When is an organic apple not organic?

The case of the apples we tested that contained pesticide residues is a good example of the confusion that reigns in the market. They were marked: "The fruit is not organic, but was organically grown in the orchards of Keshet and Alonei Habashan" [moshavim on the Golan Heights.]
When we asked the store staff whether the apples were organic, we received a very clear answer: Yes. But the test results showed otherwise. While the amounts of residues present did not exceed the standards for conventionally grown produce, they certainly disqualified the fruit from being labeled as organically grown.
The explanation for the strange wording on the package came from Agrior. The farmers were not responsible for the marking. Agrior, however, was.
During the Second Lebanon War, in 2006, the packing house and cold storage facility for the apples, on the Golan Heights, was closed. The apples were stored in another facility, where they were exposed to the chemicals when they were together with conventional produce. As a result, Agrior announced that the apples could be sold in retail outlets for organically grown food but could not themselves be labeled organic. That is the origin of the label indicating, "The fruit is not organic, but was organically grown."
Agrior officials said the apples were to be sold only until September, when the new harvest of "fully" organic apples would become available.