Associated Press photo
News flash: The White House vegetable garden isn't organic.
No kidding.
It was never meant to be.
Sam Kass, the White House chef who oversees the garden, says the staff uses only natural, not synthetic, fertilizers and pesticides. But there was never any intention to apply the strict organic standards to the garden.
“To come out and say (organic) is the one and only way, which is how this would be interpreted, doesn't make any sense,” Kass told the Associated Press during a tour of the garden.
“This is not about getting into all that. This is about kids. They've never seen what broccoli looks like or where peas come from,” Kass said.
“What's really powerful about this garden is it shows kids where food comes from,” he says. “It's captured attention around the world.”
Officials from other countries call the White House to ask how it can be replicated, he said, and Michelle Obama is asked about it wherever she goes.