WASHINGTON, DC- Today Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced a bill to preserve truth in labeling of organic foods. The legislation requires farms to feed livestock with organically produced feed in order to be certified as an organic farm.

"It is categorically unfair to consumers to deceive them about what they are purchasing," said Smith. "Labeling a product ‘organic' is a promise that it has been cultivated using natural foods and methods. We need to preserve the federal standard that has been established."

The bill reverses a provision in the Omnibus Appropriations Act, signed into law on February 20th, that allows poultry products to be labeled "organic" even though they do not meet the strict criteria set forth by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), including the requirement that the animals be fed organically grown feed. This provision is opposed by both the USDA and the National Organic Standards Board.

"Consumer confidence in organic standards and products will be lost if we don't reverse this law," said Smith. "This bill will help build and protect the integrity of the nascent and promising organic industry."

When the USDA was promulgating organic standards, Smith urged the implementation of strong standards to exclude products produced with genetic engineering, biosolids, and ionizing irradiation. The organic industry is the fastest growing segment of American agriculture with over $10 billion in sales annually. In 2001, Oregon had 17,344 total organic acres.