All practices and procedures are annually inspected by a third-party certifier. All farms and handlers are required to maintain organic management plans. No prohibited substances are applied to the land on which organic food is grown for at least three years. Children, farmers and farm workers are particularly vulnerable. According to the 1933 National Academy of Sciences study Pesticides in the Diet of Infants and Children, pesticide regulation and monitoring are outdated and flawed.
Risk assessment is based on adult consumption, assuming exposure to only one pesticide at a time.
IT does not take into consideration our multiple exposures to chemicals in water, rug shampoos, common household cleaners, flea powders and dozens of substances common in our modern environment. Reducing the number of exposures to all toxic chemicals should be everyone's goal. By building healthy soil, plants are better able to resist disease and insects. Each small piece of living soil contains thousands of microorganisms which help retain water and provide nutrients to the plants. Organic farmers foster soil fertility through proper tillage and crop rotation.