January 18, 2006
Consumer Reports
101 Truman Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10703-1057
Dear Margot Slade,
Regarding your February article on organic products: There are many other compelling reasons to choose organic products than just reducing dietary exposure to pesticides. Choosing organic products-both food and non-food-supports a system of farming that preserves and protects the environment without adding more toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers. Consider the health of farm workers and their children. If your readers would like to leave a healthy environment as a legacy for their children, choosing organic products is one simple way they can use economic power to encourage businesses to make environmentally sound choices.
Your readers also need to know the facts about organic regulations. If a company wants to describe their products as "organic" (containing 95% or more organic ingredients), the law requires that organic ingredients be used if they are available. Price is NOT a factor in determining if an organic ingredient is available.
Yours,
Katherine DiMatteo
Executive Director, Organic Trade Association (the organization that spearheaded the "Keep 'Organic' Organic" campaign, that led the charge against weakening organic feed standards, and that fought to restore organic standards developed through over a decade of public comment and participation)
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