On July 29, 2016 President Obama signed GMO labeling legislation into law. The law, which passed the House and Senate by large bipartisan majorities earlier this summer, creates federal mandatory GMO labeling.
The Organic Trade Association’s 2016 Policy Conference hosted another Farmers Advisory Council (FAC) summit, where FAC members met to discuss and reflect on FAC’s successes over the past three years, and contemplated how to increase participation and imagine where FAC will head in the next three years.
This summer, Organic Trade Association members banded together to defend the process by which organic regulations are created and implemented against an outside attack from Congress and the powerful livestock industry.
Organic is one of the fastest growing segments of America agriculture and consumer demand for organic products continues to rise. The vibrant U.S. organic sector is creating jobs and opportunities in communities across the nation. OTA's 2016 Infographic tells the story of Organic: a Bright Spot for our Farms, our Food, and our Future.
For over a decade, including six years as Chief Scientist of The Organic Center, I have focused on new science from around the world on the impacts of organic farming on food safety, food nutritional quality, and agriculture’s environmental footprint.
The California State Legislature passed AB 1826—the California Organic Food and Farming Act (COFFA)—with unanimous bipartisan support in response to hundreds of organic farmers, businesses, and consumers calling for critical updates to the California State Organic Program (SOP). COFFA is expected to be signed into law by October 2016.
Dairy policy is complicated. Highly complex, distinct, and regional policies for producers and processors, arcane and intensely bureaucratic processes—this defines the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) system.
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