News from the Cornucopia Institute that several Wal-Mart stores have misrepresented organic food items on their shelves should give Livermore pause as it gingerly allows itself to visualize a second superstore behemoth. Cornucopia, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group, busted Wal-Marts in Texas and the Midwest for mislabeling some produce and dairy items as organic. The institute filed a legal complaint Tuesday with the USDA – federal law imposes fines of up to $10,000 for each proven violation. Earlier this year, Wal-Mart announced a commitment to organics, a move that stoked activists’ skepticism. In September, Cornucopia blasted Wal-Mart for sourcing organic products from large-scale factory farms in the Third World, undermining the meaning of “organic.”
Busted: Wal-Mart’s Been a Little Too Free with “Organic”
