Tag: organic
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NOP Addresses Tetracycline, Formic Acid and Attapulgite Use in Organics
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) has issued a final rule revising the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances with regard to the use of tetracycline, formic acid and attapulgite during the production and processing of organic crops and food ingredients. According to NOP, the most recent iteration of the National List…
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Stephanie Strom, “Has ‘Organic’ Been Oversized?,” The New York Times, July 7, 2012
“The fact is, organic food has become a wildly lucrative business for Big Food and a premium-price-means-premium-profit section of the grocery store,” writes Times correspondent Stephanie Strom in this July 7, 2012, article about perceived conflicts of interest on the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). According to Strom, who tracks the consolidation of organic brands…
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Court Rulings: Damages Apportioned Along Supply Chain in E. Coli Litigation, Taco Bell Cleared of Unauthorized Text Message Claims, “Heart Attack” and “Bypass” Sandwich Dispute Resolved, False Ad Suit over Muscle Milk® to Proceed, Skinny Girl Margarita® “All Natural” Claims Survive Motion to Dismiss, Conditions Imposed on Pesticide Spraying
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has decided which of the parties sued over an E. coli outbreak that sickened dozens of Sizzler Steak House patrons in 2000 and caused the death of a 3-year-old are liable for consequential damages, indemnity and costs under various supply chain and insurance contracts. Kriefall v. Sizzler USA Franchise, Inc., Nos. 2009AP1212 &…
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EU Court of Justice Finds Certain Dutch Eco-Contracting Requirements Unlawful
The Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) has agreed, in part, with the European Commission’s challenge to requirements imposed by the Dutch government on contractors providing organic and fair trade products in its automatic coffee machines. EC v. Kingdom of the Netherlands, No. C-368/10 (E.C.J., decided May 10, 2012). According to the Court,…
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Organic Farmers Fail to Show Controversy, Patent Invalidation Suit Against Monsanto Dismissed
A federal court in New York has dismissed, for lack of jurisdiction, the claims filed by numerous organic farming interests seeking a declaration that they are not infringing Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) seed patents, the patents are invalid and unenforceable and the company would not be entitled to remedies against them. Organic Seed Growers &…
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FDA Expands Surveillance After Report on Arsenic in Rice
A recent study has reportedly detected inorganic arsenic (Asi) in organic brown rice syrup (OBRS), a prepared foods sweetener sometimes used in lieu of high-fructose corn syrup. Brian P. Jackson, et al., “Arsenic, Organic Foods, and Brown Rice Syrup,” Environmental Health Perspectives, February 2012. Researchers evidently sought to determine “the concentration and speciation of arsenic…
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U.S., EU Announce Organic Trade Partnership
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has announced a “historic new partnership” with the European Union that recognizes its organic standards as essentially equivalent to those administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Effective June 1, 2012, the trade agreement will allow organic products certified by EU or USDA officials to be…
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NOP Addresses Synthetic Methionine Use in Organic Poultry
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) has issued a proposed rule that would regulate the use of synthetic methionine in organic poultry production after a current interim final rule expires on October 1, 2012. According to a February 6, 2012, Federal Register notice, the rule would amend the National List of Allowed…