What does that organic label really mean and can modern consumers trust that the words on the label are true? This uncertainty is reinforced by the fact that many products touted as organic arrive in the United States via unmonitored supply chains from far away places that can be anywhere in the world.
One of many who believes that an organic label is no more than a flimsy justification to raise prices, writer and professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, Peter Laufer, has authored a book on organic fraud entitled: Organic: A Journalist’s Quest to Discover the Truth Behind Food Labeling.
Professor Laufer makes the important point that transparency involving the source of any product should never be problematic “if everything is as clean as a whistle.” More and more, consumers want to and have every right to know exactly where their food comes from and the overall integrity of the products they are buying.
He is convinced that organic fraud is rampant concerning many foreign products even though industry executives claim that the word “organic” is far more trustworthy than most labels, such as ‘natural’ which is vey ambiguous.
Still, a reputable product like guar gum powder, an important food additive that is grown by nourishing the soil within which it grows, can be of questionable quality when it is produced by foreign sources including China and particularly India, a nation that manufactures about 1–1.25 million tons of guar annually, and is responsible for 80% of the world’s output.
Within the United States, however, the leading purveyor is Guar Resources. Headquartered in West Texas, we manufacture 15.5 million pounds of guar gum powder and organic guar powder every year. The quality of our guar gum powder is consistently superior because in order to maintain our USDA certified organic status, we must undergo an annual review and inspection process, which insures the consistency and stability of product quality.
Purchase our USDA certified organic guar powder.
The Challenge of the US Organic Market And Organic Fraud
Although The USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) is the most tightly regulated and transparent food certification in the world, it faces many unexpected challenges today dealing with a dynamic market that has grown enormously both in scope and complexity over the course of the last 15 years.
The demand for organic products far exceeds the domestic supply, which logically lends itself to a growing reliance on imported sources to meet dynamic consumer needs. The integrity of imported products is of the utmost concern to members of the US organic industry and their certifiers and inspectors are dedicated to total transparency and providing consumers with products that adhere to strict USDA requirements.
Investigators have uncovered a few cases of organic fraud among unscrupulous farmers or food companies within the US marketplace, but they are few and far between. One year, the USDA fined 19 farmers or food companies a total of $87,000 for misusing the organic label. But the USDA is an unforgiving watchdog, and in response, its budget was boosted 40%, allowing a large chunk of these funds to be slated for “compliance and enforcement.”
In the case of guar gum powder, unscrupulous purveyors claim they are USDA certified organic, but in reality they import splits from foreign sources (mostly India)and then grind them in the United States.
Produced by dishonest suppliers, the resulting product is unreliable, . Guar users should remember the following rule of thumb: The only true USDA certified guar gum product is made in the United States by only one supplier; namely, Guar Resources – (806) 637-4662.
India And The Recurring Problem Of Organic Fraud
A recent study conducted by the Delhi-based Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) claims that India remains one of the top 10 exporters of organic products globally, but some malpractices, like the sale of inorganic products disguised as organic have caused the domestic market grave damage.
Organic fraud is a recurring problem, and it is well known that this nation’s certification process is infused with corruption on every level, and particularly prevalent within their supply chain. Complaints from the European Union over the course of the last few years have related mostly to the detection of pesticides in exports and the far from accidental mislabeling of products.
When confronted, India’s ministry of agriculture insists that the necessary laws on marketing farm produce and regulations to prevent fraudulent organics from arriving at the market are already in place.
According to a scathing report issued by CRIER entitled: Organic Farming in India: Status, Issues and The Way Forward, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has fallen short of its responsibilities by not providing clear guidelines and encouraging malpractice by not establishing a uniform framework for penalizing offenses.
Additional Issues With Sourcing Foreign Guar
USA-based users and growers who have purchased guar from foreign sources have suffered greatly and learn a hard lesson before they can turn to the one company that will never let them down; namely. Guar Resources — (806) 637-4662.
The following are a number of additional reasons American farmers and guar purchasers seeking to cultivate guar gum power should be leery of trusting international organic decorations or buy from foreign sources for their supply.
There is No Recourse With A Shipment of Bad Guar
If an American user purchases guar from-a foreign purveyor and has the misfortune of receiving an inferior batch, it is an unrecoverable loss. International organic laws are loose and poorly enforced.
Guar Resources, on the other hand, promises farmers no liability for a lack of production resulting from poor product quality or forces of nature. They are so certain their guar will please that they will purchase 100% of the pounds on contracted Guar acreage. Guar users can be assured that if they buy from Guar Resources, their purchases will be the result of the highest standards of production.
Ordering Abroad Incur Up to 70-Day Advance Costs
This is a mandatory stipulation for American guar users purchasing guar from foreign sources and it has negative effects on cash flow.
In addition, he or she cannot know the quality of the product due to a lack of enforced standards within the international certification system or even when it will arrive. There is no guessing with purchases made from Guar Resources, and buyers can rest easy knowing their delivery will occur within the promised time frame.
Foreign Guar Suppliers Require Warehousing
When buying guar from foreign sources, American users must realize that international warehouses are vital to the global supply chain, but includes the addition of dealing with diverse rules and regulations.
The payment of duty is required as soon as the imported goods leave the warehouse for consumption in the United States. Warehousing costs usually cover the lease, employee salary, equipment cost, electrical bills, etc.
They are usually assembled into a total warehousing fee. The amount of time goods can remain without accruing interest costs is established by law, but it is still a hassle that can be completely avoided by purchasing American made guar from Guar Resources.
Transportation Costs Can be Hefty and Unexpected
Most consumer goods are delivered from a point of production (such as a factory) via one or more points of storage (warehouses) to a point of sale (such as retail stores or manufacturing site), where the consumer buys the goods and is responsible for their transportation to the point of consumption.
When dealing with foreign sources for the purchase of guar, transportation costs can be unpredictable (which is never the case when it is purchased from USDA certified Guar Resources). Guar Resources is located in the United States, which allows for more predictable transportation costs.
These are just a few reasons to source USA grown and manufactured guar. Here are a few more.
In conclusion
While the organic import process may not be perfect, the USDA Organic Program is by far the most highly scrutinized, transparent and trustworthy food system in the world. American farmers and purchases can trust that when they see that USDA label on the guar they purchase from Guar Resources that they will never be defrauded by inferior products or services, nor will they ever stand alone when confronted with any challenges associated with the harvesting of guar.
Buy American, avoid foreign sources of guar, and stay safe with Guar Resources.
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Photo Credits. Pixabay; Reuter’s Amit Dave; Slow Money
