Island Breath: Organic Standards Under Attack

SUBJECT: ORGANIC STANDARDS UNDER ATTACK

SOURCE: JERI DEPIETRO nogmo@yahoogroups.com

Industry sneak attack on organic standards

1 November 2005 - 7:45am

what will this lable mean if antibiotics can used on
"organic" labled beef to enhance and speed growth?

Industry sneak attack on organic standards
rammed through congress

Despite receiving over 350,000 letters and phone calls from OCA members and the organic community, Republican leaders in Congress October 27 attached a rider to the 2006 Agricultural Appropriations Bill to weaken the nation's organic food standards in response to pressure from large-scale food manufacturers.

"Congress voted last night to weaken the national organic standards that consumers count on to preserve the integrity of the organic label," said Ronnie Cummins, National Director of the Organic Consumers Association. "The process was profoundly undemocratic and the end result is a serious setback for the multi billion dollar alternative food and farming system that the organic community has so painstakingly built up over the past 35 years. As passed, the amendment sponsored by the Organic Trade Association allows: Numerous synthetic food additives and processing aids, including over 500 food contact substances, to be used in organic foods without public review.

Young dairy cows to continue to be treated with antibiotics and fed genetically engineered feed prior to being converted to organic production. Loopholes under which non-organic ingredients could be substituted for organic ingredients without any notification of the public based on "emergency ecrees." OCA will work to reverse this rider with an "Organic Restoration Act" in Congress in 2006.

After 35 years of hard work, the U.S. organic community has built up a multi-billion dollar alternative to industrial agriculture, based upon strict organic standards and organic community control over modification to these standards.

Now, large corporations, such as Kraft, Wal-Mart, & Dean Foods--aided and abetted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and members of the Organic Trade Association,have moved to weaken organic standards by allowing Bush appointees in the USDA National Organic Program to take away the National Organic Standards Board’s (NOSB) traditional lead jurisdiction in setting standards. What this means, in blunt terms. is that USDA bureaucrats and industry lobbyists, not consumers, will have near total control over what can go into organic foods and products.

for more info contact http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm

SUBJECT: ORGANIC STANDARDS UNDER ATTACK

SOURCE: TRACEY SCHAVONE tracey@kauaioutcallmassage.com

One label you want to trust

22 September 2005 - 3:00pm

Take Action Now
Say "NO!" to Dangerous Organic Rider on Appropriations Bill

Organic food standards are facing the largest challenge since the USDA's 1997 proposal to allow toxic sludge, genetically engineered organisms and irradiation on oragnic farms.

This week, the U.S. Senate, under pressure from large food processors, plans to attach a rider to the 2006 Agriculture Appropriation Bill that will weaken the integrity of organic standards. We urgently need natural health consumers like you to contact your Senator and demand that he or she oppose this rider.

Under this proposal the USDA may:

- permanently allow synthetic processing aids and food contact
substances, including over 500 food contact substances, to be used in
organic foods without any type of public review for their safety and
compatibility with organic production and processing.

- leave unresolved whether young dairy cows could be treated with
antibiotics and then converted to organic after twelve months;

- create a serious new loophole in which organic ingredients could be
substituted with non-organic ingredients without any consumer notice
based upon "emergency decrees."

Please take action NOW to protect organic standards. Visit our website:
www.healthactioncenter.com/

Then you can let your opinion get to your representatives by clicking here:
http://www.healthactioncenter.com/ctt.asp?u=2827727&l=105983

Sincerely,
Ana Micka
President/CEO
Citizens for Health