WASHINGTON—Consumers Union derided the National Organic Standards Board's (NOSB) decision to accept the recommendations for “organic” fish production that will allow fish to carry the USDA organic label—despite being raised under conditions that fail to meet fundamental USDA organic principles.
The NOSB voted Nov. 19 to allow fish labeled as organic to be fed up to 25 percent non-organic feed. That would make fish different from all other organic meats, which by law must be fed only 100-percent organic feed to qualify as organic.
The NOSB recommendations allow fish to be fed food other than 100-percent organic feed; fishmeal used to feed farmed fish from wild fish, which has the potential to carry mercury and PCBs; and open net cages to be used, which flush pollution, disease and parasites from open net fish farms directly into the ocean, adversely impacting wild fish supply, sustainability and the health of the oceans.
The recommendations have been transmitted to USDA, which will issue an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) immediately.
“To slap an ‘organic’ label on this fish is deceptive and undermines the entire organic program,” said Urvashi Rangan, PhD, senior scientist and policy analyst at Consumers Union. “If enacted, this gutting of the organic standards will not only allow sub-par organic fish to be sold with a premium, but will undermine consumer confidence in the entire organic marketplace.”