SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
For Immediate Release
January, 14 2010, 08:26am EDT
Contact:
Alexis Baden-Mayer 202-744-0853, alexis@organicconsumers.org
Ronnie Cummins 218-349-3836, ronnie@organicconsumers.org
Organic Consumers Association and Certified Organic Brands File Federal Complaint With USDA Against Organic Personal Care 'Cheater Brands'
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA), along with
certified organic personal care brands Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps,
Intelligent Nutrients, and Organic Essence, today filed a complaint with
the USDA National Organic Program (NOP), requesting an investigation into
the widespread and blatantly deceptive labeling practices of leading
"Organic" personal care brands, in violation of USDA NOP regulations. To
view the complaint, go to: https://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare
WASHINGTON
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA), along with
certified organic personal care brands Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps,
Intelligent Nutrients, and Organic Essence, today filed a complaint with
the USDA National Organic Program (NOP), requesting an investigation into
the widespread and blatantly deceptive labeling practices of leading
"Organic" personal care brands, in violation of USDA NOP regulations. To
view the complaint, go to: https://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare
The complaint, filed collectively on behalf of 50 million consumers of
organic products, argues that products such as liquid soaps, body washes,
facial cleansers, shampoos, conditioners, moisturizing lotions, lip balms,
make-up and other cosmetic products produced by twelve different
corporations have been advertised, labeled and marketed as "Organic" or
"Organics" when, in fact, the products are not "Organic" as understood by
reasonable consumers.
"Unfortunately, the hands-off regulatory approach by the USDA's National
Organic Program during the Bush years failed to protect consumers from
deceptive labeling in the personal care marketplace," said Ronnie Cummins,
Executive Director of the Organic Consumers Association. While the USDA
enforces strict standards for the labeling of organic food, the NOP has
not enforced the organic regulations in regards to personal care. "Given
the increased resources and staffing at the National Organic Program under
Obama, we're optimistic that the situation will be rectified before too
much more damage is done." added Cummins.
"Consumers who pay a premium for high-end organic products expect the main
cleansing and moisturizing ingredients of a product labeled "Organic" to
be made from certified organic agricultural material produced on organic
farms, and not from petrochemicals or pesticide and herbicide-intensive
conventional farming," explains Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Intelligent
Nutrients (and founder and previous owner of Aveda Corp.)
The corporations named in the complaint are The Hain Celestial Group,
Inc.; Kiss My Face Corporation; YSL Beaute, Inc. ("YSL"); Giovanni
Cosmetics, Inc. ("Giovanni"); Cosway Company, Inc. ("Cosway"); Country
Life, LLC ("Country Life"); Szep Elet LLC (makers of Ilike Organic Skin
Care); Eminence Organic Skin Care, Inc.; Physicians' Formula Holdings,
Inc. (makers of Organic Wear); Surya Nature, Inc.; Organic Bath Company,
Freeman Beauty Division of pH Beauty Labs, Inc. (makers of Freeman
Goodstuff Organics).
David Bronner, President of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, stated, "Yesterday
we re-filed our lawsuit in federal court against culprit companies under
the Lanham Act for false advertising. One way or another, the era of
ripping off organic consumers in personal care will soon come to an end."
Ellery West, founder and owner of Organic Essence adds, "The predatory
marketing practices of companies that take advantage of consumer trust in
the organic label are cheating not only organic consumers but also small
certified companies like ourselves."
On November 5, 2009, the USDA National Organic Standards Board (NOSB)
formally recommended that the National Organic Program regulate personal
care to ensure that any use of the word "organic" on a personal care
product is backed up by third-party certification to USDA organic
standards. Immediately following the recommendation, the OCA launched a
consumer boycott of the major "Organic" cheater brands, and has produced a
list of USDA certified organic brands that are true to their claims and
are safe for Organic consumers.
For more information on the Organic Consumers' Association's Coming Clean
campaign, go to: www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots 501(c)3 nonprofit public interest organization, and the only organization in the U.S. focused exclusively on promoting the views and interests of the nation's estimated 50 million consumers of organically and socially responsibly produced food and other products. OCA educates and advocates on behalf of organic consumers, engages consumers in marketplace pressure campaigns, and works to advance sound food and farming policy through grassroots lobbying. We address crucial issues around food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children's health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability, including pesticide use, and other food- and agriculture-related topics.
LATEST NEWS
'Holding The Line': Municipal Workers' Strike Enters Second Week as Philly Refuses to Pay Living Wage
"We got people that work and repair the water mains and can't afford their water bill," said union leader Greg Boulware last week. "I don't want to be rich. We just want comfort inside the city that we serve daily."
Jul 07, 2025
Philadelphia's largest municipal workers' strike in over 40 years is entering its second week after negotiations with the city broke down this weekend.
Over 9,000 sanitation workers, 911 dispatchers, water services workers, crossing guards, and other city employees walked off the job last week, demanding that the city increase their salary enough to meet the rising cost of living.
But even with trash piling up on the streets and other city services understaffed, Mayor Cherelle Parker (D) would not agree to the demands made by AFSCME District Council 33, Philadelphia's largest blue-collar union.
Parker has offered a pay increase of 8.75% over the next three years, which she described as historic.
But DC 33 president Greg Boulware said that's far too little for municipal workers, many of whom are among the city's "working poor," to survive.
"It's not like as if our members are making $80,000, $90,000 a year," Boulware said. "A 2% increase on those would be significantly higher than it would be on somebody making $40,000-$45,000 a year. So, her math truly is not mathing, and you're clearly not paying attention to the working people that are going on in this city."
The average municipal worker in Philadelphia makes around $46,000, which is $15,000 less than the median income in the city and less than half of what a single adult needs to live comfortably, according to a study by SmartAsset.
"We got people that work and repair the water mains and can't afford their water bill," Boulware said at a rally last week. "We got people that repair the runways at the airport and can't afford a plane ticket. I don't want to be rich. We just want a comfort inside the city that we serve daily."
The union initially asked for an 8% raise for the next four years, which the city dismissed. This weekend, they pared their proposal down to 5%, but the city still did not budge.
Parker has insisted that her smaller proposed increases are merely what is "fiscally responsible," and that the city cannot afford to offer more.
The union has disputed this, pointing out that Parker herself is budgeted to receive a 9% increase to her salary of more than $240,000. That increase alone is nearly half the current salary that the average DC 33 member makes in a year.
As of Monday, negotiations have stalled, with no clear end in sight. With a throng of picketers behind him, Boulware told NBC 10, a local affiliate, that the union was working on a third proposal, and that negotiations may resume Tuesday. But he seemed to expect more obstinacy from the city.
"We've been there to be able to sit and meet and negotiate," he said. "It doesn't seem like the city quite honestly wants to entertain any of the questions that we have about things and actually have a true dialogue... That's how you negotiate and that's not truly what's been going on."
Despite the city's refusal to budge, momentum around the strike has continued to grow. On Friday, rapper LL Cool J dropped out of a 4th of July festival in the city, saying, "There is absolutely no way I can perform across a picket line."
Other AFSCME councils around Pennsylvania have joined pickets in solidarity. This includes Philadelphia's Council 47, which represents thousands of "white collar" city workers.
With mounds of trash accumulating on streets, sometimes becoming as "tall as people," the environmental activists with the Sunrise Movement have also joined in the effort to pressure the city. On Monday, activists hauled bags of trash into the lobby of City Hall, labeled with the words "Meet DC 33 Demands" written in yellow tape.
AFSCME, meanwhile, has stated its resolve to fight on as the strike has gained national attention.
"City workers are holding the line until they get a FAIR contract with the wages and benefits they deserve," the national union's account wrote on X Monday. "One day longer, one day stronger, no matter what it takes."
Keep ReadingShow Less
LA Residents Hurl Profane Insults at Border Patrol After Agents Sweep Local Park
"You are not helping by snatching people!" yelled one local woman.
Jul 07, 2025
Los Angeles residents lobbed profane insults at U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on Monday after they swept through the city's MacArthur Park.
Los Angeles-based news station KTLA reports that masked, heavily-armed federal agents were in the park as "part of an apparent immigration raid" although exact details about the operation are not known as of this writing. A video taken on the scene by Mel Buer, an independent labor journalist in the California city and posted on social media website Bluesky showed many agents riding through the park on horseback.
Border patrol walking McArthur park here in LA
[image or embed]
— Mel Buer (@melbuer.bsky.social) July 7, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) reacted angrily after seeing reports of the agents—some of whom had visible Border Protection patches—in the park and she went to the area to tell them to cease their operations.
"Minutes before, there were more than 20 kids playing—then, the MILITARY comes through," Bass wrote in a post on the social media website X. "The SECOND I heard about this, I went to the park to speak to the person in charge to tell them it needed to end NOW. Absolutely outrageous."
Additional videos posted on Bluesky by Buer showed angry Los Angeles residents following the agents as they drove slowly down the street away from the park while pelting them with verbal abuse.
"Get the fuck out of here!" one male resident can be heard shouting at the agents.
"You guys are a bunch of pussies!" yelled another.
Shortly after this, a woman can be heard scolding the agents: "You are not helping by snatching people!"
After Bass spoke with what I assume is a DHS rep, they packed shit up and headed out. The whole neighborhood turned out to chase them out of the park. Some fruit was thrown, alot of yelling
[image or embed]
— Mel Buer (@melbuer.bsky.social) July 7, 2025 at 2:29 PM
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, condemned the federal operations in Los Angeles shortly after they occurred.
"The actions of [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and CBP during the raids in Los Angeles are not about safety or justice—they're about meeting enforcement quotas and striking fear in communities," he wrote on Bluesky. "We've filed a brief supporting a challenge to ICE and CBP's unlawful practices. We won't back down and we won't be silent."
Los Angeles has become a focal point in the Trump administration's mass deportation operations. President Donald Trump last month deployed the National Guard to the city after some protests against ICE operations there turned violent.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Top Medical Organizations Warn RFK Jr. Putting American Kids 'At Grave and Immediate Risk'
"Truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary... he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies," stated a new lawsuit.
Jul 07, 2025
Six major medical organizations on Monday filed a lawsuit against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. alleging he is putting American children at "grave and immediate risk" because of his policy on vaccines.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit—including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, the American Public Health Association, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Massachusetts Public Health Association, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine—charged that Kennedy earlier this year made a "baseless and uninformed policy decision" when he removed vaccinations against Covid-19 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) official immunization schedule for "healthy" children and pregnant women.
The organizations emphasized that unless Kennedy's decision is reversed, "all children remain at grave and immediate risk of contracting a preventable disease" and further warned that it "exposes... vulnerable populations to a serious disease with potentially irreversible long-term effects and, in some cases, death."
The plaintiffs further charged that Kennedy's directive removing the Covid-19 vaccines from the immunization schedule was "but one example of the secretary's agenda to dismantle the longstanding... science- and evidence-based vaccine infrastructure that has prevented the deaths of untold millions of Americans."
The complaint then documented Kennedy's long history of statements and articles that have peddled false claims about the safety of vaccinations and pointed to his mass dismissals of staff at HHS and his appointment of likeminded vaccine critics to argue that "it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies."
Given this, the plaintiffs argued that Kennedy's decision to remove the Covid-19 vaccine from immunization schedules was "arbitrary and capricious" based on what they described as "vast and irrefutable evidence," including congressional testimony delivered by Kennedy in which he acknowledged that people shouldn't "be taking medical advice from me"; that Kennedy's directive directly contradicted an article published by the Food and Drug Administration days earlier stating that pregnancy was a condition that "increased a person's risk of severe Covid-19"; and that Kennedy did not identify specific recommendations from professional staff that he used as justification to restrict the availability of the vaccine.
Should courts find that Kennedy's decision was "arbitrary and capricious" as alleged by the plaintiffs, they would have the power to enjoin the policy under the Administrative Procedures Act, which was also employed recently to halt planned mass layoffs at HHS. The medical organizations urged courts to declare Kennedy's policy change "unlawful" and demanded "the restoration of the Covid vaccine recommendations for pregnant women and healthy children ages six months to 17 years" of age.
The medical organizations' lawsuit against Kennedy's vaccination policy comes at a time when infections of measles in the United States have hit a level not seen in more than three decades. The Washington Post, citing data from Johns Hopkins University, reported on Monday that there have been at least 1,277 confirmed cases of measles so far in the U.S. this year and the paper noted that this development "marks a public health reversal in defeating a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease as the anti-vaccine movement gains strength."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular