>I feel that what would be best is if the USDA set standards that were
>organically sound and produced nutritionally rich produce so that labelling
>wasn't neccesary.  In other words, the standards set would meet even our
>standards--then labelling wouldn't be needed because we could trust food.

I din't get understood .
my point was that organically sound standards and uniformisation
,industrialisation, centralisation, of food production and distribution are
incompatible. The word standard in itself lead to corporate agriculture
where the power lie in few hands and decide for sheep like customers what is
going to end up in their plate and stomach.
either labelled organic or not or or "organic " becoming the only norm ,
doesnt question  this commercial focus.
At the beginning of the organic movement when just few were doing it or
buying it the rules were demonstrating a pure interest in quality ,now that
it is becoming more commercially avalaible and big money is at stake the
"standards" are full of compromises and will become even more so if the
standardisation  become National and "controlled by one government body.
Now at east there is some competition between different certification
program that keep some focus on raising the quality.
In France the general de Gaulle former president of the  FRench republique
had a famous sentence " a country with over 400 kind of cheeses is
impossible to govern"
It ilustrate well what i want to say.
In the past when the centralisation was still impossible we had in France
good quality of foods with local farmers and markets and lot of variety.
De Gaulle and his successors set up the conditions for  an impoverishment of
the lands , foods and farmers that is now agravated by the european
standardisation ( see the mouth and hoof disease ).

What we really need is to support the small scale localised organic
production of food and local markets.

>.
>By the way, I'm new to this post and was wondering, when I reply to this
>message, does my response get seen by everyone, or just you, jean-claude?
>My name is Courtney Murphy and I just started eating paleo today.

It goes to everybody on the list

welcome Courtney

jean-claude