James Fischer wrote:

> 1) To sell or label as "organic", you have to be consistent
> with the OFPA and its implementing regulations. That means
> if there are no standards developed for a specific
> product as yet, one still must follow the intent of the
> regulations as a whole, and be "in accordance" with the
> regulations.  This is what the various alternative
> certification programs are doing, as best they can.

I agree, and that is what I was talking about. Produce that does not 
have their own standards cannot have a USDA seal. However, the over all 
USDA standards are much less stringent than the proposed standards and 
most of us can meet them. Hence, until honey standards are in place, 
quite a bit of honey will meet the "organic" criteria. Not so with the 
proposed honey standards.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and  other info ---