USA: Organic Retail and Consumer Alliance launched

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA), along with its allies in the organic and natural health community, has announced a new nationwide campaign: the Organic Retail and Consumer Alliance (ORCA). This new alliance of public interest groups and food producers and retailers, including co-ops, natural food stores, farmers markets, CSAs, buying clubs and wholesalers, will intensively promote organic food and products, and expose and eliminate the misleading practice of “natural” labeling and marketing, according to a press release. “Routine mislabeling and marketing has confused millions of consumers in the USA, and enabled the so-called ‘natural’ foods and products sector to grow into a US$60-billion dollar a year powerhouse, garnering twice as many sales in 2012 as certified organic products,” said Ronnie Cummins, OCA’s National Director. “By exposing these misleading tactics, and promoting truth-in-labeling, we believe we can rapidly grow sales of certified organic and authentically natural food and products.”
 

Polls and surveys indicate that the majority of America’s health- and environmentally conscious consumers are confused about the qualitative difference between organic foods and items and so-called “natural” products. The majority of consumers believe, contrary to fact, that the cheaper foods, supplements, body care, clothing, and other products bearing the “natural” label are “almost organic,” while many consumers actually believe that the “all natural” label means a product is better than organic. ORCA members will use a combination of public education, marketplace pressure, boycotts, class action lawsuits and state legislation to end misleading labeling practices in the “natural” products sector.

Members will agree to:

- promote organic foods and products, especially local and regionally produced organic, as well as products in transition to organic, rather than so-called "natural" products. 

- promote truth-in-labeling by demanding signed, legally binding affidavits from “natural” product and ingredient suppliers stating whether or not their products contain genetically engineered ingredients. Voluntarily label or inform consumers about which “natural” or “conventional” brands or products contain GMOs.

- educate customers and the public about the qualitative superiority of organic and truly natural products (i.e. 100% pastured and free-range meat and animal products), as opposed to bogus “natural” products, which in most cases are no different than “conventional” chemical-intensive, factory-farmed products.

Organic Consumers Association