A federal judge said he lacked jurisdiction in the case over a change to the USDA’s Sunset Rule, which now makes it harder to remove synthetic ingredients from organic.
Read Article
A federal judge said he lacked jurisdiction in the case over a change to the USDA’s Sunset Rule, which now makes it harder to remove synthetic ingredients from organic.
Read Article
An excellent analysis by Stephanie Strom of the emerging organic add-on labels, such as Regenerative Organic Certification and The Real Organic Project, and how they will impact both consumers and the industry.
Read Article
While the OTA’s lawsuit against the USDA is still pending, the agency has officially pulled the plug on the organic animal welfare standards, demonstrating that it is completely beholden to corporate lobbyists.
Read Article
The USDA is proposing to change restrictions on 17 substances and is adding 16 new substances to the National List, which means that organic producers can use them in production and handling.
Read Article
Despite complaints from the industry, there is no momentum for U.S. organic fish standards – a very good thing.
Read Article
With the NOSB refusing to forbid hydroponics in organic, it appears that litigation may be imminent.
Read Article
In its continued attempt to undermine the integrity of organic, the USDA has pushed back the implementation of the Organic Animal Welfare Standards to 2018, saying that its costs may outweigh its benefits.
Read Article
Proposed instructions on how to crack down on fraudulent organic grains from abroad may not be not strong enough to protect the integrity of organic.
Read Article
The USDA has told the National Organic Standards Board to make recommendations about ways to crack down on organic fraud. Meanwhile, the Cornucopia Institute has filed its own formal petition with ways to improve import scrutiny.
Read Article
As Congress prepares for the Farm Bill, Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) told a subcommittee that “uncertainty and dysfunction have overtaken the National Organic Standards Board and the regulations associated with the National Organic Program.”
Read Article
The serious issue of fraudulent organic grains from abroad has gotten the attention of Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).
Read Article
In order to protect the integrity of the organic seal, Representative Chellie Pingree calls for clearer organic standards and greater enforcement.
Read Article The USDA has not approved its certified transitional program because of concerns over a lawsuit from The Western Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (WODPA), who thinks the department overstepped its authority.
Read Article
The Washington Post gives 5 key points as to why it is so challenging to enforce organic across the global supply chain.
Read Article
The USDA has just announced the renewal of 187 approved ingredients on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List). This is just further proof that once a substance gets on this National List, it is very hard for it to be removed.
Read Article
Organic food companies often use a variety of third-party, animal-welfare certifications on their packaging. But what do they really mean? Stephanie Strom of The New York Times tells us.
Read Article
Implementation of organic animal welfare standards has been pushed back two months to May 19th. This is leading to some speculation that they may be amended or canceled altogether.
Read Article
After many months of delays, The White House Office of Management and Budget has signed off on the proposed organic animal welfare standards. While far from perfect, they are certainly an improvement over existing rules. Now, the standards must be published by the USDA in the Federal Register before January 20th in order to go into effect.
Read Article
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said that the proposed animal welfare standards may not get passed under the Obama administration, which puts these rules in real jeopardy.
Read Article
There is a legal explanation as to why cannabis, even if grown to USDA organic standards, cannot be called ‘organic’.
Read Article
Funded by the 2014 Farm Bill, the USDA Organic INTEGRITY database has just received a variety of improvements. This article gives a good recap of what is new.
Read Article
A Canadian supplier of chicken has been charged for fraudulently labeling its products as certified organic when it was conventional.
Read Article
Unlike the U.S. where we have no separate organic standards for beauty products, the EU has just launched its own set of rules.
Read Article
A California court has ruled that consumers can sue the USDA for how it implemented changes to the very important Sunset Rule, the process which allows synthetic substances in organic.
Read Article
