New Administration at USDA Steps Up to End Organic Corruption
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
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after meeting with Jay Friedman, a lawyer and lobbyist with the powerful Washington law firm of Covington Burling, rescinded a ruling made by USDA career civil servants who found the inclusion of synthetic oils in organic infant formula to be illegal.










