BRATTLEBORO, Vermont (Sept. 3, 2010)—The Organic Trade Association (OTA), which has called Greenfield, MA, home since 1990, today is celebrating the upcoming move of its headquarters to the Graduate Center building in downtown Brattleboro planned for later this fall.

GREENFIELD, Mass. (Aug. 31, 2010)—The Organic Trade Association (OTA) today lauded a decision by the Korean Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MIFAFF) to extend its current organic labeling regulations for imports until Dec. 31, 2012, thus allowing continued access by U.S. organic companies to export organic food products to Korea.

GREENFIELD, Mass. (Aug. 24, 2010)—The Organic Trade Association (OTA) today announced it has selected Theresa Marquez of Organic Valley and Bob Quinn of Kamut® International to receive its prestigious Organic Leadership Awards for 2010.

“Theresa Marquez and Bob Quinn have shown outstanding initiative and devotion to organic, and their contributions clearly demonstrate how organic enterprises and agriculture can thrive and make a difference to consumers, farmers and to our planet,” said OTA’s Executive Director Christine Bushway.

GREENFIELD, Mass. (July 9, 2010)—A July 8 article in Time published under the headline “Organic Eggs: More Expensive, but No Healthier” misleads the consumer. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture research cited, as published in Poultry Science, includes no reference to certified organic eggs and says nothing about nutritional value, according to the Organic Trade Association, which reviewed the findings before writing a letter to Time to protest.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 8, 2010) --The Organic Trade Association (OTA) today called on the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health & Human Services (HHS) to encourage those seeking to minimize their exposure to toxic chemicals to look for the USDA Organic label wherever they shop by revising the draft Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010.

GREENFIELD, Mass. (July 1, 2010): In response to a call from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) to ban synthetic dyes to color foods, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) today reminded consumers that they can already avoid such dyes in the marketplace by choosing to purchase organic foods.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 15, 2010)—Julia Sabin of Smucker Natural Foods, Inc., has been re-elected by the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA’s) Board of Directors to continue as its president for the coming year. It will be her third year as president.

Other officers for 2010 are Sarah Bird of Annie’s, Inc., Vice President – U.S.A.; Gunta Vitins of SunOpta, Inc., Vice President—Canada; Matt McLean of Uncle Matt’s Organics, Inc., Secretary; Chuck Marcy, Healthy Food Holdings, LLC, Treasurer; and Kristen Holt of Quality Assurance International, Treasurer-Elect.

Contact: Sandra Marquard
Tel: 301-592-0077, cell: 301-512-4781
E-mail: smarquardt@onthemarkpr.com

NEW YORK CITY (June 15, 2010) – The North American organic coffee market topped 1.4 billion dollars in 2009, according to new data released today by leading market analyst Daniele Giovannucci at the fifth annual tasting event hosted by the Organic Coffee Collaboration, a project of the Organic Trade Association (OTA), at New York City’s famous Union Square Cafe. The event featured outstanding organic coffees from foremost American roasters and retailers. Even in a recession, Giovannucci found, organic coffee continued its reign as the single most valuable organic product imported into North America.

GREENFIELD, Mass. (June 8, 2010)—The Organic Trade Association’s (OTA’s) 2010 Annual Fund campaign surpassed its $600,000 goal by raising $624,220 to help fund OTA’s government relations, consumer education, and media outreach work in the United States and Canada.

What: Reporters may sample organic coffees from around the world, learn about the 2009 organic coffee market and 2010 trends, and meet representatives of the organic coffee supply chain, from certifier to roaster and retailer, at the fifth annual organic coffee sampling event hosted by the Organic Coffee Collaboration, a project of the Organic Trade Association, at New York City’s Union Square Cafe Tuesday, June 15.

Organic Trade Association (OTA) encourages consumers to choose organic fruits and vegetables

GREENFIELD, Mass. (May 17, 2010)—Following closely on the heels of the President’s Cancer Panel Report exhorting consumers to choose food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers , antibiotics, and growth hormones to help decrease their exposure to environmental chemicals that can increase their risk of contracting cancer, a study published in today’s issue of the journal Pediatrics concludes that exposure to organophosphate pesticides at levels common among U.S. children may contribute to the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in these children.

Renee Kelly
651-334-3183
renee@habermaninc.com

More than 1,100 Schools Nominated in Organic Trade Association’s “Organic. It’s Worth it in Schools.” Contest

Greenfield, Mass. (May 13, 2010) – Organic lovers nationwide nominated more than 1,100 schools to win an organic vending machine or garden in the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA) first-ever “Organic. Its Worth it in Schools.” contest. www.OrganicItsWorthIt.org

Organic Trade Association (OTA) hails panel for empowering consumers with ways to reduce their cancer risk

GREENFIELD, Mass. (May 6, 2010)—. The President’s Cancer Panel Report released today exhorts consumers to choose food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers , antibiotics, and growth hormones to help decrease their exposure to environmental chemicals that can increase their risk of contracting cancer. Organic products avoid the use of these chemicals.

“Exposure to pesticides can be decreased by choosing, to the extent possible, food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers…Similarly, exposure to antibiotics, growth hormones, and toxic run-off from livestock feed lots can be minimized by eating free-range meat raised without these medications,” according to the landmark report, “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now,” submitted to President Obama by Dr. LaSalle Leffall, Jr., an oncologist and professor of surgery at Howard University, and Dr. Margaret L. Kripke, an immunologist at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Contact: Barbara Haumann
413-376-1220; bhaumann@ota.com

OTA welcomes NOP assurance that products remain in good standing during clarification period

GREENFIELD, Massachusetts (April 29)— In a regulatory process clarification, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) has asked the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to reevaluate its recommendation for nutrient vitamins and minerals currently used in organic products. This request calls for formal review of the 1995 NOSB recommendation and the allowance of accessory nutrients such as Omega-3 DHA for specific inclusion on the National List of permitted substances in organic and is based on NOP’s reinterpretation of past procedural actions. The Organic Trade Association (OTA) commends NOP for recognizing that the affected products were offered by manufacturers in good faith.

Contact: Barbara Haumann
413-376-1220; bhaumann@ota.com

GREENFIELD, Mass. (April 22, 2010)—U.S. sales of organic products continued to grow during 2009 despite the distressed state of the economy, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) revealed today in releasing findings from its 2010 Organic Industry Survey. In fact, organic product sales in 2009 grew by 5.3 percent overall, to reach $26.6 billion. Of that figure, $24.8 billion represented organic food. The remaining $1.8 billion were sales of organic non-foods.