Chinese Import Moratorium Needed to Protect Consumers/Farmers Cornucopia, WI—After years of ringing the alarm bell about fraudulent Chinese organic production, the nation’s preeminent organic farming watchdog, The Cornucopia Institute, applauded the federal government’s current approach to enforcement and its transparency. On February 11, The Department of Agriculture (USDA) publicly released evidence of attempted fraud by… Read more »
OCA and Their Indictment of Stonyfield, Whole Foods and Organic Valley: Did “Organic Elites” Sell out to Monsanto and the USDA?
The following is what we have said in response to many e-mail inquiries and questions we have received from Cornucopia members, food cooperatives and others in the organic community: Hello, The three companies in question decided to split with most of the organizations in the organic community, like Cornucopia, that recommended not approving genetically engineered… Read more »
BREAKING NEWS: USDA to Fully Deregulate Monsanto’s Genetically Engineer Alfalfa — Gene Contamination of Feed, Milk, Meat and Other Products to Follow…
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced this afternoon that the agency will fully deregulate Monsanto’s controversial genetically engineered alfalfa. The choice was favored by the biotech industry and one of three options identified in the USDA’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) released last month. USDA could have maintained regulatory status over the perennial crop that is… Read more »
American Beekeeping Federation Passes Resolution Opposing USDA’s Deregulation of GE Alfalfa
The American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) voted at its annual meeting on January 7 in Galveston, TX to oppose the controversial deregulation of Monsanto’s genetically engineered Round-up Ready Alfalfa. Donald Schmidt, who farms 800 acres near Winner, South Dakota and is the Past President of the ABF, said he hopes that the resolution will make people… Read more »
Neotame: Threat to Organics Sponsored by Monsanto or Internet Hoax?
We have received several inquiries about the artificial sweetener Neotame, and the Internet rumor that this synthetic additive is allowed in certified organic foods. Neotame, as a synthetic additive, is not allowed in organic foods, contrary to the Internet rumor. None of the bloggers who perpetuate this anti-organic myth reference primary sources to substantiate their… Read more »
Snafu Could Stall Food Safety Bill
UPDATE! Blomberg Businessweek Mary Clare Jalonick A procedural snafu may hold up action on food safety legislation that passed the Senate Tuesday. The Senate bill contains fees that could be considered tax provisions, which under congressional rules supposed to originate in the House, according to House and Senate aides who requested anonymity because they were… Read more »
Dirty Little Secret in the Natural Foods Industry: Toxic Chemical Use
Solvents Banned in Organics all too Common in “Natural” Food Production CORNUCOPIA, WI—Since 2009, when research by The Cornucopia Institute exposed “the dirty little secret” of the soyfoods industry, vocal concern from consumers over the use of the toxic solvent hexane has led several prominent food companies to switch to cleaner soy ingredients in their… Read more »
Conventional Cattle on Factory Dairies Producing “Organic” Milk
Illegal Practice Damaging Family Farmers and Defrauding Consumers CORNUCOPIA, WIS: A Wisconsin-based farm policy research group, The Cornucopia Institute, announced this week that it is filing a formal legal complaint in an attempt to immediately halt the USDA from allowing factory farms producing “organic” milk from bringing conventional dairy cattle onto their farms. Cornucopia claims… Read more »
Food Safety Bill Update — Senate Debate Underway
Steve Gilman NOFA Policy Coordinator In the Senate it’s well understood that the only safe place for proposed legislation to be for a Floor vote is in the “Manager’s Package”. Because there’s already lengthy and considerable bipartisan negotiation and buy-in at the committee level — the resulting Manager’s Package Bill is good to go for… Read more »
Coalition Pushes for Amendment to Controversial Senate Food Safety Bill
Over 125 national, state, and grassroots organizations are notifying members of the United States Senate that an amendment proposed by Sen. Jon Tester (MT) and Sen. Kay Hagan (NC), is critical to ensuring that the food safety bill being considered by the Senate does not injure the livelihoods of family-scale farmers and undercut consumers’ opportunity… Read more »
