Egg cartons are increasingly cluttered with third-party certification claims and a myriad of potentially misleading statements. Some of these are meaningful to egg buyers, and some of them are nothing more than marketing gimmicks. Source: polaristest The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the agency responsible for...
Why would a farm policy research group report on infant formula??? Prior to 2011, Martek Biosciences had been selling—illegally—their algae-based DHA oil for use in “organic” infant formula and Horizon milk. After a legal complaint it was determined that the material was not on the National List of substances...
Poultry Industry Giant Pilgrim’s Pride Makes Preliminary Bid to Acquire Hain Celestial Poultry Processing Interests The New York Post reported recently that the prominent organic industry conglomerate, The Hain Celestial Group, Inc., said it plans to divest its interests...
Cornucopia’s Take: Cornucopia has reported extensively on import fraud, exposing the glaring loopholes in enforcement available to bad actors. The Senate recently passed a version of the Farm Bill that would help address fraud in the organic industry. The bill includes funding for much-needed technological advances in USDA data...
Cornucopia’s Take: Hawaii’s governor recently signed a bill restricting pesticide use within 100 feet of schools and banning chlorpyrifos outright by 2023. Chlorpyrifos, used widely in conventional agriculture, was slated for a national ban in 2017 due to its toxicity, particularly for children and their cognitive development. Hawaii is the first...
Cornucopia’s Take: Although reports of less dicamba drift damage to crops in the 2018 season seem promising, many farmers are planting dicamba resistant (GMO) crops preventatively. University of Missouri professor Kevin Bradley has been tracking the rise in dicamba damage and notes growing damage to trees in areas where...
Nature’s Path’s move “protests” betrayals by the Organic Trade Association The widely respected and leading organic breakfast foods manufacturer, Nature’s Path, announced the company’s resignation from membership in the Organic Trade Association (OTA), a prominent and increasingly controversial lobby group representing business interest in the industry. The announcement came...
Cornucopia’s Take: In 2013, Wendy’s refused to join the Fair Food Program to protect farmworkers in tomato fields from abuses and ensure they earn at least minimum wage. Wendy’s chose to begin buying tomatoes from Mexico, where human rights violations are as horrific or worse. Due to continued criticism,...
Turkey’s Tiryaki and Diasub appear to be back in the U.S. market with a new certifier Tiryaki Agro Gida Sanayi v Ticaret A.S. (“Tiryaki”), a multibillion dollar agribusiness giant, and its wholly owned organic division, Diasub, FZE, now appear to be officially back in the organic grain imports market...
Cornucopia’s Take: Sikkim, a small state in India, passed legislation to practice only organic agriculture in 2003. In 2014, the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers became a criminal offense. Plasticware has likewise been banned. Farmers in the state report lower yields and the need for more training and...
Cornucopia has recently released the white paper, The Turkish Infiltration of the U.S. Organic Grain Market, chronicling how a small number of multibillion dollar agribusinesses came to dominate the U.S. organic grain industry. Cornucopia Codirector Mark Kastel went live today on Facebook to discuss failures in USDA oversight on...
Failures in USDA Oversight Rendered U.S. Markets Vulnerable to Fraud by Eastern European Cartels Some Implicated Major Players Quietly Exit Market An organic industry watchdog, The Cornucopia Institute, has released...
The Cornucopia Institute, through research and investigations on agriculture and food issues, provides needed information to family farmers, consumers and other stakeholders in the good food movement and to the media.
