Wal-Mart accused of 'organic fraud'

[KansDem]

Advocacy group claims retailer is misleading its customers by labeling non-organic foods as 'organic.'

By Grace Wong, CNNMoney.com staff writer
January 17 2007: 4:13 PM EST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A policy research group is accusing Wal-Mart of "organic fraud," the latest controversy to arise as the world's largest retailer pushes into the organic food industry.

The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based advocacy group which promotes sustainable farming, claims Wal-Mart (Charts) is defrauding its customers by mislabeling non-organic products as organic.

The policy group said it conducted checks of Wal-Mart stores in five states and discovered labeling violations in virtually all of the "dozens of stores" it visited.

Wal-Mart, which uses green signs to identify organic selections at its stores, said any shelf labeling mistakes are isolated events and that it often mixes organic and conventional products on its shelves to make it easer for customers to find organic options.

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CNN.com

It sounds like Wal-Mart fouled this one up big time:
...it often mixes organic and conventional products on its shelves--Why not just have a separate section for "organic?" I don't know anyone who buys organic who would want to compare with non-organic products. I mean, do I want "Brand A" pure maple syrup or do I want "Brand B" imitation maple syrup made with high-fructose corn syrup with artificial colorings and artificial flavorings. Hmmm, decisions...decisions...

[Greyskye]

1. color me surprised

NOT!

Who didn't see this coming when WarMart announced they were going to carry organic foods?

[silverweb]

2. Ditto that!

You just beat me to saying it. :D

[volstork]

3. Just one more reason

NOT to shop @ HellMart

[PittPoliSci]

4. hey i'm sure they're organic...

as in, carbon based.

seriously, i'm shocked. Shocked I say. :sarcasm:

[fasttense]

5. Just like when old man Walton went around claiming

his crap was made in America. Turned out most of it was from overseas. You can't trust them. Their produce goes bad in a day versus what I can get from a local store.

[natrat]

6. also in gd

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x3140822

[sarcasmo]

7. The face of what's wrong with the United States.

That face, Walmart.

[sakabatou]

8. "Oh noes," cried Walmart

Up yours, Walmart. With a hot poker.

[northofdenali]

9. Not surprising at all. I won't shop there for anything.

I do occasionally visit this competitor in Trapper Creek, though:

[lindisfarne]

10. Gee - how could this be? there must be some error - WalMart is such a good corporation - for the

communities it is in, and for its employees.

(do i really need to post the sarcasm thing?)

[MadHound]

11. This isn't suprising, and frankly WalMart is not the only one.

Organic certification, sadly, allows many deviations from what most people would consider "organic". When the USDA implemented the "Certified Organic" program, it did so at the behest and with the help of corporate agriculture. It made standards tough enough, and expensive enough to drive the small farmers, heretofore the main growers of organic products, out of the field, leaving it clear for corporations to sweep in and take the field. In addition, there are so many loopholes in "Certified Organic" that many, many non-organic practices can still be used in the field.

If you want to help out the small farmer, you can do two things. First, buy local, from a farmers' market. Secondly, rather than look for the Certified Organic label, look for the Certified Naturally Grown label<http://www.naturallygrown.org/> You will getting higher quality, truly organic foods, and helping out the small farmer at the same time.