WASHINGTON, D.C., December 20, 2000: The government released the first national standards for growing and processing organic foods. Foods that meet the new federal standards will bear a seal “USDA Organic” and replace dozens of local standards. The new regulations will ban the use of biotechnology or irradiation in organic products, which are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides. It will also ban the use of antibiotics in organic meat and require dairy cattle to have access to pasture. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman called the rules “the strictest, most comprehensive organic standards in the world.” Farmers and handlers will have 18 months to comply with the standards to earn the USDA seal.
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