Tag: organic
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Organic Producers Could Potentially Use GMOs, USDA Suggests
In testimony before the House Agriculture Subcommittee, Under Secretary of Agriculture Greg Ibach suggested that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) could potentially be used in the production of organic foods eventually. “As the National Organic Standards Board set the rules originally, right now GMO or transgenics are not eligible to be in the Organic Program, but…
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EU Arrests Organized Crime Group Selling “Organic” Food Produced with Decomposed Apples
Eurojust, with Italian and Serbian national authorities, has arrested nine suspects allegedly perpetrating a “transnational large-scale fraud in the production and trade of allegedly organic food and beverages from rotten apples.” The apples were apparently used to create juice, jams and other canned food products adulterated with “mycotoxins and other toxic chemical substances, unsuitable for…
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“Organic Restaurant” Only Uses Some Organic Ingredients, Plaintiff Alleges
A consumer has filed a putative class action alleging that Bareburger Group misrepresents its restaurants as selling only organic food despite using some non-organic ingredients in its products. Rosenberg v. Bareburger Grp., No. 19-1634 (E.D.N.Y., filed March 22, 2019). The plaintiff and Bareburger were the subjects of a New York Times article in August 2018…
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NOSB Issues Call for Nominations
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will accept nominations for five vacancies on the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). Each position on the board is categorized under the Organic Foods Production Act. USDA will accept nominations for: “One individual with expertise in areas of environmental protection and resource conservation”; “one individual…
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CFS Files Petition to Ban Hydroponic Agriculture in Organic Food
The Center for Food Safety (CFS) has filed a petition recommending that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibit the use of hydroponic agriculture in the cultivation of organic food. “Hydroponic production systems are fundamentally different from organic production systems as defined by federal law—they do not promote soil health or conserve biodiversity,” the petition…
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NOSB Announces Meeting on Organic Standards
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has announced a meeting to be held April 24-26, 2019, that will include a discussion and vote on recommendations for updates to U.S. organic standards. The deadline to submit written comments is April 4, 2019, with the same deadline applying to those who intend to provide oral comments at…
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Farmers Plead Guilty to Organic Fraud
Three Nebraska farmers have pleaded guilty to charges of fraud stemming from the sale of grain misrepresented as organic. According to a Department of Justice press release, the men “admitted to growing grain between 2010 and 2017 that was not organic. Each further admitted that they knew the grain was being marketed and sold as…
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Ad Board Recommends Changes To Meal-Kit Co.’s Organic Claims
The Electronic Retailing Self-Regulation Program (ERSP) has determined that Green Chef Inc. cannot support some of its claims about organic food in its meal-kit deliveries, which it marketed as containing 90 percent or more organic ingredients. ERSP found that the use of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s organic seal “inaccurately communicated that Green Chef meal…