Competition causing Whole Foods to lower organic standards? Longtime Whole Foods suppliers are complaining that the program, which is called Reponsibly Grown, can give a farmer who does not meet stringent requirements for federal organic certification the same rating as true organic farmers.

As the Times further reported:

Conventional growers can receive higher rankings than organic farmers by doing things like establishing a garbage recycling program, relying more on alternative energy sources, eliminating some pesticides and setting aside a portion of fields as a conservation area.