Phyllis K. Fong
USDA,
Office of Inspector General
Room 117-W
Jamie Whitten Bldg 1
400 Independence Avenue
SW Washington, DC 20250
Inspector General Fong,
I am writing to thank you for releasing the recent report concerning the lack of enforcement of organic rules and standards under the last administration.
As an organic food consumer, I applaud your department’s efforts to strictly enforce these food safety rules outlined in the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) of 1990.
We appreciate that this is a real commitment from this administration to improve the integrity of the National Organic Program (NOP).
Your report acknowledged numerous shortcomings at the agriculture department’s National Organic Program, which regulates the industry. These included poor oversight of some organic operations overseas and a lack of urgency in cracking down on marketers of bogus organic products.
We appreciate that the Obama administration has increased funding in its budget to Congress for dealing with the issue and stepping up oversight, and your efforts within the USDA to make improvements to the program.
As Christine M. Bushway, executive director of the Organic Trade Association stated “Compliance and enforcement are critical to the seal and the long-term health of the industry.”
“We are satisfied with the thoroughness of the investigation conducted by the USDA’s Inspector General,” said Mark Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst at The Cornucopia Institute. “And, we are pleased and impressed by the earnest response of the current management at the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), and its National Organic Program, in responding to the report’s critical findings.”
Thank you again for your efforts.
Sincerely,
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