So what does that organic label really mean apart from a higher price? Reem Leila reports Food produce labelled organic retails at up to four times the price of its non- organic counterpart, thanks largely to the growing perception among consumers that it is healthier and more environmentally friendly. Yet according to a report by the Ein Consumer Protection Society (ECPS), delivered recently to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, produce labelled organic in Egypt consistently failed to meet even minimum standards. Samples were tested from all companies in Egypt marketing organic produce, says ECPS head Anan Helal. The fruit, vegetables, eggs, juices, olives and milk tested all contained "a high percentage of cadmium and lead residues" and traces of fertiliser and pesticide residues. "There is no real difference between organic and inorganic products in Egypt," Helal concluded. "Egyptian consumers are being deceived when they pay a premium for organic produce." Organic farms account for just one per cent of the farmland in Egypt and consumers tend to assume that what they produce is somehow healthier and more natural than conventional agricultural produce. "The term organic, whether applied to products or farming methods, should imply a fixed set of standards, but this is not the case in Egypt," says Helal. After the ECPS report was referred to the Domestic Trade Department (DTD) of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, DTD head Mohamed Abu Shadi convened an emergency meeting attended by organic producers. "During the meeting new specifications for organic products were set in accordance with international standards," says Abu Shadi. Owners of organic farms have been granted a grace period of three months to meet the new specifications. "Producers who fail to meet the new standards and who continue to label their produce as organic will be fined and have their farms closed for a period of between three and six months," revealed Abu Shadi. A further meeting with all organic farm owners will take place after the three-month grace period to evaluate their status. "Any farm that has failed to adjust its status will have its licence removed until it meets the new standards," says Abu Shadi. Food marketed as organic must be free of any trace of chemical fertilisers and pesticides and sold in environmentally friendly packaging. Organic produce, which commands a premium when it is sold, is a growth market. But not, says Youssef Hamdi, the chairman of the Egyptian Centre of Organic Agriculture and an expert in soil microbiology, in Egypt. Any real organic crops produced in Egypt are, he says, allocated for export, rarely, if ever, making it to the local market. "In Egypt more than 95 per cent of organic products are exported," says Hamdi. "They are simply too expensive for the local market." The prohibitively high price of organic agents, including bio-pesticides, place them out of reach of most Egyptian food producers, though, as Hamdi points out, if more producers were to enter the market then prices would drop. In the meantime Hamdi advises consumers to refrain from buying products labelled organic until they are sure that is what they are getting. "The situation should be clearer in three months time, when a full report is due to be delivered to the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Consumers should wait until then or else face the prospect of wasting their money," says Hamdi.
