Tag: organic
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“Organic” Salt Does Not Exist, Complaints Allege
A plaintiff has filed two putative class actions alleging the manufacturers of “organic salt” violate consumer-protection laws against deceptive advertising because salt is an inorganic mineral that “cannot be identified as organic” pursuant to the National Organic Program. Garcia v. HimalaSalt-Sustainable Sourcing, LLC, No. 18-7410 (C.D. Cal., filed August 23, 2018); Garcia v. Frontier Natural Prods.…
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Most “Organic” Restaurants Lack Certification, NYT Reports
The New York Times has published an article exploring the use of the term “organic” to describe food sold in restaurants, which are not required to undergo the same certification process as farms and food companies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture does not certify restaurants and does not plan to change that policy, an agency…
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Cornucopia Institute Issues Report on Organic Grain Fraud
The Cornucopia Institute has released “The Turkish Infiltration of the U.S. Organic Grain Market: How Failed Enforcement and Ineffective Regulations Made the U.S. Ripe for Fraud and Organized Crime,” a report arguing that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has failed to “curb the infiltration of questionable organic grain imports” into the U.S. food supply.…
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Appeals Court Affirms Dismissal of Organic Baby Formula Suit
A California appeals court has affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit alleging that infant formula was mislabeled because it contained synthetic ingredients, ruling that the plaintiff’s state law claim was preempted by the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA). Organic Consumers Assoc. v. Honest Co. Inc., No. B280836 (Cal. App. Ct., entered June 12, 2018). The advocacy group…
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Court Denies Challenge to NOSB Substance Review Process
A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit alleging that the National List’s sunset review process violates the Administrative Procedures Act. Ctr. for Food Safety v. Perdue, No. 15-1590 (N.D. Cal., entered May 24, 2018). The court found that the notice promulgating the alteration of the review process was not a final action because it did…
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Advocacy Groups Urge Senate to Support NOSB
A group of advocacy organizations has sent a letter asking the leaders of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry to “fully support organic agriculture in the Farm Bill and to oppose any changes that would undermine the organic standards and the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB).” The organizations urge the committee to refrain…
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OTA Launches Organic Fraud Prevention Program
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) has announced a program that “provides organic businesses with a risk-based approach for developing and implementing a written strategic plan to assure the authenticity of organic products.” Each of the pilot program’s participants “will concentrate on one product or ingredient” or “a specific location” then seek feedback from other stakeholders…
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USDA Ends Discussion of Organic Checkoff Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the termination of a rulemaking proceeding that “proposed to establish a national research and promotion program for certified organic products under authority of the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996.” The Organic Trade Association proposed the program in 2015, and USDA accepted comments on the…