Press Releases

In 2015, numerous studies revealed scientific breakthroughs on the environmental and human health benefits of organic food and farming -- from improving soil health and supporting water quality, to reducing our exposure to pesticides and mitigating climate change.

2015 was a big year for the U.S. organic sector. Organic demand flourished. Organic products of all types sprouted up everywhere--at our local supermarkets, online, even at our favorite fast-food restaurant. Major organic policies--including the drive for an unprecedented organic research and promotion check-off--advanced in Washington.

Since 2009, the United States has entered into international accords with Canada, the European Union and major Asian trade partners to promote the trade of organic products. But have these arrangements lived up to their promise? A new report released by the Organic Trade Association shows these trade understandings have significantly boosted overseas business for U.S. organic.

By the time Andy Wright displayed his organic barbeque sauces at the big Anuga Food Show in Germany this fall, he'd already participated in two other international organic promotion events coordinated by the Organic Trade Association (OTA) during the year, and this novice in the export market had learned quite a bit.

The first-ever Organic Day in Japan had something for everyone: an organic “market” showcasing hundreds of American organic products, a briefing for the Japanese business community on the U.S.

Rarely has so much been on the plates of the 15 volunteers charged with deciding what organic producers and processors can have in their toolbox.

Fact: You can eat organic on a budget. Fact: Organic agriculture can help feed the planet. Fact: There are proven health benefits of organic. These are three of the more than 30 research-backed facts that the Organic Trade Association (OTA) and partners digitally disseminated each day in September (Organic Month) as part of its highly successful “Myth-Busting Month” social media festival.

The Organic Center is pleased to announce that a research team it is collaborating with has been awarded an important research grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to advance organic rice production in the United States. The grant is funded by USDA’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI).

The Organic Center welcomes the funding of a critical grant to further the study of the use of animal-based manure and compost in organic agricultural practices in order to best prevent the risk of soil pathogens. The grant was announced on Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was funded by USDA’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI).

The four women leading the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA) event at the Milan World’s Fair on Thursday represented more than 70 years of food activism—a senior government official in charge of the marketing of billions of dollars of U.S. agricultural products daily and whose massive agency also oversees the U.S.