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After many years of prodding and clamoring by organic advocates, the USDA just announced the Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule (SOE) — an update to USDA organic regulations that strengthens oversight and enforcement of the production, handling and sale of organic products. It is also the biggest update to the organic regulations since the original Organic Foods Production Act of 1990.
“While we may not love every point of it, overall, we are very excited about the new rule. It is a big win,” said Abby Youngblood, executive director of the National Organic Coalition.
“There are some really good things in this rule, and it is definitely progress. But it is not a panacea,” put forth Anne Ross, organic investigator at The Cornucopia Institute.
One of the challenges that the private sector faces, whether it be artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency or any other part of the economy, is that innovation far too often outpaces government regulation.
Such has certainly been the case with organic. It has exploded in popularity over the past few decades, but revolving administrations and USDA leaders have been unable to keep up.
As a result, a modernization — or upgrade — of the rules has been so overdue that it was mandated in the 2018 Farm Bill, with organic watchdog groups having warned about organic fraudulent imports for the past fifteen years. SOE, which was driven by international fraud and prompted the whole rulemaking process, seeks to close many of the existing loopholes.
Some of the highlights of SOE include:
THERE MUST BE A WILL
Without question, this new rule has many provisions that will close loopholes, install stronger safeguards and provide better infrastructure to make it more difficult for criminals. As a signal to the market, this is an extremely positive step.
However, the organic industry has morphed into a $62 billion sector, which means it will always be a target for those who want to game the system.
“As long as you have such a profit motive, you will have people who find a way to cheat. At the end of the day, we need the National Organic Program to enforce the rules,” said Cornucopia’s Anne Ross.
Individuals who have been monitoring fraudulent organic imports over the last two decades are taking a wait-and-see approach. And for good reason.
Dating back to at least 2007 and under multiple administrations, the USDA has been aware of continual problems with imported organic products, and as outlined in The Cornucopia Institute’s 2018 report called The Turkish Infiltration of the U.S. Organic Grain Market: How Failed Enforcement and Ineffective Regulations Made the U.S. Ripe for Fraud and Organized Crime, it was clear that the USDA’s incompetence failed organic consumers and farmers to an unimaginable degree.
Not only did a Cornucopia analysis find that in 2015, the U.S. imported more than 3.5x as much organic corn from Turkey than the country produced, but a January 2016 publication by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service raised serious concerns about organic product originating in Turkey, stating, “the integrity of organic farming, production, shipping and marketing is not always guaranteed.” The USDA’s National Organic Program did nothing to impede the growth of imports from Turkey.
The most public and high-profile exposé of this situation came in 2017 when The Washington Post published its investigation about fraudulent imported organic corn and soybeans.
While this new SOE rule is very welcome and needed, along with it must come an inherent will to crack down on fraud.
It is up to the USDA to prove that with a new set of tools, this time around will be different.
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With gratitude, ![]() Max Goldberg, Founder |
* Dr. Bronner’s celebrates 75 years in business and 165 years of family soapmaking, and the company is asking consumers to share their Dr. Bronner’s story.
* He’s been farming organically for eight decades!
* Fair World Project has merged with Corporate Accountability Lab to end corporate exploitation in supply chains and false claims by certifications and brands.
* One Step Closer to Zero Waste Campaign is hosting its first-ever Packaging Innovation Award in collaboration with Trayak.
* Organic artisan energy bar company JAMBAR has partnered with Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley.
* PCC Community Markets celebrates its 70th anniversary.
* A video recap of the Organic & Natural Health Association’s 8th Annual Conference just held in Florida.
* Will Harris, a regenerative farmer at White Oak Pastures, says that we are asking the wrong questions.
* Mom’s Organic Market is now selling edible insects.
* This organic farm has become a certified living wage employer.
* As part of the “Save Bees and Farmers” initiative, 1.1 million signatures were delivered to the EU parliament demanding a reduction in pesticides.
* Consumers are not racing to GMO 2.0 foods, after all.
The price gap between organic and conventional is the largest it has been in the past four years.
A horrifying development but something that may very well happen in the U.S.
If the USDA hadn't turned a blind eye to 'factory farm' organic dairies for so many years, would this program have even been necessary?
Finding a buyer will be no easy feat.
The USDA says implementation and compliance with the program have been “successful,” while experts suggest consumers aren’t noticing the labels.
Whole Foods made the request to suppliers during a virtual summit in December, as consumers continue to deal with inflation.
Based on SEC filings, Anthos Capital and SBG Growth appear to be the new investors.
There's no proof that gene editing has made any contribution to drought tolerance or pathogen resistance -- or will do so any time soon.
A great op-ed in the NYT about how Farmland LP and others groups are doing good and making money.
Is anyone surprised?
New research by top U.S. government scientists has found that people exposed to the widely-used weedkilling chemical have biomarkers in their urine linked to the development of cancer and other diseases.
The EU organic movement has taken legal action to stop environmental labeling, such as Eco-Score, which it argues is “misleading” to consumers and “unfair” to organic production.
Sprouts Farmers Market has launched its Rescued Organics program, which reduces food waste and supports local farmers by bringing to market imperfect organic produce that would typically be discarded.
Without some financial relief -- and soon -- organic dairy farmers may lose their livelihood.
Though not an organic brand, Oatly is a market leader, and this labeling move is very notable.
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* Dr. Bronner’s celebrates 75 years in business and 165 years of family soapmaking, and the company is asking consumers to share their Dr. Bronner’s story.
* He’s been farming organically for eight decades!
* Fair World Project has merged with Corporate Accountability Lab to end corporate exploitation in supply chains and false claims by certifications and brands.
* One Step Closer to Zero Waste Campaign is hosting its first-ever Packaging Innovation Award in collaboration with Trayak.
* Organic artisan energy bar company JAMBAR has partnered with Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley.
* PCC Community Markets celebrates its 70th anniversary.
* A video recap of the Organic & Natural Health Association’s 8th Annual Conference just held in Florida.
* Will Harris, a regenerative farmer at White Oak Pastures, says that we are asking the wrong questions.
* Mom’s Organic Market is now selling edible insects.
* This organic farm has become a certified living wage employer.
* As part of the “Save Bees and Farmers” initiative, 1.1 million signatures were delivered to the EU parliament demanding a reduction in pesticides.
* Consumers are not racing to GMO 2.0 foods, after all.