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New Organic Trade Association Program Meant to Stem Fake Organic Labeling

The Organic Trade Association's new Organic Fraud Prevention Solutions program will allow organic companies to enroll in an effort to "help minimize or eliminate organic fraud," the trade group said in a March 6 news release. “Fraud in the global organic supply chain poses a significant threat to the integrity of the organic brand,” said Laura Batcha, CEO of the OTA. “For the past two years, the Organic Trade Association has prioritized significant time and resources into organic fraud prevention solutions. We are fighting fraud on many fronts, including through the 2018 Farm Bill and through private sector initiatives. The more companies that join this industry-driven program, the stronger the organic supply chain will be.”

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The program creates a "framework and formal process for businesses to create continuously improving internal programs for achieving organic integrity throughout their associated supply chains," the trade group said. The program is a "quality assurance program designed to complement and reinforce USDA’s organic standards and the work of the accredited certifying agencies," rather than a verification or product label, it said. Reports in recent years have shown problems with imports misleadingly labeled as organic (see 1705150031).