Washington, DC - This year, Secretary Vilsack will make the Obama Administration's first appointments to the
National Organic Standards Board
(NOSB), a non-governmental advisory and supervisory board comprised of
representatives of the organic community who make formal
recommendations on organic standards and allowed ingredients in organic
production to the
USDA National Organic Program (NOP).
Several important topics are now under deliberation by the NOSB and the NOP, including:
*
Blatant violations
of national organic standards in the organic dairy sector, where leading
brands (including Horizon and Aurora) continue to unfairly undercut
ethical brands by utilizing cheaper, but inhumane and less nutritious,
intensive confinement feedlots where cows have limited or no
access to required pasture;
*
Misbranding in the personal care products sector where increasing numbers of products that are laced with synthetic chemicals and not certified as organic are nonetheless being labeled or advertised as "organic";
*The continuing controversy over which
minor ingredients may be synthetic or sourced in non-organic form.
The
appointment of strong organic advocates to the NOSB will help to
safeguard organic integrity, allow the organic movement to speak with
one voice, and reassure consumers that "USDA Organic" is the "
gold standard" for nutrition, safety, humane treatment of animals and environmental sustainability.
The OCA endorses:
Environmentalist (1): Jay Feldman, Executive Director of Beyond Pesticides
Farmers
(2): Nick Maravell, Farmer, Nick's Organic Farm and State
Representative Nancy Smith, Farmer/Forester, Snafu Acres Dairy Farm
Retailer (1): Barth Anderson, the Wedge Co-op, or Trudy Bialic, PCC Natural Markets
Processor (1): Lynn Betz, Sensibility Soaps, or Diana Kaye, Terressentials
To learn more about the NOSB and OCA's Endorsements,
CLICK HERE.
