Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards

Chickens outside, standards for shampoo, and strategies for avoiding GMO contamination—that’s just a taste of what organic farmers, businesses, and consumers are asking for. In the past 10 years, the organic industry has advanced 20 consensus recommendations for improvements to the organic standards via the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) but USDA has not completed rulemaking on a single one of them.

The failure of government to keep pace with consumers and the industry is harming and fragmenting the market. Inconsistent standards are becoming the status quo. A new framework must be set for advancing federal organic standards to keep up with the marketplace and ensure the credibility of the USDA Organic seal. The Organic Trade Association is prepared to do the legwork, but we want your input.

Please fill out this survey and rank each unimplemented NOSB recommendation in order of importance to you. Your responses will help us prioritize what recommendations need to be implemented in the short-term and inform our advocacy efforts. CLICK HERE for background information and details on each recommendation.

OPTIONAL: Please share your contact information (optional) and we will keep you updated on important advancements related to our work on Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards.

Question Title

* 1. Contact Information

Name

Farm/Business

Question Title

* 2. Is your farm/business certified organic?

Yes

Question Title

* 3. Please select your business area (choose all that apply)

Farmer

Grower

Manufacturer

Certifier/Distributor

Importer/Exporter

Consultant

Non-food

Fiber

Retailer

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 4. Do you support Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards?

Yes

As you rank the recommendations on the next page from one to fifteen* consider
the following criteria:

• Is this recommendation feasible to implement?
• Does it expand U.S. organic acreage?
• Does it resolve inconsistencies in the existing organic regulations?
• Does it address the marketplace needs of producers, handlers,
certifiers and consumers?

*The recommendation that you rank as number one should be what is most important or critical to the success of your business or farm.

Question Title

* 5. Rank these NOSB Recommendations from 1-15. 1 being most important, 15 being least important.

Question Title

* 6. Please share any additional comments that you may have:

Thank you for taking this survey! The Organic Trade Association is committed to ensuring continuous improvement and accountability in advancing organic standards. We are working on a long-term solution with Congress to ensure that all future NOSB recommendations are implemented by the USDA National Organic Program in a timely manner. To learn more about this work and get involved, contact Megan DeBates (mdebates@ota.com).