If Wal-Mart has labeled "ordinary pork" as organic food product, it is not the only one to do so, for that seems to be a common phenomenon in many supermarkets in China. Insiders allege that the main reason for the chaos in the organic food industry is the random nature of authentication that 20,000 to 30,000 yuan can buy, says an article in China Youth Daily. Excerpts:

The definition of organic food is quite clear. But the process of production, circulation, authentication and supervision is so non-transparent that consumers have to rely on others' supervision and self-discipline.

As long as relevant departments are not responsible in supervision and let issuing of certificates go unchecked, consumers will be deprived of any sense of guarantee because of lack of restrictions on illegal practices.

If forging certificates is prevalent in society, supervisors will lack responsibility, producers will be devoid of professional ethics and consumers cannot distinguish between ordinary and organic food.

China will certainly make efforts to develop the organic food industry, but it remains a huge challenge. Nevertheless, food producers and supervisors should take some practical actions to restore consumers' confidence in organic food.

(China Daily 11/04/2011 page9)