As you may know, the USDA has proposed National Organic Standards which,
if implemented, would seriously undermine the quality of organic
products and severely limit the product information upon which consumers
base their buying choices. At the end of this note, you will find links
to background information which explain the issues in detail and provide
specific information on how to compose and address your letter to the
USDA containing your comments. It is important that as many comments as
possible be sent to the USDA, the White House and the Congress objecting
to the proposed regulations. The deadline for comments is April 30,
1998.
In 1990, Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA). This
legislation was carefully written and clearly laid out the process by
which the national organic standards would be developed. At present
there are over 30 private certification groups and 11 states involved in
setting organic standards. Because regulations vary from one region of
the country to another, a national standard makes good sense. The
purpose of the proposed national standards is to insure integrity in
certification, provide legal remedies for failing to comply and provide
consumer confidence that products bearing the organic label are truly
organic. Yet, if the proposed rules in their present form become the
standard, many of the small farms that supply us who would benefit from
a strong national standard will not be able to remain in business due to
the regressive and prohibitive fee structure.
In passing the OFPA, Congress created the National Organic Standards
Board (NOSB), an advisory panel independent from the USDA. The NOSB was
charged with the task of studying the issues involved in organic farming
and providing the USDA with a set of recommendations to serve as a guide
in writing the rules which establish the national organic standards.
The NOSB, consisting of farmers, processors and organic industry
representatives, worked for over five years to develop these
recommendations. However, when the proposed rules were published this
past December, the USDA decided to change or disregard the NOSB
recommendations in many key areas. Many of these changes have had the
effect of loosening the rules so as to permit practices inconsistent
with present organic farming methods. We must not allow this to happen.
There are many positive steps that you can take today:
Get Informed. Read as much of the background information as you have
time for. Visit some of the excellent web sites and articles regarding
the proposed rules. Attend Herban Kitchen’s 2-Part Dinner Discussion
series on the proposed rules featuring organic growers and members of
the National Organic Standards Board (see below).
Speak Out. Send your comments to the USDA via mail, fax or e-mail (see
addresses in resource section). Tell the USDA to re-write the rules to
comply with the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) of 1990 and to
adhere to the recommendations of the National Organic Standards Board
(NOSB). Using the background information as a guide, write your own
letter. Be specific and where possible, reference the section numbers.
Write about the points that are important to you. Be sure to send a
copy of your letter to President Clinton, Vice-President Gore, your
Senators and Congressman. Their addresses and e-mail addresses are
listed below.
Copy this information. Give it to as many people as possible and
encourage them to take action before the deadline.
Continue to buy Organic food. Organic farmers, associations and
certifying groups are working hard to make sure that the word ‘ORGANIC’
continues to represent the highest standards for food quality and
safety.
Thank you!
- Adam Ruderman & Jeanette Maier
TO SEND A LETTER TO THE USDA:
Be sure to include the docket number in your comments:
Docket # TMD - 94 - 00 - 2
Mail to:
Eileen Stommes, Deputy Administrator
USDA - National Organic Standards
USDA, AMS, Room 4007 - S
AgStop 0275, P.O. Box 96456
Washington, D.C. 20090-6456
TO SEND THE USDA AN E-MAIL:
Visit their website at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/
There will be instructions for sending comments.
TO SEND A MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT CLINTON:
President Clinton
The White House, Washington, D.C. 20501
E-Mail: president @whitehouse.gov
TO SEND A MESSAGE TO VICE-PRESIDENT GORE:
Vice President Gore
The White House, Washington, D.C. 20501
E-Mail: president @whitehouse.gov
TO REACH YOUR SENATOR OR CONGRESSMAN:
Write to : U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510
U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Many senators and members of congress also have e-mail addresses. A
quick web search should find them.
Organic Rules Background Resources
(you will find many of these online resources, as well as others, at the
Herban Kitchen home site links page: http://www.herban.com/links.html/)
USDA National Organic Program Proposed Rule Home Page
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/
Mother Jones Magazine - May/June issue
Organic Engineering Article - Mother Jones has obtained a USDA memo
demonstrating the role of biotech special interests in the proposed
rules. See the leaked memo that details the sellout at:
http://bsd.mojones.com/mother_jones/MJ98/broydo.html
Going Organic, Clumsily The New York Times
Op-ed piece from Tuesday, March 24 by Peter Hoffman
http://search.nytimes.com/search/daily/bin/f
astweb?getdoc+site+site+31749+2+wAAA+organic
The Save Organic Foundation 800-357-2211
http://www.saveorganic.org/
Organic Trade Association 413-774-7511 http://www.ota.com/
Save Organic Standards (SOS), New York, NY
(212) 677-1863 Info Hotline (212) 529-9720
Citizens For Health, Boulder, CO: 800-357-2211
http://www.citizens.org
A discussion of the proposed Organic Rules with a list of articles:
http://www.pmac.net/nosrule.htm
Sewage Sludge, Genetic Engineering and Irradiation Don't Mix with
Organic According to National Nutritional Foods Association
http://www.pathfinder.com/money/latest/press/BU/1998Feb06/1500.html
Wild Oats Organic Resource Center
http://www.wildoats.com/know/organics.html
The Washington Post `Organic' but Not `Official'
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-10/14/022l-101497-idx.html
Mothers & Others 212-242-0010
Online http://www.mothers.org/
How to Comment on Proposed Organic Regs from Whole Foods Markets
http://www.wholefoods.com/
wfm/whatsnew/proposedorganic.html
Earth's Best Baby Food: Organic Food - Growing Interest
http://www.earthsbest.com
California Certified Organic Farmers
http://www.ccof.org
Herban Kitchen to Host 2-Part Dinner Discussion series on the USDA
Proposed Organic Rules
Herban Kitchen, a Manhattan restaurant and caterer will host a
2-Part
Dinner Discussion Series regarding the USDA Proposed Organic Rules. The
objective of the series is to inform and educate the public as to the
very important issues at stake in the current debate over National
Organic Standards and their impact on local organic growers and
consumers. The USDA has been accused of favoring the interests of
large-scale agribusiness over the needs of consumers and of ignoring the
recommendations of the National Organic Standards Board. The future
survival of small organic farms, vital to the economy and local food
supply, would be seriously threatened and consumers would be denied
access to important product information in choosing how to feed their
families if the rules are passed in their proposed form.
Each night of the 2-Part Dinner Discussion series will feature
prominent members of the local organic community. The first part in the
series, to be held on Wednesday, April 15 at 6:00PM will feature Betsy
Lydon and Kay Magilavy. Betsy Lydon is a member of the National Organic
Standards Board and Program Director of Mothers and Others for a Livable
Planet. Ms. Lydon’s experiences on the National Organic Standards
Board as well as her work with growers and consumers give her a unique
perspective into the current controversy. Kay Magilavy is currently
Treasurer of NOFA-NY and formerly served as President for 5 years, all
the while operating her own organic farm in Delaware County, New York.
The second night, to be held on Saturday, April 18 at 6:00PM
will
feature Dr. Joan Gussow and organic growers Mark Dunau and John
Gorzynski. Dr. Gussow is an accomplished author and Mary Swartz Rose
Professor emeritus and former chair of the Nutrition Education Program
at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is currently a member of
the National Organic Standards Board, chair of the policy committee of
the Board of the Jesse Smith Noyes Foundation and last year completed a
term on the FDA's Food Advisory Committee. Mark Dunau and John Gorzynski
have been farming organically for many years in Sullivan County, New
York. Mark supplies many of New York’s finest restaurants while John is
a fixture at the Union Square Greenmarket as well as president of the
Sullivan County organic farmers' association.
Both nights will be hosted and moderated by Adam Ruderman,
Co-Owner of
Herban Kitchen. Chef Jeanette Maier will prepare dishes from her new
Spring/Summer menu. Herban Kitchen features Organic American Food and
works directly with many small organic growers in New York, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania. Herban Kitchen is located at 290 Hudson Street in
West SoHo, Manhattan and has been in business for four years.
-- Herban Kitchen Tel. 212-627-2257 290 Hudson Street Fax 212-627-2513 New York, NY 10013E-mail: adam@herban.com http://www.Herban.com
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