The Market Is Ineficcient

The New York Times has an article claiming or at least trying to disparage the safety of organic products. The problem is not organics which have an extra layer of inspection over non organic foods. The problem is for profit companies inspecting them. It should be done by the government.

Arthur Harvey, a Maine blueberry farmer who does organic inspections, said agents have an incentive to approve companies that are paying them.

“Certifiers have a considerable financial interest in keeping their clients going,” he said.

If they can not get one company to certify it they will look around for another. No doubt the Bush administration knew this when they set it up. This helps all the companies with absolutely no morals. Got salmonella in your peanut butter, no problem, find another company to certify it. The government could just shut it down but private companies do not have the power. Greed is bad!