The Harvey Challenge:
Start Now to Get Your Non-Organic Agricultural Ingredients Onto The National List
By Grace Gershuny, Consultant to OTA
But are you aware of another section of the National List that is affected by the recent Harvey vs. Johanns court decision? Specifically, if you use any nonorganic agricultural ingredients in the 5% of your organically labeled product, and they are not currently specified in section 205.606 of the National List, you must take action now to get them placed in that section of the list. Before the lawsuit ruling, Section 205.606 allowed a blanket approval of those materials and now the NOP must list each one individually. This is a long process and has to begin right away. To protect your ability to use these materials in your processes, you need to file a petition to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to request that they be approved for continued use and placed on the National List.
Examples include flavorings, essential oils, and similar minor ingredients that have been unavailable in commercially available organic forms. Currently there are five substances on that list: native cornstarch, water extracted gums, kelp, unbleached lecithin, and high-methoxy pectin. Some of these may be contested through the Sunset process by manufacturers who believe they can supply those products in an organic form.
The question is complicated by the NOSB’s current discussion of how to define “nonagricultural ingredients.” Should yeast be on this list? If you are using yeast, bacterial cultures, or enzymes, all currently considered nonagricultural, you should cover yourself by petitioning to include them in Section 205.606.
What should you do?
• Immediately inventory all nonorganic ingredients used in your organic products, and identify any that you consider to be agricultural.
• Make sure that there really is no acceptable organically produced alternative available to you, and be prepared to document your efforts to source one.
• Check the Organic Trade Association (OTA) members-only web site for a template of a petition to submit to the NOSB requesting that any such ingredients you use be included on the National List.
• Find out if there are other processors who use the same material (OTA’s 606 Task Force is developing a listing of these materials and companies who plan to petition for them). If there are others, contact them to collaborate on the petition process.
Plan to attend the seminar at Natural Products Expo East in Washington DC, called The Organic Challenge of Harvey vs. Johanns: Making Sense in a time of Confusion, co-sponsored by the OTA, scheduled for Friday, September 16 at 8:30 a.m., and look for information materials about the 606 challenge. Time is short! In order to comply with the Harvey ruling within the transition time provided, the NOSB should receive petitions for these materials before the end of the year. Go to www.ota.com to learn more.
IFOAM Wants Answers from FAO
The International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) has called on the executive body of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), whose mandate is “achieving food security for all,” to consider its budgetary choices for 2006-2007.
While organic agriculture provides substantive, measurable benefits toward achieving this mandate, it is barely mentioned in the $850 million budget. Agricultural biotechnology, on the other hand, whose contribution to food security is subject to debate, is rewarded more than $6 million in one budget line alone, as well as receiving FAO support under other programs.
IFOAM called on the FAO Council to rectify this situation by allocating at least two percent of the program budget — roughly $17 million — to research and support of the development of organic agriculture, particularly in developing countries, to better reflect the percentage of organic agriculture as a portion of agricultural practices worldwide.
IFOAM Executive Director Gerald A. Herrmann states, “The single most effective way for the FAO Council to help the world achieve food security would be to devote resources towards the development of organic agriculture.”
Further information can also be requested from the IFOAM Website at www.ifoam.org.
The Accredited Certifiers Association, (ACA) is pleased to announce that Patricia Kane has been hired as coordinator for the Association (607.648.3259). Kane has been active with the organic certification community for many years, including acting as coordinator for the Organic Trade Association’s Organic Certifiers Council Standards Consensus Project; serving as Chair of the OTA Organic Certifiers Council; serving as Co-Chair of the Northeast Interstate Organic Certifiers Council, and Administrator of the NOFA-NY Organic Certification Program.
The Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) is pleased to announce the launch of its new website (www.resource-solutions.org). CRS is a national nonprofit working to increase the supply and use of renewable energy and developing policies and practices that link renewable energy to greenhouse gas reductions and other environmental benefits. CRS also provides technical assistance in the assessment of renewable resources and the integration of renewables into the electricity grid. Visitors to the site will find new information about CRS Business Lines, a complete library of publications, and the latest news on CRS’s work in the emerging market of renewable energy.
The Institute of Food Technologists recently announced that its 2006 Annual Meeting and Food Expo will feature an Organic Pavilion (www.ift.org). the Organic Pavilion will join the other pavilions on the IFT Food Expo floor—Healthy Ingredients Pavilion, International Pavilion, IFT International Food Safety & Quality Pavilion, IFT/RCA Product Development Pavilion, and New Products Showcase Pavilions. There will also be a multi-track series of technical sessions, symposiums, workshops and industry programs. The full 2006 5-day program will be held June 24-28 2006.
Frutarom Industries, a global company operating in the global flavor and ingredient markets, announced that its subsidiary, Frutarom (UK) Ltd., has opened a sales and marketing office in Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta (www.frutarom.com). The office is intended to strengthen Frutarom’s standing and activity in East Asia.
The Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA), has introduced two new business initiatives to grow and market the organization as a leader in organic certification (www.ocia.org). This spring, OCIA implemented a plan to create strategic alliances with other certification agencies and a concept for creating regional agents. Both initiatives allow certification organizations and/or independent agents to access OCIA’s accredited programs. OCIA has already signed three strategic alliance agreements, with the Canada Seed Institute, the Organic Food Development Corporation of China (OFDC), and the Organización Internacional Agropecuaria of Argentina (OIA). The agreements allow them to partner with OCIA to provide organic certification services to which they otherwise may not have had market access.
The Rodale Institute’s NewFarm.org and the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) launched the New Farm Guide to U.S. Organic Certifiers, an online resource where farmers can find comprehensive profiles of participating organic certifiers, including fee structures, available services and geographic areas served (www.newfarm.org/ocdbt/press). It is the only qualitative organic certifier guide available.
The 2005 IFT meeting held in June, attracted 18,243 registered attendees and 1,055 exhibiting companies, with a growing number of organic participants in both categories. On the strength and goodwill of the 45 exhibitors, more than 7,100 pounds of food was donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank upon the show’s conclusion. That brings the total amount of IFT Food Expo donations to more than 107,000 pounds during the past eight years.
WellnessGrocer.com has launched its e-commerce concept into the organic, natural, and gourmet industry to retailers via direct delivery (www.wellnessgrocer.com). The company is the first e-commerce site marketing premium organic, natural and gourmet frozen food brands, as well as supplements, household cleaners and personal care products directly to retailers via the web. WellnessGrocer.com offers an intermediate “stepping stone” for new companies to realize immediate sales before being listed into large distribution houses.
Working Assets, the long distance, wireless and credit card company that donates a portion of its revenues to progressive nonprofits, has partnered with Organic Bouquet, the world’s first online organic florist (FlowersForChange.com). Through its relationship with Organic Bouquet, Working Assets is now offering a full line of eco-friendly flowers on the Flowers for Change Web site and two percent of the purchase price of the flower orders will go to the nonprofit organizations Working Assets is supporting in 2005, at no additional cost.
Caribou Coffee Company, the nation’s second largest non-franchised coffee house chain, announced today that it will support sustainably produced coffee — and the communities and farms in coffee growing lands — through a new partnership with the Rainforest Alliance (www.rainforest-alliance.org/coffee, www.cariboucoffee.com). Caribou projects that by the end of 2008, half of all the coffee purchased by the company will come from Rainforest Alliance Certified sources. An international not-for-profit and third-party certifier, the Rainforest Alliance provides its certification seal to farms meeting the highest standards for the conservation of the natural resources and the rights and welfare of workers and local communities.
My Family Farm, manufacturer of all natural and organic cookies and crackers with all net profits to children’s charities, announces its new website at www.myfamilyfarm.org.
