USDA Inspects Organic Soy

US organic farmers and processors have been asking for closer USDA surveillance over Chinese organics, especially in the wake of recent problems with some products: antifreeze in toothpaste, lead in children's toys and banned antibiotics in fish. Imported Chinese wheat gluten was also the source of toxic melamine blamed in the deaths of thousands of American pets.

Several USDA-certified organic products are imported from China, but of particular concern to residents of Iowa is the amount of organic soybean imports. A shortage of organic soybeans in the US and Canada is forcing more US companies to turn to China. Those beans are used to make foods such as soy milk and tofu; and for feeding organically-raised cows, pigs and chickens.



Industry distrust
Soybean dealers, processors and some farmers familiar with the USDA's strict rules for organic production doubt that Chinese farmers are complying.

Roy Bardole, a director on the United Soybean Board and a soybean processor in Rippey, says he has visited USDA-certified organic soybean fields in Asia where he has seen farmworkers walking through rows with backpack sprayers.

"We may be importing 'organically-produced soybeans' that have either herbicide or insecticide on them, which is absolutely against the rules in the US," he explains. "It's not fair to the US producers." But importers and certifiers say Chinese farms are subject to the same scrutiny as US farms. The USDA won't say whether it suspects violations.

Settling fears?
Imports now account for about half of all soybeans purchased for organic food and livestock feed, according to Lynn Clarkson, president of Clarkson Grain in Cerro Gordo, Illinois. Eighty percent to 90 percent of those imports come from China and the rest from South America.

The USDA's visit to China should "do a lot to calm people's concerns," he believes. "It also will do a lot to warn people who might be cheating, or thinking of cheating, that we're going to be looking."

All USDA-certified organic farms and processors, regardless of where they are, have to follow the same regulations that prohibit chemicals on crops and antibiotics and hormones in livestock.

Shoppers might not know products are coming from China because companies are not required to list the source of ingredients on the label.

Sarah Reid, 30, of Des Moines says that as long as imported organic products are held to the same requirements as US products, organic ingredients from China don't necessarily bother her. Reid buys organic soy products and meat. She said that her three-year-old son can't drink regular milk and that organic foods have "fewer nasty things" in them.

No cause for concern
Peter Shortridge, president of Northland Organic Foods says consumers shouldn't worry as much about organic Chinese imports as they do other Chinese agricultural products. All organic farms are monitored by third-party certifiers who hire inspectors to ensure growers and processors are following USDA rules, he explains. To further assure quality, Northland Organic contracts directly with organic farmers in China to supply its US customers, and it does its own inspections and chemical testing—a step not required by the USDA for both imports and domestic beans.

Most Chinese farms are certified by the Organic Crop Improvement Association in Lincoln, Nebraska, which has more than 200 clients in China. It is one of the four certifiers that USDA auditors plan to visit this month in China. Jeff See, the association's executive director, says his agency has been inspecting in China since 1994.

Although China's problems with industrial pollution exposed some fields to environmental contamination, they can still be certified as long as growers are following the USDA organic rules, he explains.

Uneven ground
Iowa organic soybean farmers still feel that their Chinese competitors are not held to the same standards. And they say poor quality or fraudulent organic soybean imports could cast doubt over the entire industry.

"It's definitely something to worry about," asserts Tom Frantzen, an organic soybean farmer in New Hampton. "The [organics] train is pulled by an engine of people who want a differentiated food because they believe what they're getting has value. If you water that down, you take away the power of that engine."