National Organic Standards Board under fire after passing criteria for labeling organic fish

The National Organic Standards Board passed contentious guidelines for organic labeling of farmed fish, which included standards of production that many environmentalists and consumer advocates saw as compromising the integrity of the organic label. Some advocates question whether the board is trying to “promote organic at any cost” rather than upholding consistency and integrity in the organic label. The criteria will allow fish farmers to use wild fish as feed for carnivorous fish, rather than requiring feed derived from certified organic fish, for up to 25% of the diet. Critics cite much stricter controls over the diets of other organic farm-raised animals, arguing also that the open-net pens that give fish access to wild prey have harmful environmental effects. Many fear that the legitimacy of the organic label itself is at stake. “The challenge is to figure out how we can produce a healthy protein product with a proper regard to where the feed comes from,” says Wally Stevens, director of the Global Aquaculture Alliance. Full Story: The Washington Post