US to Appoint New Organic Standards Board Members
WASHINGTON, US - This year, Secretary Vilsack will make the Obama Administration's first appointments to the National Organic Standards Board, a volunteer board comprised of representatives of the organic community who make formal recommendations on organic standards to the USDA National Organic Programme.The Common Dreams organsiation say that several important topics remain before the NOSB and the NOP, including: anticompetitive behavior in organic dairy where some brands continue to violate the organic law by using feedlots where cows don't have access to pasture; misbranding in the personal care products market where products that aren't certified are advertised as organic; standards for organic aquaculture that pose environmental concerns; and the continuing issue of which ingredients may be synthetic or sourced in non-organic form.
The appointment of strong organic advocates will help bring clarity and harmonization to the standards, says the organisation, allowing the organic movement to speak with one voice and reassuring consumers that there is no stronger standard than "USDA Organic" for nutrition, safety or environmental impact.
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