Photo by USDA: Flickr
Companies who misrepresent themselves using the USDA organic label can now face much stricter penalties under the new Organic Standards Protection Act. The new legislation is being introduced by bipartisans from both parties and gives the USDA powers to:
-impose civil penalties of up to $10,000 for a company that disobeys revocation of the USDA seal
-stop the sales of products fraudulently representing themselves as organic
-imposes recordkeeping requirements for certified organic companies to report to the USDA
These regulations will give the USDA “Certified Organic” seal much more weight in the marketplace both domestically in the US and internationally. While there have been very few cases of misuse of the USDA seal, this legislation gives the USDA the much-needed authority to come down on companies that need it.
