but there has been a problem, at least in Australia, with supermarkets slapping "organic" on their labels without any discernable basis for that. Part of the problem here is that there are at least four bodies that supposively regulate standards for "organic". They differe quite considerably, but you wouldn't know that unless you spent a lot of in-depth time reading their requirements. It does tend to leave a bad taste in the mouth. (no pun intended).

I am not skeptical about organic per se. I shop at my local co-op market (around the corner!) and I trust their certification because they're local and they take a lot of time to explain what their labeling means. It's almost a person-to-person connection. As I said upthread, I also look to the UK's Soil Association certification as a "gold standard" for organic labelling; it is simple, respected, and easy to understand. The British government in its wisdom has chosen not to meddle with that and in fact looks to the Soil Association for assistance in creating their own ag standards when it comes to organic.

I agree with you that organic farming has a social justice as well as an environmental agenda, which is why I detest the cheapening of the words as some supermarkets have tried to do.