Oregon Newspaper Covers the Organic Bodycare Controversy

The Sunday Oregonian

July 20, 2003 Sunday

ORGANIC CHIC: WHEN HIP BECOMES HYPE

By MICHELLE COLE

Summary: Consumers get misled when they think "organic" on a label always means the product is "natural" or "chemical-free"

"People are paying top dollar for stuff labeled 'organic' when, in some cases, these products aren't that different than conventional." -- RONNIE CUMMINS, FOUNDER AND NATIONAL DIRECTOR, ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION

Organic cornflakes. Organic shampoo. Organic mouthwash. Organic deodorant. Organic cotton T-shirts.

Even something as vague as style is now commodified in a magazine called Organic Style.

The word organic permeates the American marketplace.

But "organic" doesn't always mean "natural" or "chemical-free." And, sometimes, the word "organic" is found on a label of a product that isn't organic at all.

Organic, it turns out, may be the new empty label of the decade, harnessing society's expanding appetite for all things healthful and environment-friendly.

Labels, however, are tricky.

Except for foods and agricultural goods, such as lavender or cotton, the federal government plays almost no role in saying how "organic" is used on labels and in advertising. Neither does it police store shelves, where products of debatable pedigrees appear in greater numbers.

Oregon Tilth, a nonprofit organization that certifies farmers and other producers who follow the government's food and agriculture rules, recently discovered its name on body care products it had never reviewed. The organization sent a warning letter to the manufacturer and is keeping its eye out for others.

James Riddle brought a container of "organic" herbicide to the National Organic Standards Board's May meeting to underscore his concern.

"Nothing in it was organic whatsoever," said Riddle, who is both a board member and an inspector of organic agricultural goods.

Ray Green, manager of the state of California's organic program, says he's even seen an "organically certified" zoot suit.

"The word 'organic' is cropping up anywhere and everywhere," Green said. "And it's buyer beware."

The word "organic" has been part of the scientific lexicon for more than a century. It denotes compounds containing carbon. The most common pesticides are technically "organic" chemicals.

But in the past 30 years, "organic" has also become synonymous with "healthful" and "environment-friendly."

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, foods and agricultural crops must meet a precise set of rules before they can carry the word "organic." Those rules include: "no synthetic fertilizers," "no added chemicals" and "raised without antibiotics or hormones."

It's only been in the past few years that "organic" has jumped from apples to skin lotion to yoga wear. And, along the way, acquired a certain cachet with American marketers.

"What's driving 'organic' is a buzz," said Laurie Demeritt, president of the Hartman Group, a research firm specializing in the health and wellness markets.

Most people think of organic as being "healthy" or "quality" or "foodie gourmet," Demeritt said.

For some, organic is just plain hip.

Celebrities schmoozing backstage at this year's MTV Video Music Awards sipped organic green tea soda.

Nike debuted a new "Nike Organics" apparel line last fall featuring premium-priced $28 "100 percent certified organic T-shirts" and elastic-waisted $38 shorts.

"It's perfect timing," said Eraina Duffy, Nike's director of sustainable business integration. "The consumers' awareness of what's going into their bodies naturally translates to what goes on their bodies.'

Organic Style magazine -- launched in September 2001 -- today has more than a half million circulation.

Spokeswoman Jill Meisner describes the typical Organic Style reader as a "sophisticated, educated" woman, 25 to 45 years old. She's a well-paid professional who "desires fulfillment that transcends work and the urban/suburban status quo," Meisner said.

Organicweddings.com, a Web site that sells hemp wedding gowns and "tree-free" invitations, gets 7,000 hits a month.

"Organic is really (about) purity and getting back to basics," said Michelle Kozin, who started organicweddings.com nearly two years ago.

Marketers and advocacy groups say the American public has become more aware of the word "organic" since last fall, when the USDA adopted its long-awaited rules regulating foods and agricultural crops.

A survey this spring by the Organic Trade Association found nearly half of shoppers polled had seen the new green and white "USDA organic" seal on foods.

And they're buying those products.

According to the Organic Trade Association, organic food sales in the United States are growing an average of 20 percent a year -- jumping from $5.5 billion in 1998 to an estimated $13 billion this year.

The USDA has assumed responsibility as lead agency regulating organic foods. But no other government agency has taken similar responsibility for regulating nonfood products wearing an organic label.

It falls to the federal Food and Drug Administration to ensure that cosmetics and other body care products are safe. But a spokeswoman says the FDA does not verify whether such products are truly organic.

The Federal Trade Commission has not yet investigated the veracity of an organic claim, said Michelle Rusk, an attorney in the agency's division of advertising practices.

Regulating "organic" could be difficult, Rusk said, because the FTC would "have to determine if the use of the word 'organic' raised some expectations in consumers' minds and that they were being misled."

Shampoo and other body care products compose one realm drawing the most complaints from the Organic Consumers Association, with more than 500,000 members nationwide.

In the past few years, the word "organic" has either joined or replaced the word "natural" on shampoos and other body care products. In most cases, these products contain at least one ingredient certified as organic under USDA rules -- such as herbs or lavender water.

But many of these shampoos also contain olefin sulfonate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium myreth sulfate, methyl/propylparaben and other synthetic preservatives or petroleum-derived lathering agents found in less-expensive, detergent-laden shampoos.

And that bothers Ronnie Cummins, founder and national director of the Organic Consumers Association.

"People are paying top dollar for stuff labeled 'organic' when, in some cases, these products aren't that different than conventional," he said.

Manufacturers say these synthetic ingredients are necessary to create a shampoo that will lather and remain safe to use.

"We have water mixed with oils. Imagine if you left that in your shower at room temperature for a week. It would fester and mold. We have to put something in there to stop it," said Tim Schaeffer, spokesman for Avalon Natural Products.

Still, the Organic Consumers Association and other advocates who fought through 12 years of public hearings to get strict rules governing organic foods, are pressing the federal government to adopt a new set of standards regulating shampoos, textiles and the plethora of other products labeled "organic."

The industry sees the benefits, too.

The Organic Trade Association, which includes growers, manufacturers and distributors of organic products, recently convened a task force to decide what ingredients should be allowed in personal care products. And what rules should govern the use of the word "organic" on their labels.

Industry-adopted rules would be voluntary -- and are likely to be years away from adoption. But, as happened with organic food rules, they may serve as groundwork for federal regulation.

Another industry task force is working on rules for organic clothing and textiles.

USDA rules specifically address how cotton, wool and other textiles are grown and/or produced. But once the cotton has left the field, there are no rules governing how it is cleaned, bleached, dyed or chemically treated, such as for fireproofing or steam resistance.

"I was amazed to find there are numerous dyes that have heavy metals in them," said Lynn Coody, a Eugene-based consultant to the organic industry and part of the group writing rules for organic clothing and other textile products.

Right now, Coody said, consumers can be certain only that the cotton is certified to be 100 percent organically grown -- not that the T-shirt was 100 percent organically produced.

Without rules governing body care products, textiles and other organic goods, advocates fear the word "organic" will lose its meaning and credibility.

"It's the American way for people to latch on to whatever is hip. But with organic we need to be careful about how it is used," said Simon Harris, spokesman for the Organic Consumers Association.

"If you're marketing a product with the intent of convincing people who are buying it that it's organic," he said, "then, I think you should come under some scrutiny." Michelle Cole: 503-294-5143; michellecole@news.oregonian.com