For related articles and more information, please visit OCA’s All About Organics page.

Organic food is big business. According to the Organic Trade Association, U.S. sales of organic food and beverages went from $1 billion in 1990 to $26.7 billion in 2010. The Organic Monitor estimates that organic sales (globally) reached $54.9 billion in 2009. But, unfortunately, many small organic farms are selling out to bigger food corporations. We must ask –

who can we trust?

On the next Natural News Talk Hour – Jonathan Landsman and Mark Kastel, one of the leading advocates for organic food integrity will talk about the current trends within the organic food industry; the legal aspects of organic branding; the GMO labeling movement plus much more. If you care about the source of your food supply – don’t miss this show!   

‘Organic’ food from China – can we believe it?

Whole Foods, arguably the largest retailer of organic foods, ended the year 2013 with sales approaching $13 billion. Clearly, consumer demand for fresh, organic (healthy) food is on the rise. But, wait, for the uninformed consumer – you may want to be careful with your food money.

Many of the foods sold at Whole foods – plus many other health food stores – are loaded with heavy metals, genetically modified ingredients and may not be organic, especially if these foods come from China. You see, even though we see the ‘USDA organic seal’ – many of these foods from China are not really inspected by USDA officials. We have to trust or rely on a ‘third party’ inspector that resides inside China.

In addition, we have to wonder about the quality of the food grown in China – due to its contaminated water supply. A growing number of health conscious consumers are learning that polluted water will usually equal a greater risk for heavy metal toxicity. Bottom line – just because a food product says it’s ‘organic’ doesn’t mean it’s safe to eat. Know your source.