Press Releases
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) today issued this statement by Ronnie Cummins, international director of OCA, on the U.S. Department of Justice approval of the acquisition of Monsanto Co. by Bayer AG:
“We are disappointed though not surprised by the DOJ’s decision to allow Germany-based Bayer to buy Monsanto. The monopolistic and criminal histories of both Monsanto and Bayer have been well documented. Allowing these two companies to merge into the world’s largest seed and pesticide company spells disaster for consumers, for the environment and for farmers who will now have even fewer choices.
FINLAND, Minn. – The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) today called for an international boycott of Unilever-owned Ben & Jerry’s in conjunction with World Water Day, March 22.
“Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company, Unilever, spend millions on marketing to create the false image that the Vermont-based brand is a champion of the environment, when in fact Ben & Jerry’s supports an industrial dairy system that is responsible for a water pollution crisis in Vermont,” said Ronnie Cummins, OCA’s international director.
“The theme for this year’s World Water Day is ‘Nature for Water’—exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges we face in the 21st century.’ Today we once again call on Ben & Jerry’s to convert its dairy supply chain to 100-percent organic and pasture-raised to help end the dumping of hundreds of thousands of pounds of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers into Vermont’s water supply,” Cummins said.
Handsome Brook Farm and the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) today announced that they have resolved a consumer-protection action OCA filed against Handsome Brook in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on August 29, 2016, concerning Handsome Brook Farm’s “Pasture Raised” egg labels.
The OCA’s action alleged that some of Handsome Brook Farm’s eggs labeled as “Pasture Raised” were, in fact, from producers not engaged in pasture-raising hens, and that some farms within Handsome Brook’s own farm network did not live up to its internal standards for pasture-raising. Handsome Brook acknowledges shortcomings identified by OCA, including limited out-of-network purchases of organic eggs from producers in late 2015 and early 2016 that did not meet its pasture-raising criteria.
Washington, DC – The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) filed suit against R.C. Bigelow, Inc., for the deceptive labeling and marketing of tea products under the Bigelow brand name, including Bigelow’s Green Tea. The suit was filed in Washington D.C. under the District of Columbia’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act.
OCA alleges that Bigelow Tea puts the words “All Natural” on its Classic Green Tea and other tea products, and also represents its products and the company as being “environmentally friendly” even though Bigelow’s Green Tea tested positive for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup® weedkiller.
“Like other companies that market their products as ‘natural’ and ‘environmentally friendly,’ Bigelow is using these terms to profit from growing consumer demand for healthier, more sustainably produced products, even though the company knows those claims are false,” said Ronnie Cummins, international director of the Organic Consumers Association.
MEXICO CITY – On behalf of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and its Mexico City-based affiliate, Asociación de Consumidores Orgánicos, OCA International Director Ronnie Cummins issued the following statement today on the decision by Mexico’s agriculture sanitation authority (SENASICA) to revoke Monsanto’s permits to commercialize genetically modified soy in seven states, and a recent court ruling upholding a ban on the commercial growing GMO corn in Mexico:
“We are encouraged by these two decisions which reflect a growing trend in Mexico among government and court authorities of responding to the public’s demand to preserve Mexico’s hundreds of native corn varieties and rich biodiversity, and to reject Monsanto’s degenerative agricultural model that produces pesticide-contaminated food, pollutes waterways and soils and contributes to global warming."
BRUSSELS –The European Parliament today hosted a coalition of EU and US organizations, led by the US-based Organic Consumers Association (OCA), which announced that samples of Unilever-owned Ben & Jerry’s ice cream from France, Netherlands, Germany and the UK contained potentially harmful levels of glyphosate, the primary ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide.
Glyphosate was detected in 12 of the 14 samples of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream from across Europe, at levels that raise health concerns (as high as 1.228 ng/mL), according to Dr. John Fagan, chief scientist for HRI Labs, which conducted the tests.
In a statement, Ronnie Cummins, OCA international director, said: “Ben & Jerry’s announcement yesterday that it will source 6% organic dairy is positive news. But that leaves 94% of its supply coming from conventional dairies which use massive amounts of GMO animal feed. We will push for a transition to 100% organic, backed by a legally binding contract.”
SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico – About 105 experts in soil, water and land management, agriculture, media and campaign strategy assembled today in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, for a three-day international conference on how to scale up organic and regenerative agriculture, land management and livestock grazing to address global warming, global food insecurity and public health.
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) will hold protests today against Ben & Jerry’s, a subsidiary of Unilever, in seven US cities, and Mexico City. US cities are: Austin, Texas; Burlington, Vt., Chicago; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; New York; and Washington, D.C.
Ben & Jerry’s charges a premium for its ice cream based on claims that its products are “natural” and “GMO-Free,” and that the company is committed to a program of “social responsibility,” which includes concern about environmental issues, global warming, fair labor practices, animal welfare, and economic success for all its partners, including dairy farmers.
FINLAND, Minn. – The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) today reported that 10 of 11 samples of Ben & Jerry ice cream tested positive for glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, and/or AMPA, glyphosate’s main metabolite.
OCA is calling for Vermont-based Ben & Jerry’s, a subsidiary of the international consumer goods conglomerate, Unilever (UN (NYSE) to begin an immediate transition to using only organic ingredients, including milk, in its products or face a national and international consumer boycott.
Washington, DC – Moms Across America, Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and Beyond Pesticides today announced that the District of Columbia Superior Court has rejected General Mills’ motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the three nonprofits against the maker of Nature Valley granola bars. The ruling upholds the right of nonprofits to bring these types of complaints against corporations. It also reinforces the notion that consumers can reasonably expect a product labeled “100% Natural” to be free of herbicides.
Three nonprofit groups sued General Mills in August 2016, for misleading the public by labeling Nature Valley brand granola bars as “Made with 100% NATURAL whole grain OATS” after tests revealed the presence of the chemical herbicide glyphosate, an ingredient in Roundup and hundreds of other glyphosate-based herbicides. The suit was brought on behalf of the nonprofits’ members in Washington DC under the District of Columbia’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act.
“This is a huge win for consumers,” said OCA international director Ronnie Cummins. “In making this ruling, the judge reinforced the right of consumers to have reasonable expectations about what a company means by ‘natural.’ The ‘natural’ food industry is estimated at $90 billion a year. By slapping the word ‘natural’ on products that contain pesticides and other unnatural substances, corporations deceive consumers, and cut into the market share for authentically labeled healthy and certified organic products.’
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