U.S. Staffing, Enforcement Fails to Keep Pace With Organics' Explosive Growth

Note: This is the fourth in a NerdWallet series examining how food fraudulently certified as organic — and priced up accordingly — can make its way to grocers' shelves. The series is republished with permission.The U.S. Department of Agriculture fails at regulation of organic food as fraudulent products overwhelm the agency's conflicted, compromised system, a NerdWallet investigation has found.The USDA's National Organic Program has not kept up with the explosive growth of organic food production and sales — either in staffing or enforcement, NerdWallet found.Since the program began two decades ago, organic food sales in the U.S. have soared to a record $43 billion a year and currently account for 5 percent of the U.S. food market, according to the Organic Trade Association.  Continue reading...

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