Organic Insider

Watchdog organization OrganicEye has filed a conflict of interest legal complaint with the USDA against CCOF, who claims to be the largest organic certifier in the country. In this week's Organic Insider, we give a breakdown of the complaint and ask the CEO of CCOF, Inc. to respond to the allegations. All of the details are below. https://lnkd.in/eEKrq6aN #organic #organicfood #cpg #naturalproducts #organics

In its most recent newsletter, Real Organic Project accused the Organic Trade Association of attempting to discredit Hugh Kent, owner of King Grove Organic Farm in Florida, after his appearance in a segment by WKMG News 6, a local CBS affiliate. https://lnkd.in/eRNJSeji #organic #organicfood #organics

You literally cannot make this up. Bayer has introduced new formulations for its consumer Roundup products that are 45x MORE TOXIC than the old ones. I explain it all in this week's Organic Insider (link below). https://lnkd.in/eGT6e243 #organic #chemicals #nontoxic #gardening

My speech at the Kellogg's protest where I talk about one of the great injustices in the organic food industry today. If this does not get addressed, organic food as we know it will be gone forever. Starts at the 14 minute mark. https://lnkd.in/gk6ckivK Real Organic Project Rodale Institute Regenerative Organic Alliance OrganicEye #organic #organicfood #organicfarming #cpg

With my friend Eliot Coleman, who has been farming organically since the 1960s. He is the most revered organic farmer in the country, and his books have influenced many generations of organic farmers around the world. At the recent Real Organic Project Symposium in Hudson, NY (where this picture was taken), Eliot suggested that organic farming would be greatly benefitted by supplementing OMRI (the Organic Materials Review Institute — the organization that reviews and approves external inputs) with an entity called OTRI, the Organic Techniques Review Institute. OTRI would publish data re-emphasizing the importance of green manures, crop rotations, cover crops, growing legumes and incorporating organic matter with shallow non-inversion tillage. The link below is my Q/A with him a few years ago, where he talks about "generative" farming and why the USDA's 1938 report matters so much. Over the years, Eliot has taught me so much, and being able to pick up the phone and ask this organic farming icon questions is an incredible privilege. https://lnkd.in/eU73Hmvt #organic #organicfarming #maine Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association

At some point, will politicians realize that their kids and grandchildren are eating this food??? And that no amount of donation $$$ from Big Ag and Big Chemical will dissuade them from doing the right thing and finally clean up our food supply?? I certainly hope so. Following up on the recent Moms Across America investigation, the latest report is out of WJLA-TV (an ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C.), which did its own lab testing of lunches collected from schools in Washington D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. Here is what they found: The lab identified more than 50 pesticides in the samples, with dozens often layered into one meal. * 38 different pesticides were detected in just one elementary school lunch * 23 pesticides were found in a single strawberry cup * The fungicide, carbendazim, which is banned in most European countries, Brazil and Australia because it is increasingly connected to cancer, infertility, and birth defects, was found in five of the twelve samples * Glyphosate, a widely used and controversial weed killer, often marketed as Round-Up, and connected to cancer, diabetes, and heart problems, was detected in multiple samples, often in wheat-based products like bread * Dicamba, a weed killer associated with certain types of cancer, was present in one of the samples * 2,4D, a weed killer shown to increase the risk of some cancers was found in two of the samples Thank you to the journalists Lisa Fletcher, Andrea Nejman and Nathan Aaron for their outstanding work on this! https://lnkd.in/d6dgp2V7

Huge congrats to Daniela Jensen and Chris Jensen for the sale of Big Picture Foods to Atalanta Corporation! They saw a massive need in the marketplace for something new and innovative, and created a supply chain from scratch, from Greece to the U.S., for their line of naturally fermented, refrigerated and Regenerative Organic Certified® olives, peppers and capers. Fortunately, these two will be staying on, and with their new partners, they have the resources and infrastructure to get these fantastic products out to A LOT more people across the country. After all, everyone should have access to these mind-blowing kalamata olives, the winner of my Top 5 Organic Products from Expo West 2022. https://lnkd.in/evZKu4n4 Regenerative Organic Alliance #organic #regenerativeorganic #cpg

Yet another organic certifier faces a conflict of interest legal complaint. Additionally, the USDA Office of Inspector General must determine whether the National Organic Program is guilty of malfeasance, as per an updated filing request. I have the full story in this week's Organic Insider. https://lnkd.in/eagHRUrz #organic #regenerativeorganic #cpg

Are GMOs in organic now in play???? Based on recent Supreme Court rulings, it is not hyperbole to say that our industry can no longer be viewed as reliably secure. This is a VERY important issue for all organic stakeholders, and I have the full story in this week's Organic Insider. https://lnkd.in/eRWP29ZC #organic #organicfood #naturalproducts #gmos Center for Food Safety

Wow! What a story. A major organic seed company has surprised its supporters by announcing it will end sales and give hundreds of varieties away, declaring “we can no longer commodify our beloved kin, these seeds, or ourselves.” The Cocozelle zucchini, now $14.25 per 100 seeds? No charge. Catnip, kale, the rampant mint? All free. Petra Page-Mann and Matthew Goldfarb, the couple who run Fruition Seeds in upstate New York, said they’re letting go of workers, stopping sales on Aug. 27 and relying on public goodwill — donations of money, talent and effort — to grow and distribute seeds on a $76,000 budget. https://lnkd.in/ghpXDm-C #organic #organicfood #cpg