Wal-ganic?

TEXT OF STORY

SCOTT JAGOW: Wal-Mart started selling organic foods this year. Now, a watchdog group accuses the retailer of duping customers about what is and what isn’t organic. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.

ASHLEY MILNE-TYTE: The Cornucopia Institute says some Wal-Marts in Texas and the Midwest are being cavalier about their labeling.

The group noticed store signs reading “organic” posted in areas where organic and regular foods were displayed together.

Co-director Mark Kastel says this practice is misleading, and in sharp contrast to those at other grocers such as Safeway and Whole Foods.

MARK KASTEL:“They have made quite an investment in staff, both in management and in training, and it’s very obvious that Wal-Mart has not done the same thing.”

Kastel is urging the USDA to investigate. Falsely identifying foods as organic can carry fines of up to $10,000.

I’m Ashley Milne-Tyte for Marketplace.