Recently, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) met in San Antonio, Texas for their bi-annual convention. These meetings are designed to listen to public comments, discuss agenda items and then vote in a public forum. The NOSB is a result of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA), which was contained in the 1990 Farm Bill. That bill allowed states to set any organic standards of their choosing, which then resulted in the formation of a National Organic Program (NOP) and the NOSB. One of the goals of OFPA was to protect consumers against organic fraud. The NOSB is appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture.
The current Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, a shill for agribusiness firms such as Monsanto (the Biotechnology Industry Organization named Vilsack Governor of the Year in 2001), has been assigning seats on the board that normally go to farmers and growers to Big Ag members. Food Democracy Now! contends that Vilsack’s appointees are “working behind the scenes with giant industrial corporations that sell organic product lines to gut 20 years of precedent in the congressionally-mandated National Organic Standards Board.”
The kerfuffle at this last meeting started when the USDA representative, Miles McEvoy, who was appointed by Vilsack in 2009, appointed himself “co-chair,” an apparent violation of NOSB rules. He then announced that “the NOSB has only an advisory role governing organic standards and USDA staff sets all agenda items and makes all decisions.” In effect, any decisions made by the USDA and imposed upon the NOSB changes rules regarding non-organic and synthetic substances. A National List of approved substances would then be altered by the USDA and forced upon the organic board. The “Sunset Provisions,” which governs the removal of synthetic ingredients from organic production would then be considerably diluted.
Moreover, the new rules established by Miles McEvoy alter the process for managing the National List. The new rules caused an activist protest within this recent meeting of the NOSB because the rules were changed without public input. Furthermore, any changes made would then require a 2/3rds majority vote to remove them in the future, and with the NOSB increasingly controlled by the interests of large corporations, a 2/3rds majority would likely be difficult to achieve.
The protest began when a small group of activists gathered in the front of the room to protest the USDA’s change of the Sunset Provision. After 15 minutes of protest, the USDA staff called the San Antonio police, and they responded by handcuffing one protester and hauling her away. After this, Miles McEvoy knighted himself co-chair, which then caused more disruption as one member (Beyond Pesticides Executive Director Jay Feldman) challenged McEvoy’s takeover and called for a vote. McEvoy cut off the vote and ultimately took over the meeting.
Food Democracy Now! pointed out that “in an important reminder of just how out of bounds Miles McEvoy and USDA’s current efforts to weaken organic standards are, the original authors of the 1990 Organic Food Production Act in Congress, Senator Patrick Leahy (Vermont) and Peter DeFazio (Oregon) wrote a joint letter last week to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack urging him to reverse this policy.” Leahy and Defazio’s letter claimed that the USDA’s recent decisions run “counter to the key principals of public involvement and oversight in the organic certification process as well as adhering to the highest standards possible for organic food production.”
The USDA has been and continues to be challenged by Food Democracy Now!, the Cornucopia Institute, the Organic Consumers Organization and the Center for Food Safety for ignoring recommendations made by the NOSB. Corporate members of the NOSB narrowly approved a substance, DHA, in 2011, a synthetic ingredient used in baby formula. Many scientists expressed concern over the safety of this substance to no avail. An erosion of the original intent of organic labeling also seeps into the allowable conditions of supposed organic egg-laying operations in the U.S., which can ignore altogether animal welfare. If we, as individuals, choose to consume only those foods that are protected by the NOSB as being truly organic, that board must be allowed to operate independently of Big Ag. Add your name to the list of those who support the NOSB.
Recipe of the Week
If you can get the meat eaters in your house to agree, a composed vegetable salad is an excellent meal. There are traditional Greek salads, but I’m sure no one will object to a slight variation.
Greek Salad with Garbonzo Beans
A mix of wild greens and fresh spinach leaves, amounts depending on the number of diners
canned garbonzo beans, rinsed well (one can or two, depending)
good quality olives
minced red onion
a quantity of feta or goat cheese
tomatoes, either cherry or cut up whole tomatoes
A sprinkling of extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar
With some good quality French bread, you have an excellent meal.
Annoyed Omnivore 