The organic industry is broadly supporting a broadsheet exposé that labelled parts of the UK’s organic offer “a scam”.
The front-page article in the Observer on Sunday claimed that the organic sector is facing its first serious test after its investigation revealed that farmers, retailers and food inspectors all disclosed evidence of organic malpractice.
The findings raised concerns that some consumers buying purportedly organic produce are being “ripped off”, and quoted one source that claimed the term organic was being “abused by sellers and producers”.
The article was a reaction to two prosecutions made earlier this month, whereby a butcher from Richmond, London was fined £6,000 for falsely labelling his meat as organic and a Somerset farmer paid a £3,000 penalty for using organic labelling without the correct accreditation.
Martin Cottingham, a spokesman for the Soil Association, one of 10 independent organic certification bodies, said the article showed a positive side to the UK organics industry: “We are pleased about the prosecutions that were the foundation of the story, because this shows that Trading Standards and Environmental Health are taking their responsibility seriously.
“It is also good for the vast majority of organic growers and also for the consumers who are buying organic goods in good faith. Hopefully the publicity will encourage consumers to be vigilant.”
Cottingham added that while the prosecutions are a useful example, consumers should remember that they are isolated incidents and that government regulations in place to test organic produce have rarely revealed problems with legitimacy.
The article claimed that new channels for organic produce such as farmers’ markets and home-delivery box schemes have boosted the sector’s popularity, and as a result caused levels of fraud to rise.
“With loose produce there’s more of a problem, but consumers just need to look at who it is certified by and if they have any cause for suspicion, they then need to report it and take their custom elsewhere.” Cottingham said.
“Unfortunately it’s an area where some dishonest operators might be trying to take advantage, but [other than the recent prosecutions] we have seen no evidence of this. The vast majority of organic farmers are very genuine and go back many years in organic farming.”
A spokesman for Riverford Organic Vegetables, a leading box-scheme provider, said it understands there are some concerns in the sector, but is adamant the certification system provided by the Soil Association is trustworthy: “With any industry you are open to people that take advantage. Unfortunately, there are always people who want to ride on the back of other’s success.
“We are certified by the Soil Association and it is the certifying body that consumers can trust. My advice to people buying organic produce would be to look for the certification body and make sure they are happy about what it stands for. Our customers can rest assured that everything’s done to the letter with the Soil Association.”
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