The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

Organic distillers make hand sanitizer to help fight coronavirus

With bars and restaurants shut down, distilling companies have realized a way to help out during the pandemic. Western Reserve Distillers in Lakewood, OH and Industrious Spirits in Providence, RI are producing hand sanitizer, and distributing it free or at cost. “It’s gonna be hand sanitizer that’s produced with certified organic spirit,” said Western Reserve’s […]

Non-GMO Project forms task force, publishes interim policies during coronavirus pandemic

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Non-GMO Project has formed a task force to assess and mitigate impacts to the project’s Product Verification Program (PVP) and published interim guidelines and policies to support companies participating in the PVP. The steps were announced in a letter posted on the project’s website from executive director Megan […]

Brooklyn co-op scrambles to restock amid pandemic food demand

The good news: there seems to be plenty of food. The challenge: distributors can’t deliver as fast as shoppers are grabbing things off the shelves. Park Slope Food Co-op in Brooklyn, NY is one of the nation’s oldest and largest co-ops with 17,000 members. General manager and co-founder Joe Holtz says the store has upped […]

USDA moves organic standards board meeting online

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) recently announced that the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting, which was scheduled for April 29 and 30 in Crystal City, Virginia, will instead be held online as a webinar. The NOSB said the move to a webinar format “will […]

Congressional pandemic aid package includes funds for farmers

The $2 trillion congressional relief aid bill to respond to the expanding coronavirus pandemic provides $9.5 billion in emergency funding to aid producers impacted by the ongoing crisis—including producers selling into local and regional markets. “Congress has taken an important first step to helping farmers and local and regional food systems with this relief bill,” […]