Take Action: Flagrant scofflaws let off the hook!
Organic certifiers have a conflict of interest when the USDA charges them with investigating allegations made against their own clients.
Photo courtesy of Farm Forward
Horrendous animal abuse/deaths, antibiotic use, and the spraying of cattle with diesel fuel for insect control have gone unpenalized at Alexandre Family Farm.
Join us in sending a message to the retail giants in organic food:
You have an obligation to your customers to ensure the organic food you are selling meets both the spirit and letter of the law. Tell Alexandre to switch to a trustworthy certifier and animal welfare auditor — or your stores will drop their brand!
The skinny on the corruption at USDA’s organic program and the nation’s largest certifier, CCOF:
- There is an inherent conflict of interest (COI) when organic farms and processors choose and compensate their own certifiers.
- The only antidote to the COI is the congressionally mandated strict oversight (accreditation) by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) — which is anything but well executed.
- The chummy relationship between NOP regulators and certifiers has allowed widespread abuse.
- Alexandre Family Farm exemplifies the problem. They run multiple large California dairies, selling products nationally under their organic brand, where instances of grotesque animal abuse and the use of toxins were investigated and confirmed — infractions that went unidentified during almost two dozen inspections by their certifier, CCOF. (Was it incompetency or collusion?)
- Even after the USDA confirmed the ethical and legal violations, Alexandre received no substantive penalties or fines. The investigations were conducted in secret and the results were never released to the public as a deterrent against future scofflaws.
Please click the button below and invest two minutes of your time in sending a personal message directly to the CEOs of Whole Foods, Sprouts, and many other retailers asking them to champion the spirit and letter of the law protecting organic farmers, ethical businesses, and eaters/consumers.
Even if you don’t shop at one of the stores below, please join with other organic stakeholders in adding your voice. Our cumulative shopping dollars have clout!
The CEOs of the nation’s largest natural food retailers will receive a copy of the letter with your signature along with the signatures of everyone who backs this effort:
Whole Foods Market
Sprouts Farmers Market
Natural Grocers
Fresh Thyme Market
Gelson’s Markets
New Seasons Market
PCC Community Markets
Bristol Farms/Lazy Acres
These smaller regional retailers will also receive copies:
Erewhon Market
Harmons Grocery
Earth Fare
Kowalski’s Markets
Haggen Food
Metropolitan Market
Rainbow Grocery Coop
Mother’s Markets
Jimbo’s Naturally
Kimberton Whole Foods
Good Earth Natural Foods
Bi-Rite Market
Mollie Stone’s
Azure Standard
To leverage your voice even further, please forward this email and/or share this action alert with your friends, family, and business associates on social media.