It seems the U.S. Department of Agriculture needs a little insight into what the average consumer expects.

You see, everybody eats. But not everyone cares for all the pesticides and chemical fertilizers that are used to grow crops, or all the antibiotics and growth hormones used to "beef-up" animals, so to speak.

For these folks, there's been one, reliable alternative: organic. In fact, so many people have opted for the organic food aisles that sales have more than doubled in the past five years — adding up to $16.9 billion last year alone. More and more, people want food that's not just safe for them, but for the environment as well.

But the USDA recently gave a temporary OK to allow 38 nonorganic ingredients to be used in foods labeled "USDA Organic." This list includes things such as food colorings, starches, sausage casings, fish oil, gelatin and wakame seaweed.

Under the proposal, as much as 5 percent of the food product can consist of nonorganic ingredients and still get the organic seal. That's like adding 5 percent fat to a non-fat food product.

With big-name companies wanting to cash in on the organic craze, it's pretty obvious what the motive is. It's easier to manufacture products that aren't completely organic.

But consumers aren't that gullible — and the USDA should know better.