Jonathan House Emerald
For produce to be certified ‘organic’ in Oregon, no prohibited fertilizers or herbicides may be used in soil or on plants during their growth
and processing. In addition to Oregon Tilth’s certification, the USDA is responsible for accrediting organic food nationally.
Certified organic deemed
‘better’ than conventional
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can cost more, they provide
a suitable option to those
looking to eat chemical free
By Caron Alarab
for the Emerald
Lactose-free herbed cheese with
eggs from vegetarian hens on
sprouted wheat tortillas, raw carrot
juice and vanilla soy milk on rice
puffs — maybe not the typical
breakfast of champions, but a veri
fiable option for those who prefer
food devoid of hormones and pes
ticides. Each of these products is
certified and labeled as “organic.”
From red wine to pretzel
nuggets, it seems almost any prod
uct has an organic counterpart on
the market today. However, for
those who are not already hip to
the health store scene, it may be
difficult to determine just what the
word “organic” means or how cer
tain products become “certified”
while others do not.
Oregon Tilth Inc., a nonprofit re
search and education organization
based in Salem, has been certifying
organic farmers, processors, retail
ers and handlers throughout Ore
gon, the United States and interna
tionally since 1974.
According to Oregon’s Revisited
Statutes of 1995, posted on the OTI
Web site, “organic” means a vari
ety of things. When it comes to
agriculture, no prohibited fertiliz
ers may be used in soils and green
house conditions, and chemicals
including herbicides and growth
regulators are prohibited during
growing and processing.
As for any “organically grown,”
or raised, animals, no prohibited
drugs or antibiotics may be intro
duced to the animals, feed and
pastures must be in accordance
with national standards and no
prohibited hormones or insecti
cides may be added to feed.
The Web site also states that in
order to receive the Oregon Tilth
Certified Organic label, "verifiable
third party inspections and legally
binding affidavits" must accompa
ny the fulfillment of these stan
dards. In the case of packaging, all
ingredients must ne included on
the label and only certain terms
may be used, such as “organic,”
“organically grown,” or “certified
organic,” as opposed to “wild” or
“biologically grown.”
Executive Director of Oregon
Tilth Inc. Peter Gonzalves said the
United States Department of Agri
culture is responsible for accredit
ing certifiers and comes in annual
ly to enforce the National Organic
Program, just fully implemented in
October. The program is a result of
a series of adjustments made to na
tional rules and regulations in re
gards to organically certified prod
“Price is becoming much
less of an issue. We’ve
found organic food isn’t
always more expensive.
In some cases, it’s even
cheaper.
George Brown
owner and co-founder,
The Kiva
ucts across the United States,
Gonzalves said.
Because of this program, USDA
regulates proper certification and
prosecutes companies and vendors
that put out misleading advertise
ments and labels that use “organ
ic” or other terms when not prop
erly certified, Gonzalves said. This
level of certification, however,
doesn’t always come at a low cost,
which may be the reason some
producers and farmers either risk
liability through invalid labeling
or choose not to farm organically at
all, he said.
The Oregon Farm Bureau, also
based in Salem, is the state’s largest
nonpartisan, nonprofit general agri
cultural organization, composed of
about 22,000 Oregon families and
professional staff. According to the
OFB Web site, the organization
strives to find “positive solutions to
challenges facing today’s family
farmers and ranchers.”
Jean Wilkinson is the associate
director of governmental affairs
and assistant general counsel tor
OFB. Part owner in a family wheat
and cattle operation east of the
Cascades, Wilkinson said she has
no real preference for organic
foods, and only some of the OFB
members are organic farmers.
“(Organic foods) are generally
more expensive, and I am confi
dent our foods are safe,” she said.
“From a farmer’s perspective, cer
tification may be an added cost
that ultimately makes the industry
less desirable — but this is a poli
cy issue that needs to be sorted out
between farmers and consumers.”
A key player in the relationship
between farmers and consumers is
the vendor. George Brown is the
owner and co-founder of The
Kiva, a local health store and
bookstore in Eugene that was es
tablished almost 32 years ago. Lo
cated at 125 W. 11th Ave., the
store provides a wide variety of
foods and beverages, close to a
third of which are certified organ
ic. Brown has an optimistic out
look on the future of organic pro
duce and products because of how
competitive the market has gotten
over the years, he said.
“Price is becoming much less of
an issue,” Brown said. “We’ve
found organic food isn't always
more expensive. In some cases, it’s
even cheaper.”
However, he also sees the cus
tomers who don’t find a problem
with the occasionally high prices
of organic products.
"Some people are willing to pay
more,” he said.
Gonzalves described two main
things he considers in buying or
ganic products as an employee of
Oregon Tilth.
“It’s the same thing I hear from
others: ‘Conventional food is edi
ble and organic food is better.’
However, I also support Oregon’s
organic farmers through buying
their products,” Gonzalves said.
“So it’s a bit of each.”
For more information regarding
certification of organic products
and the full definition of “organ
ic,” visit www.tilth.org.
Caron Alarab is a freelance
reporter for the Oregon Daily Emerald.
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