Organic controversy

This article was originally published in July 2014

PCC has sent a letter of protest to the Secretary of Agriculture about significant changes to the voting process for the “sunset” of synthetics in the National Organic Program (NOP).

Instead of requiring a two-thirds vote by the National Organic Standards Board to keep a synthetic in use, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will require a two-thirds vote to remove a synthetic from use. In effect, the change means only six votes (instead of 10) will be needed out of 15 to keep a synthetic in use.

PCC agrees with the co-authors of the 1990 Organic Food Production Act, Sen. Leahy and Rep. DeFazio, that the changes violate the intent and letter of the law. We’re asking USDA to reverse the changes.

Read the letter to the USDA and NOP »

Also in this issue

Eating wild

Since the dawn of agriculture some 5,000 to 12,000 years ago, humans have been choosing to grow sweeter, less fibrous, and usually less nutritious varieties of fruits and vegetables — essentially breeding nutrients out of food.

Read On

Report: FDA lacks oversight of food ingredients

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) just released a 14-page overview of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) lax oversight of food additives in the United States. The report lambasts the feds for looking the other way as food technologists add almost anything they please to food.

Read On

Producer spotlights: organic cherries

Read and watch a video about LaPierre Farms organic Rainier cherries and River Valley Organics Lapin Cherries. Only in stores for a few weeks!

Read On