The Organic Center’s Rebuttal to British Study Downplaying Organic Health Benefits
This past July, most were shocked to hear about The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition’s release of the study, “Nutritional Quality of Organic Foods: a Systematic Review,” which stated that no significant differences exist between the nutritional content of organic and conventional foods. While there are numerous studies that show the benefits of organic, this study, which was funded by the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency (FSA), still received widespread media coverage. To set consumers and the media straight, The Organic Center and OTA worked together to provide a one-two response. The morning the study hit the press, the Organic Center’s chief scientist Chuck Benbrook, along with two other scientists, completed an analysis of the study and wrote a rebuttal. “The speed of the response made a huge difference,” said Benbrook. “Our critique was cited in about two-thirds of the stories written, and several reported our March 2008 report’s findings as prominently as the new FSA study’s results.”

In the rebuttal, the Center points out that the London team downplayed positive findings from the FSA study that favor organic food. The Center wrote that, “their study omitted measures of some important nutrients, including total antioxidant capacity. It also lacked quality controls contained in a competing study released in 2008 by The Organic Center. Last, the FSA-funded team also used data from very old studies assessing nutrient levels in plant varieties that are no longer on the market.”
The Center’s full rebuttal is posted at: www.organic-center.org/science.nutri.php?action=view&report_id=157.
At the same time, OTA also played a key role in the effort, addressing broader questions and reminding the media and consumers that a food system that avoids the use of pesticides, synthetic growth hormones and antibiotics while building healthy soil and protecting natural resources absolutely promotes health and nutrition. OTA has posted its response online under “2009 Press Releases.”


NOP Undergoes Third-Party Review
As a part of any continuous improvement process, every credible program must be reviewed on a regular basis. To ensure that the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) continues to meet the highest standards possible, the NOP has applied to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for a review of its accreditation process and program. Outside reviews such as this stand to bolster the integrity of the program and trust in the organic label. This transparent review process will not only highlight what the program is doing right but will also help the NOP find ways to improve as it grows. The review is planned for fiscal year 2010 which begins Oct. 1, 2009. NIST’s National Voluntary Conformity Assessment Systems Evaluation program will evaluate NOP’s accreditation program to assess its ongoing conformity with international standards for managing accreditation programs. NOP is seeking NIST recognition, which is granted to qualified U.S. organizations that effectively demonstrate conformance with established criteria. Receiving such recognition would also support NOP’s credentials as an accrediting body and satisfy regulatory requirements for NOP to obtain peer review.


Document Provides Details on Canadian Equivalency
We were all excited when the announcement was made this summer that the United States and Canada had reached a historic agreement on organic equivalency between the two national organic systems. Now it’s time to get down to details. To help those who are exporting to Canada, the Canada Organic Office has issued a document that highlights the key points of the U.S.-Canada Equivalency Agreement. These include access to the national logos, the labeling rules for both countries, the required documentation for products certified to the terms of the equivalency agreement, and a statement that, while processed products should meet the requirements of the agreement, there will be flexibility during the Stream of Commerce implementation period. The document is posted on the OTA’s webpage on equivalency, www.ota.com/Equivalency.html.



2008 Organic Coffee Market Tops $1.3 Billion in North America
The North American organic coffee market topped 1.3 billion dollars in 2008, making coffee the single most valuable organic product imported into North America, according to new data released by coffee market analyst Daniele Giovannucci at a sampling event at New York City’s Union Square Cafe featuring new crop organic coffees from leading U.S. roasters. The event was hosted by the Organic Coffee Collaboration, a project of the OTA. According to The North American Organic Coffee Industry Survey 2009 by Giovannucci approximately 89 million pounds of organic coffee were imported into the United States and Canada in 2008, a 12 percent increase from 2007, with most of the sales taking place in the U.S. The 29 percent annual average growth rate for the organic category documented between 2000 and 2008 dwarfs the estimated 1.5 percent projected annual growth rate of the conventional coffee industry. The survey is available from the Organic Trade Association.



Earthbound Farm Announces Industry-First Switch to 100 Percent PCR PET
As part of its 25th anniversary celebration, Earthbound Farm recently announced a fresh-cut salad industry first: all of its plastic clamshell packages are now being made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PCR PET). Virgin PET is made primarily from natural gas feedstock, whereas PCR PET is made from previously used plastic products such as soda or water bottles that would otherwise end up in landfills. PCR PET materials use significantly less energy and water to produce than virgin plastic and result in lower greenhouse gas emissions and solid waste.

Based on Earthbound Farm’s annual usage of rigid PET plastic in 2008, the company’s conversion to 100 percent PCR PET for clamshell packaging will conserve 424,000 million BTUs and 68,307 gallons of water, as well as eliminate 16,191 tons of carbon dioxide and divert 1.3 million pounds of solid waste from landfills.

To increase awareness of the ecological benefits of PCR packaging, Earthbound Farm is launching a redesigned label on its salad greens packages, calling out the post-consumer content of the packaging. The company is also launching a web-based contest seeking quotes from children for the inside of its clamshell salad labels. Kids will be encouraged to submit quotes thanking those who purchase organic for helping protect the future. In return, the company will invest in the children’s future: the authors of those quotes chosen to be printed on Earthbound Farm salad labels will be awarded a $500 U.S. savings bond and a $500 donation will be made in their name to an environmental charity of their choice.

“There are many opportunities to create a larger U.S. market for PCR materials, which is essential to reducing what we’re putting in landfills,” said Chad Smith, manager of Earthbound Farm’s sustainability initiatives. “We hope that other companies will see the value in adopting packaging solutions with PCR content and that consumers will make the decision to seek out PCR packaging when shopping.”