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Organic food sales reached $26,6 billion in 2009 according to the Organic Trade Association's 2010 Organic Industry Survey, posting an impressive 5.1% growth of 2009.
Detractors have been predicting that consumers would turn away from organics in 2009, which was a dismal year economically from start to finish. Read more...
United States Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan (left) took another step in her ongoing rehabilitation of the USDA Organic program by targeting the use of two synthetic additives in the organic baby formula industry. From the Washington Post:
Most U.S. manufacturers of conventional and organic baby formula have supplemented their products with the fatty acids DHA and ARA for several years in order to make them more closely mimic breast milk. Some studies suggest the omega 3-fatty acid DHA and the omega-6 fatty acid ARA promote cognition and eyesight in babies. Read more...
It's fashionable to smack Obama these days, and while I share the instinct of both my lefty and wingnut pals to shake their heads in confusion at Washington, I remain wowed by one aspect of this presidency: The Obama USDA. His appointment of Tom Vilsack continues to impress me and prove my initital fears wrong.
Two cool pieces of news, if you're a proponent of organic ag and small farming like I am. First, the USDA's National Organic Program announced that it was tightening up organic dairying rules in a way that fortifies pasturing at the expense of feedlot dairies (all eyes are now on the USDA and the obviously non-compliant Aurora Organic Dairy). Read more...
New USDA Rules Establish Strong Organic Standards for Pasture and Livestock Read more...
The president trotted out his proposed $3.8 gabajillion dollar budget this week, and we should note that the USDA's National Organic Program is receiving a 44% increase in funding: A $10.1 million budget, with $2.1 million earmarked specifically "for regulatory review and enforcement and to forge agreements with other countries to help expand exports" (Burlington Free Press). Read more...
Via Cornucopia Institute: Family farmers from around the country, who produce organic milk, are petitioning president Obama, and the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB), for the swift adoption of new strict rulemaking that will rein in the abuses of a handful of factory farms they claim are violating both the spirit and letter of the federal organic law.
Read more...
Organic Silk Soy Milk from WhiteWave is kind of like the Coca-Cola of the organic shopping world. It's one of the oldest, most trusted brands on the market, has wide appeal among vegans and omnivores alike, and sports a whopping 72% market share. It's a total beast, a veritable pillar of the organic market. Read more...
It's hard to beat the Cornucopia Institute when it comes to dogged watchdogging. Read more...
Sustainable Food News is reporting that Miles McEvoy will soon be announced as the new head of the USDA's National Organic Program. McEvoy is organic program director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture. From his bio at the Organic Summit's website: Read more...
Presser from the National Organic Coalition (NOC)
NATIONAL ORGANIC COALITION APPLAUDS USDA'S DECISION TO SEEK INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT OF NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM
Action Ensures Consistent Enforcement of Organic Standards
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 6, 2009) - At the urging of the National Organic Coalition and others, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will subject its National Organic Program (NOP) to a stringent audit and continued oversight by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Read more...
