While I was at Whole Foods last week, I compared the organic apples with the conventional apples. They looked the same and may have tasted the same. Of course, the organics cost about 30% more. But really, other than price, the only thing that distinguished these apples was the display sign that said ‘organic’ and the annoying little sticky things on each apple.
I doubt, indeed I am sure, anyone at Whole Foods, the produce distributor, or the FDA actually tested these organic apples to ensure they were organic. For what would they even be testing? Residual pesticides, perhaps, but what if they were very low? Would that have meant they had been sprayed? What if the orchard down the road had sprayed and the pesticide drifted in the air to the neighboring orchard?
You get the point – it is difficult if not impossible to tell. That’s why the USDA has a strong certification program with farm or plant inspectors, required documentation, etc., to ensure organics are really organic.
Unfortunately, however, there is a lot of fraud, worth millions and millions of dollars. Indeed, the organic premium provides incentive for unscrupulous producers to commit organic fraud. That’s why, when someone is caught, the punishment is severe, including large fines and jail time.
Indeed, some recent examples are provided here, here, and here:
Image: www.growingproduce.com