Consumers enforce organics in US, because the government won’t

Acting on behalf of organic food consumers in 27 states, class action lawsuits are being filed in U.S. federal courts in St. Louis and Denver, against Aurora Dairy Corporation. The suits charge Aurora, one of the nation’s largest organic dairies, with consumer fraud, negligence, and unjust enrichment concerning the sale of organic milk by the company. In April, Aurora received a notice from the USDA detailing multiple and “willful” violations of federal organic law that were found by federal investigators, specifically not providing mandatory pasture access and bringing non-organic cows onto their massive feedlots. The USDA gave Aurora a “slap on the wrist,” rather than taking away the corporation’s USDA Organic certification. Commenting on this week’s class action lawsuit, Ronnie Cummins, National Director of the OCA stated: “If the USDA refuses to properly enforce organic standards, then organic consumers have no choice but to act as their own enforcement body, using the courts to punish those corporations, like Aurora, that put profits ahead of organic integrity.”
This is a welcome display of consumer choice, setting an example for us all to emulate. Well done America.