| This week the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) met and decided to okay "organic" farmed fish, despite much opposition from well-respected groups like Consumers Union, Food and Water Watch, and the Center for Food Safety.
Consumers Union sums up the problem with the new standards as follows:
Fish to be fed food other than 100% organic feed-the gold standard that must be met by other USDA-certified organic livestock;
Fishmeal used to feed farmed fish from wild fish-which has the potential to carry mercury and PCBs; and
Open net cages to be used-which flush pollution, disease and parasites from open net fish farms directly into the ocean, adversely impacting wild fish supply, sustainability and the health of the oceans.
When you eat an organic apple, you can feel good that you aren't biting into a bunch of pesticides or other toxins. When you drink a glass of organic milk, you can feel good that you won't be drinking antibiotics and growth hormones. But if this recommendation by NOSB becomes a reality, you will have no such assurances if you eat a "USDA Certified Organic" fish.
While some members of NOSB admitted they were under pressure to OK this from the aquaculture industry, it's clear what American consumers want:
Just this week, a Consumers Union Poll revealed that 93 percent of Americans think that fish labeled as "organic" should be produced by 100 percent organic feed, like all other organic animals. Nine in 10 consumers also agreed that "organic" fish farms should be required to recover waste and not pollute the environment and 57 percent are concerned about ocean pollution caused by "organic" fish farms. Nearly 30,000 signatures have been collected in favor of maintaining strong standards for the organic label for fish. |
