| Abstract: |
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) last week called on the Department of Agriculture to work with federal inspectors in eradicating organic food fraud, after recent reports that millions of pounds of falsely labeled products have flooded U.S. markets.“Consumers must know that when they purchase a product that says ‘certified organic’ that they are getting what they paid for,” Schumer said Friday at a press conference in upstate New York. “ The threat of phony organics entering our domestic market could undermine that confidence.”The Washington Post reported in June that 36 million pounds of non-organic soybean and corn grain were shipped from Ukraine and Turkey to California and falsely labeled as USDA organic, which reportedly drove soybean prices up by $4 million. According to the report, 21 million pounds of the product passed through farms and mills before officials intervened. Schumer delivered his remarks alongside employees of Birkett Mills, an upstate New York-based organic producer of buckwheat, soft white wheat and custom grains. |
