U.S. beekeepers are challenging USDA rules that allow foreign honey producers to gain organic certification while using less-stringent Canadian rules. (USDA/Contributed)Several U.S. beekeepers are challenging federal regulations they allege offer a leg up to imported honey that’s produced under more lenient foreign organic certification standards. The USDA has enacted rules that allow honey producers in Brazil and elsewhere to bypass organic restrictions that effectively prevent domestic beekeepers from labeling their product as organic, according to the complaint. “USDA-enabled misuse of the USDA organic seal misleads consumers into purchasing honey labeled as ‘organic’ only because of the seal’s existence on the label, when the honey is unlikely to have the true characteristics of ‘organic’ in actual fact,” according to the lawsuit. The plaintiffs have also asked a federal judge to block the USDA from licensing the organic seal to foreign honey producers who rely on these systems.