Shoppers need to be able to carry over well-earned trust in organic food to cosmetics, household cleaners and other non-food products claiming to be organic.
That is the message that the Organic Trade Association (OTA) delivered to the Federal Trade Commission and USDA during an Oct. 20 roundtable discussion to help better understand how consumers perceive organic claims on items outside the food aisles.
“American consumers need to trust in the organic label and in organic claims, whether those labels are on organic produce and organic milk or on shampoo and sheets,” said Laura Batcha, CEO and executive director of OTA. “Our survey shows consumers who are buying organic feel that both organic food products and non-food products claiming to be organic should be regulated in the same manner. Consumers are confident there are standards and government oversight on the organic label for food, and they deserve to have that same confidence for all products with the organic claim.”
For more than 15 years, the National Organic Program (NOP) has regulated and enforced strict organic standards for agricultural products. However, NOP’s enforcement authority does not extend to certain types of non-food or non-agricultural products, such as personal care products, detergent and cosmetics.
As a result, food products in stores have to be certified by USDA to carry the organic label, or risk being found guilty of fraud and slapped with civil penalties and other enforcement actions. But non-agricultural products like household cleaners or personal care items are able to use organic claims whether they are certified or not. If a non-agricultural product does not use the USDA Organic seal and does not make reference to certification, that product can still use the term “organic” and do so without any federal oversight and enforcement.
Angela Jagiello, OTA’s associate director for conference and product development, said, “The regulatory gap for non-agricultural products is a major hole in the organic regulatory system. It creates consumer confusion and unfair competition for companies that get their products certified, and ultimately undermines the organic label.”
OTA has urged the FTC to confer with NOP and develop a draft enforcement policy for organic claims on non-food products that are outside NOP’s authority, and has stressed that not enforcing organic claims in all products could risk diluting the integrity of and trust in the organic seal.
