With organic and natural food demands growing, more companies are trying to meet the certifications required to place desired labels onto their product to validate the source and ingredients within. Many consumers trust that when a certifying agency label is on their product, that the product has undergone strict rules...
With many regulatory changes in the natural products industry, for manufacturers and suppliers, it can feel like a shifting maze that seems to adjust every time one begins to become comfortable. Although a map is unavailable, leaders from several industry associations offer some insight about what could be in store.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), to say the least, are a hot button issue. However, while the debate about the potential risks of GMOs continues to rage in the mainstream food industry, scientific community and political arena, within the natural products industry, the position is clear: NO GMOs. For this reason,...
Washington, D.C. — On January 19, 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) recommended removing 11 substances from the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances for use in organic production or as ingredients or on processed products labeled as “organic.” The 11 substances include...
Washington, D.C. — The Organic Trade Organization (OTA) has announced a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that is meant to help guide farmers in transition to certified organic agriculture. The National Certified Transitional Program (NCTP) — using OTA standards — will provide oversight to approved Accredited...
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), packages of bacon, ham, hotdogs and other processed meat and poultry products should contain a warning label to inform consumers of its association with cancer. On December 1, 2016, CSPI filed a petition with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture...
Washington, D.C.—On October 19, 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced plans to start a Joint Organic Compliance Committee in an effort to support a potential organic equivalency arrangement between the U. S. and Mexico. The arrangement, according to USDA, would allow “organic producers and...
On September 16th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched the Branded Food Products Database, a free online resource for families, the food industry and researchers that contains nutrition details on more than 80,000 name brand prepared and packaged foods that are available at restaurants and grocery stores. "There is so...
Washington, DC—Following the signing of a new GMO labeling bill by President Obama, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has revised its stance on negative claims of GMOs in meat, poultry and eggs. Negative claims are label claims proclaiming the absence of a substance,...
Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will purchase $20 million worth of cheese and donate it to food banks in an effort to modestly reduce the cheese surplus that is at a 30-year high. According to a report by NPR, the surplus resulted when dairy farmers, responding to record...
