The organic certification has been allowed to slide for a few beers, mainly due to hop scarcity and pricing.

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Over and over, chefs told us that ingredients from their local sources are farmed using organic methods, yet organic certification is cost-prohibitive for most of these small farms.

FORBES: Local Trumps Organic

The organic certification process is difficult for small farmers.

ECONOMIST: Amish farming

They lobby regulators: Grupo Balbo, a Brazilian organic-sugar producer, is working with the Brazilian government to establish a certification system for organic products.

ECONOMIST: Schumpeter

To be included, a study had to compare organic and conventional planting across similarly-sized areas, had to report on the sample size and error margins, and had to use organic methods that complied with the guidelines of certification organisations (such as the UK's Soil Association).

BBC: Food: Organic growth?

Dr. Bronner's says that the certification companies have issued loose standards for organic labels that a "reasonable consumer" would not understand to include petrochemicals.

FORBES: Magazine Article