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ANAHEIM, CA:  On the heels of an emerging corporate influence peddling scandal that has undermined the integrity of the federal organic rulemaking process, The Cornucopia Institute, an industry watchdog, has requested that a speech by Alan Greene, a well-known pediatrician, be canceled at the Natural Foods Expo, being held this week in Anaheim, California.

The speech is part of a $175 per plate fundraiser, on behalf of The Organic Center, a research group launched by the Organic Trade Association and funded by corporate agribusiness.  Dr. Greene is the Center’s former president.

Greene, a well-known author, media celebrity, and corporate spokesman, took part in a coordinated effort this past December that allegedly misled the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) into approving the use of synthetic nutritional oils in organic foods.  The additives are manufactured by Martek Biosciences Corporation, part of the $12 billion Dutch-based multinational firm Royal DSM.

“In the infamous tradition of physicians who sell out their moral high standing by testifying on behalf of tobacco companies, or PhDs that question established science confirming global warming while collecting fees from oil companies, Dr. Greene, without disclosing relevant financial conflicts, challenged the preponderance of scientific studies that find that the Martek oils, derived from fermented soil fungus and algae, have no discernible health benefits,” said Will Fantle, Research Director at the Wisconsin-based Cornucopia Institute.