From its beginnings on individual unregulated farms to its growth through local and regional networks,
and nally now to the establishment of a national standard, organic foods have traveled an amazing path
over the last thirty years. The growth has been continuous, driven by increasing ecological concerns, and,
importantly, heightened consumer demand. As fast as growers and processors have put products on the
market, consumers have put them into their shopping carts. As time has demonstrated, the popularity
of organic foods is a pattern that is here to stay, not some kind of passing fad. According to a Kellogg
Foundation poll, people who buy organic food at least once a week defy demographic denition."1 At the
same time, organic farming has exploded into one of the hottest megatrends in U.S. agribusiness."2
This paper explores the growth in organic food regulation that has accompanied the corresponding growth
in the overall organic food business.