ORGANICS: Nonedible goods make claims hard to swallow

Mon, May. 31, 2004

Although organic food now enjoys an official government seal and quality assurance, the body-care-product sector of the industry is as lawless as the Wild West, in regard to content and labeling.

The market for organic nonfood products is burgeoning -- it grew by nearly 20 percent last year -- but consumers have no idea whether "organic" shampoos, toothpaste or soaps are really organic.

Not only are there no official standards, but there also is no agency policing the label claims on nonfood items, which include personal care products, nutritional supplements, organic fiber, household cleaners, flowers and pet food.

The industry has been trying to devise guidelines to prevent "organic" from becoming as eviscerated and meaningless as "natural." But this spring, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said manufacturers of nonfood items cannot display the coveted USDA Organic Seal.

They can, however, call themselves "organic" or say the products are "made with organic ingredients," even if they're not, says the Organic Consumers Association, which is fuming. The watchdog group believes body-care standards should mirror the standards for food. Many in the industry, however, believe the food standards would be unrealistically rigid.