Save Organic Standards (SOS)
National Organic Standards Under Fire
Over the years, the OCA has organized a series of national campaigns to Safeguard Organic Standards. The USDA National Organic Program is the only system in the U.S. that provides certified standards for organic food. As the organic food market expands, big corporations are constantly seeking to change the USDA organic rules so they can more easily label their products “organic”. The OCA and our allies act as an industry watchdog to ensure that the organic standards remain strong.
organic-fish
When it comes to organic certification, food producers must follow strict guidelines.
For an organic steak, for instance, the cow it came from has to be raised on organic feed, and the feed mix can't be produced with pesticides, chemical fertilizers or genetic engineering.
Now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering a set of rules for organic farmed fish. Several consumer groups, though, say the recommended rules don't go far enough to meet the strict standards of other organic foods.
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Right now in the U.S., there is no such thing as USDA certified organic fish. Why? Because organic standards for fish have never been passed.
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In 2013, Miles McEvoy, the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) director, unlawfully suspended the Organic Food Production Act's (OFPA) Sunset Provision. In doing so, he unilaterally changed the way the NOSB conducts its 5-year review of National List substances. Instead of a two-thirds decisive vote of 10 out of the 15 members of the NOSB being needed to renew an exemption for non-organic or synthetic substance, he decided that a vote of six out of 10 NOSB members would be enough.
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Credit: dollarphotoclub.com
At their October 2010 meeting, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) unanimously approved a guidance document recommending that "Engineered Nanomaterials be prohibited from certified organic products as expeditiously as possible.
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