San Francisco Chronicle
Carolyn Lochhead, Chronicle Washington Bureau

Washington — Small farmers in California who have led a national movement away from industrial agriculture face a looming crackdown on food safety that they say is geared to big corporate farms and will make it harder for them to survive.

The small growers, many of whom grow dozens of different kinds of vegetables and fruits, say the inherent benefits of their size, and their sensitivity to extra costs, are being ignored.

They are fighting to carve out a sanctuary in legislation that would bring farmers under the strict purview of the Food and Drug Administration, an agency more familiar with pharmaceuticals than food and local farms.

A bill before the Senate is riding a bipartisan groundswell created by recent outbreaks of E. coli, salmonella and other contamination in everything from fresh spinach to cookie dough. Read Full Article »

Posted in Media/News

Industry Watchdog / Washington Post Investigation Brings Down Old Leadership

Washington, DC: In a strong departure from Bush-era policy, the USDA’s National Organic Program released a memo today banning synthetic “accessory nutrients” — ending a scandal that brought down its former organic leadership.

At issue were some of the nation’s leading manufacturers of infant formula that had been illegally adding synthetic forms of omega-3 and omega-6 oils to their organic products after a sweetheart deal between a powerful industry lobbyist and Dr. Barbara Robinson, the former head of the USDA’s organic program—exposed by a 2009 investigative report in the Washington Post.

Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), by The Cornucopia Institute and shared with the Washington Post, indicated that Robinson, after meeting with Jay Friedman, a lawyer and lobbyist with the powerful Washington law firm of Covington Burling, rescinded a ruling made by USDA career civil servants who found the inclusion of synthetic oils in organic infant formula to be illegal. Read Full Article »

Posted in Cornucopia News

The Hill
By Dr. Hans Herren and Dr. Marcia Ishii-Eiteman

The Senate is considering a bill that would overhaul the way Americans deliver foreign aid. With more people going hungry than ever before, the bill’s attention to global hunger could not come at a better time. The Global Food Security Act would streamline the aid process and focus on long-term agricultural development. But something has gone awry inside the bill. A closer look reveals that its otherwise commendable focus may be seriously undermined by a new clause lobbied for by one of America’s largest seed and chemical companies.

This bill includes a mandate that we spend foreign aid dollars developing genetically modified (GM) crops. No other kind of agricultural technology is mentioned. Unsurprisingly, Monsanto has lobbied more frequently on this bill than any other entity. Read Full Article »

Posted in Opinion/Editorial

The Packer
By Andy Nelson

More than 11% of all fresh fruit and vegetable sales in 2009 were organic, illustrating the segment’s explosive growth, almost quadrupling in less than 10 years as major retailers expanded beyond conventionally grown produce. Read Full Article »

Posted in Media/News

WalletPop
by Nicole Charky

Wal-Mart has begun removing an “organic” insecticide from its shelves after allegations that the insecticide isn’t what it claims to be. The product, Bio Block, was labeled and sold as an organic pest controller, but a complaint by an advocacy group challenged the product labeling — asserting the product did not meet National Organic Program standards.

The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based organic public-interest group, filed the complaint with Wal-Mart alleging a possible violation of National Organic Program standards. Affixing a USDA Organic label on this product signifies that it meets standards including that any agricultural product, whether raw or processed, is safe for human or livestock consumption. Read Full Article »

Posted in Media/News