Adriene Hill on Marketplace reported that Organic strawberries may not be (September 29) as "a loophole in federal regulation allows "organic berries" to be grown from conventionally raised plants."
Now I read about Pesticides in Organic Strawberry Plants (Care 2 Make a Difference, Sam Taxy, September 29).
The Care 2 piece uses as its source Farmers Seek to Raise Standards by Rachel Gross (Bay Citizen, NY Times, September 23) which reports on the joint action of Pesticide Action Network and 3 growers
In a nutshell, Care 2 piece notes that root of problem "stems from a loophole in the definition of organic produce: in order for something to be labeled as organic, only the produce itself needs to be pesticide-free. This means that before the plant bears fruit, it can be fumigated and treated with all kinds of dangerous chemicals."
Regarding strawberries in general, Pesticide Action Network in Safe Strawberries calls for a ban on use of Methyl iodide a gas that gets injected in the soil and describes it as a carcinogen.
They suggest that an alternative for organic farming to get rid of pests is mustard and list Swanton Berry Farm as a good citizen in the California berry field.
Under the 'organic' label hood for Green Day # 196
Previously: Furnish your Place with Salvaged Manhattan Timber, Made of New York