O rganic farming and food production has been practiced in the United States since the late 1940s. The organic food industry has grown by 20 to 25 percent each year since 1990. Seventy-three percent of supermarket chains nationwide now carry some organic products.
Consumers choose to buy organic foods for a number of reasons.
Some prefer to buy food that is grown without the addition of synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Others are concerned about the effects of pesticides and fertilizers on the environment, including water quality and wildlife health. To help producers meet this standard, the USDA wrote regulations that tell farmers specifically how to produce organic foods. As part of the act, a National Organic Standards Board was set up to make recommendations for writing and carrying out the regulations. A final proposal for the regulation was published in March 2000.