The Cornucopia Institute Adds Pamela Coleman, Ph.D. as Policy Analyst CORNUCOPIA, WIS: The Cornucopia Institute announced that it has added to its staff Dr. Pamela Coleman, a Washington State-based agriculturalist and organic certification professional, with broad experience in vegetable and specialty crop production, in addition to federal organic policy. Dr. Coleman, who holds a graduate… Read more »
Family Farmers Charge Ahead in Battle Against Monsanto
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Seventy-five family farmers, seed businesses, and agricultural organizations representing over 300,000 individuals and 4,500 farms filed a brief today with the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington asking the appellate court to reverse a lower court’s decision from February dismissing their protective legal action against agricultural giant Monsanto’s… Read more »
Organic Industry Watchdog Challenges USDA’s Lack of Transparency
Flawed Appointments Have Led to Corrupt Oversight System WASHINGTON DC: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) today formally announced it is seeking nominations for an opening on the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), a 15-member panel set up by Congress responsible for approving all non-organic/synthetic materials in organics and recommending regulatory policy. Past appointments… Read more »
The Anti-GMO Labeling Crowd in California
The mis- and/or under-informed, the lackeys and the malevolent actors opposing the California GMO labeling ballot initiative are announcing their opposition to the food labeling measure. These organizations, who oppose you knowing what’s in your food, include: Agriculture California Farm Bureau Federation California Women for Agriculture California Grain and Feed Association California Seed Association Agricultural… Read more »
Eminent Scientist Addresses Impact of Carrageenan in Food
[Prior to the last meeting of the National Organic Standards, Medical Researcher Dr. Joanne Tobacman provide the board with expert testimony detailing her independent research into the health impacts of the use of the controversial additive carrageenan in organic foods. It has been widely used in the entire food industry for more than a half… Read more »
Farmers, Ranchers and Consumers Fight USDA Animal ID Scheme
View Agribusiness-Friendly Proposal as Threat to Free Commerce Washington, DC: A coalition of agriculture and consumer organizations from across the nation is challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to push ahead with a complicated and expensive Animal ID program. The organizations sent a joint letter to the Congressional Office of Management and Budget… Read more »
Wildfires Rage at New Mexican Organic Meetings
Farmers, Consumers and Public Interest Groups Square off Against Corporate Interests ALBUQUERQUE, NM: Passions flared at the semiannual meeting of the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), last week in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the federal advisory panel approved a number of synthetic ingredients for use in organics, over the objection of the majority of… Read more »
Shopping Guide to Avoiding Organic Foods with Carrageenan
Always read ingredient lists carefully. Carrageenan may be present in the final product but not listed on the ingredients label when it is used as a “processing aid,” for example in cream. We recommend contacting the company directly if you would like to confirm whether carrageenan is in the final product. Read more on processing aids here, and… Read more »
The Organic Watergate: Advocates Condemn Corruption and USDA’s Cozy Relationship with Corporate Agribusinesses in Organics
[This action alert is over.] Cornucopia, WI — The nation’s leading organic farming watchdog, The Cornucopia Institute, is challenging what it calls a “conspiracy” between corporate agribusiness interests and the USDA that has increasingly facilitated the use of questionable synthetic additives and even dangerous chemicals in organic foods. In its new white paper, The Organic… Read more »
Angry Consumers Deluge Kashi with Concerns over GMO Subterfuge
Damage Control PR by Kellogg Division under the Microscope Cornucopia, WI – A photo of a sign explaining why Kashi cereal products were pulled from the shelves of a natural foods retailer has sparked an angry consumer backlash aimed at Kashi for its use of suspect cereal ingredients. The sign appeared in the aisles of… Read more »
