In recent months, it seems as though organic farmers and the organic food movement have been taking quite a beating. One example of this occurred during November 2012 when voters in California rejected proposition 37 which would have made it a legal requirement for genetically modified (GM) foods to state that they have been genetically modified or that they contain ingredients which may have been derived from GM crops. This move could save millions of dollars. Well-Known Environmentalist Admits to Being Wrong With yet another blow being dealt to the organic food community, Mark Lynas admitted that he had previously made the wrong assumptions with regards to GM foods. In fact, recent studies have revealed that food derived from organic farming methods is no healthier than food grown conventionally. Another studied conducted during 2009 that was published in the American Journal of Nutrition also concluded that there was no significant difference in the amount of nutrients and goodness found in food that was produced by organic farmers. Although there have been studies that have shown organic produce to be of a higher quality, many of them were flawed and showed inconclusive results. Defunding the Organic Certification Subsidy While many people feel sorry for the organic farmers who are affected by these changes, others feel that they can only be for the good of the population. A staggering $22 million was cut from the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program which means that subsidies will no longer be available for farmers who wish to label their produce as being organic. According to the USDA, the only difference between organic food and conventionally grown food is the processes that have been used to grow them. It has nothing to do with the actual food itself. The reason for this is that organic products can still contain non-organic ingredients and organic farming does not prohibit pesticide use. Subsidies May be Reinstated Later Although the subsidy for organic food labeling was recently cut, there may be a possibility of it being reinstated at a later stage. For the time being however, it means that American taxpayers will no longer be required to foot the bill for what seems to be the completely unnecessary expenditure of printing and placing ‘USDA organic’ labels on foods which may in fact contain GM ingredients anyway. By doing this, it means that there will be fewer products on the market that have been dishonestly labeled as being organic when they are actually no healthier than conventionally-grown products. When it comes to choosing food at the supermarket or Whole Foods store, consumers need to be made aware of the fact that just because an item states that it is ‘USDA organic,’ it may still contain ingredients which have been derived from non-organic farming sources. Therefore, consumers need to become educated regarding food labels so that they are then able to make more informed choices regarding the food that they and their families consume each day.