The Ones That Got Away: "Organic" Fish

This week, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), a US Department of Agriculture commission, will vote on proposed standards for labeling farmed fish as "organic." But consumer and environmental groups think something fishy is going on. Consumers Union -- the group that publishes the popular Consumer Reports magazine -- says that the board is recommending the organic label for farmed fish that are fed wild fish.

These wild fish contain high levels of PCBs and mercury from polluted waters, argue environmentalists, who claim that the practice also destroys marine ecosystems by eradicating fish at the bottom of the food chain. Food and Water Watch, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit that monitors the government's oversight of food and water safety, calls the NOSB's position "astonishing." Organic? Probably not. "Faux-rganic" is more like it.

GET INFORMED

• Read "There's Something Fishy About Proposed Organic Standards for Seafood " (Examiner.com, November 7, 2008)
• Learn more about Food and Water Watch

GET INVOLVED

• Sign a Food and Water Watch petition urging the NOSB to reject the proposed standard for organic aquaculture

photo: Craig Stephen