Clearly, scare tactics and pseudoscience are being used to keep up the momentum for the organic movement. Organic' is only a production claim. Cutting to the Core Because there's so much disagreement on every aspect of the issue, it was difficult to get answers to some of the basic, practical questions I raised about the consequences for consumers of the organic certification provision. There's no such thing as inorganic food, ergo, all food must be organic. Except no one can agree on what this means, either.
Most states do nothing at all.
The best estimate I could get concerning current certification costs is two percent of gross sales. Right now, organic advocates claim, consumers pay anywhere from three to five percent more for organic produce. Amid all the confusion and infighting that went on, I was tempted not to take the movement too seriously. After all, the USDA is clearly dragging its feet, and the Office of Management and Budget refused to appropriate any money in 1992 towards the implementation of the National Standards Board. That question, I realized, is beside the point.