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.