I'm Not the Milk You're Looking For

On the heels of our story about Target's attempts to add legitimacy to its organic product line, Archer Farms ("The Farm That Doesn't Exist," 8/29/07) comes a not-so-surprising postscript.

Last week, the USDA declared that the country's largest certified organic dairy, which supplies organic milk sold under the Archer Farms label, is in "willful" violation of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990.

The USDA counted 14 violations and has put Aurora on notice: Start acting like an organic dairy or stop calling yourself one.

The USDA requires any dairy calling itself organic to give plenty of pasture time to its herd. Instead, Aurora cows get cage time—except for photo shoots.

"These violations are no accident—these are very sophisticated corporate players," says Mark Kastel, of the corporate watchdog group the Cornucopia Institute, which first brought Aurora's violations to the USDA's attention.

So if you're paying more for organic at Target, don't bother: It may just be the same PETA-baiting milk in a slightly more expensive package.

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