AP: Small farms are increasingly labeling their products “Certified Naturally Grown” instead of “organically grown” to avoid federal charges.
AP: Small farms are increasingly labeling their products “Certified Naturally Grown” instead of “organically grown” to avoid federal charges.
Certified farms pledge to follow organic practices, while avoiding the high fee and extensive paperwork required for the federal organic label.
Started by a group of organic farmers in New York’s mid-Hudson Valley as a backlash against federal takeover of the organic program in 2002, Certified Naturally Grown has expanded over the past decade to include more than 700 farms in 47 states, executive director Alice Varon said.
