The Department of Agriculture is scheduled to announce today sweeping regulations that would cover all organically grown foods, from the farm to consumers.

• The regulations would define exactly what products, whether raw or processed, may be labeled organic foods.

• They also set standards for the production and handling of organically grown crops and organically raised meat and poultry -- for example, prohibiting the use of antibiotics in animals, except to treat illnesses.

• Fines of up to $10,000 would be imposed on producers mislabeling products as organic when they fail to meet certain standards.

• Sales of organic foods have been exploding by more than 20 percent a year since 1990 -- reaching $3.5 billion last year.

Farmers and processors would have to pay "administrative fees" to the USDA to finance supervision of the regulations.

Members of the organic foods industry are said to be disappointed over the regulations. They say that on some of the most contentious questions, the USDA bowed to pressure from other government agencies and ignored the advice of the National Organic Standards Board -- which was established to work with the agency in formulating the regulations.