RESIDUES RECALCULATED ( Report )
FORCE OF NATURE — ORGANIC FOOD — 2011 10 00 — WISDOM OF HOLLAND — PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE — PART 4 — FOOD CARNAGE ( Report )
FORCE OF NATURE — ORGANIC FOOD — 2011 09 25 — WISDOM OF DRYSDALE — BOGUS ALLEGATIONS ( Report )
FORCE OF NATURE — ORGANIC FOOD — 2011 09 19 — LETTER TO THE EDITOR — COTTAM GHOST-WRITER — FREDERICTON, NEW BRUNSWICK — RESPONSE
FORCE OF NATURE — ORGANIC FOOD — 2011 09 02 — LETTER OF COMPLAINT — ARZEENA HAMIR — RICHMOND FOOD SECURITY SOCIETY
FORCE OF NATURE — ORGANIC FOOD — 2010 09 23 — POSITIVE WAVES — ALLIANCE FOR FOOD & FARMING ( Report )
FORCE OF NATURE — ORGANIC FOOD — 2009 08 03 — CARD — EXAGGERATIONS & LIES ( Report )
FORCE OF NATURE — ORGANIC FOOD — 2009 07 29 — UNMASKED — ORGANIC FOOD NOT MORE NUTRITIOUS — UNITED KINGDOM ( Report )
NORAHG has archived more information on The Pesticide Truths Web-Site …
THE PESTICIDE TRUTHS WEB-SITE
PESTICIDE BANS ARE A FARCE ( Report )
REAL TRENDS AGAINST PESTICIDE BANS ( Web-Page )
CARNAGE CAUSED BY CATASTROPHIC ANTI-PESTICIDE PROHIBITION – MAIN WEB-PAGE
CARNAGE CAUSED BY CATASTROPHIC ANTI-PESTICIDE PROHIBITION – RE-DIRECT LINKS ( Web-Page )
GOLF DESTRUCTION – GOLF IS NEXT ( Web-Page )
WHITE PAPER – THE MYTHS ABOUT BANNING PESTICIDES ( Part 2 ) – LEADING SCIENTIFIC HEALTH AND POLICY EXPERTS
THE COMPLETE LIBRARY OF REPORTS & REFERENCES ( Web-Page )
PESTICIDE TRUTHS REPORTS ( Web-Page )
