The United States Department of Agriculture{{U}} (1) {{/U}}for organic food products. The requirements come more than{{U}} (2) {{/U}}after Congress ordered the development of such rules.
Currently, different state and{{U}} (3) {{/U}}establish organic food requirements in the United States. Each group uses its own rules to decide what products may be called organic.
Organic food is one of{{U}} (4) {{/U}}in American agriculture. The Agriculture Department estimates that American farmers sold{{U}} (5) {{/U}}worth of organic food last year.
Farmers who grow organic food{{U}} (6) {{/U}}to increase their crops or to control insects and disease. Many people believe that eating organic food is{{U}} (7) {{/U}}than eating food produced with chemicals. Some people{{U}} (8) {{/U}}pay more for such food products.
{{U}} (9) {{/U}}says there are more than{{U}} (10) {{/U}}in the United States who grow food organically. Most of them produce only{{U}} (11) {{/U}}food. Yet, the number of organic farmers is{{U}} (12) {{/U}}of about 12 percent each year.
The new requirements set rules for what food products{{U}} (13) {{/U}}. For example, at least 95 percent of{{U}} (14) {{/U}}called organic must be organic. {{U}}(15) {{/U}}will be permitted to{{U}} (16) {{/U}} "made with organic ingredients" if at least 70 percent of their materials are organic.
In addition, a state or private agency approved by the Agriculture Department must document which farms or businesses{{U}} (17) {{/U}}organic foods.
The rules bar the use of genetic engineering, the process of changing the genes of living things. They bar the use of waste products to{{U}} (18) {{/U}}to fertilize organic food. They also bar treatments with radiation to kill bacteria on food products.
Farmers and food companies have 18 months to start obeying{{U}} (19) {{/U}}. Americans will begin to see the effect of the rules in their local stores by the summer of 2001.
Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman{{U}} (20) {{/U}}. He called them the strongest and most complete organic food rules in the world.