National Organic Standards Board Votes to Crack Down on Organic Personal Care Cheaters

November 5, 2009

Consumer Boycott of 'Organic' Cheater Brands Begins

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a milestone victory resulting from years of work by the US organic community to address known fraud in the organic marketplace, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has voted 12 to 1 for the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to enforce the law for organic personal care just like they do for organic food. This would mean shampoos and other body care products that claim to be organic, but are not certified, would be forced to drop the organic claims made on their products or improve formations to meet organic standards.

"I'm really pleased by the NOSB's recommendation," says Ronnie Cummins, Executive Director of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA). "Brands that are using the word organic improperly should be on notice that USDA enforcement is imminent. Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan has said that she is going to get 'tough on crime' in the organic industry. At the NOSB meeting this week, National Organic Program director Miles McEvoy announced a 'new age of enforcement' in organic. I expect them to make organic cosmetics fraud a top priority. In the meantime, retailers should start cleaning up their body care aisles. Whole Foods Market, for one, was a big supporter of the NOSB recommendation."

At the end of September, the OCA promised to announce the names of brands that have cheated consumers for years and recommend honest organic brands in order to promote certified organic personal care. As of today, the Boycott/Buycott is in effect.

Major Brands OCA Will Boycott:

Desert Essence Organics Body Care, Organics by Noah's Naturals, Giovanni Organic Cosmetics, Nature's Gate Organics, Amazon Organics, JASON Pure Natural and Organic, and Avalon Organic

Major Brands With USDA Organic Seal and OCA Will Buycott:

Alteya, Amrita, Baby Bear Shop, Badger Balm, Buddha Nose, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, Earth Mama and Angel Baby, Kimberly Organics, Little Angel, Mercola, Motherlove, ONEgroup, Organicare, Origins Organics, Purely Shea, Rainwater Organic Lotion, Rose Tattoo Aftercare, SoCal Cleanse, Seasons of the Soul, Sensibility Soaps/Nourish, Terressentials, Trillium, Vermont Soap

Dan Giacomini, the only NOSB member who voted against the personal care recommendations did so because he felt the board was looking at things in a limited way. He wanted to address fraud in all product sectors, such as dry cleaning and not simply personal care.

The Coming Clean Campaign has been working to clean up the natural and organic personal care industry for the past six years. To view the Certification Commitment Contract; the NOSB Recommendation or for further information on the Coming Clean Campaign, go to: http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/index.cfm

SOURCE Organic Consumers Association