U.S. Organic Board Bans Use Of Antibiotic 'Streptomycin'

In order for foods in the grocery store to be labeled “organic,” farmers and food processors must to follow a set of standards set by the government.

Every six months, the National Organic Standards Board, an advisory board appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, gets together to consider changes to those rules.

The board has been meeting this week in San Antonio, Texas, but the meeting has been more contentious than usual. It voted today to no longer allow farmers to use the antibiotic streptomycin to prevent a type of fruit blight.

NPR’s Food and Agriculture Correspondent Dan Charles discusses this decision and the contentious meeting, with Here & Now’s Sacha Pfeiffer.

Guest

• Dan Charles, food and agriculture correspondent for NPR. He tweets @nprDanCharles.

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