Organic Consumers Association
Encyclopedia
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is a consumer protection
and organic agriculture advocacy group
based in Finland, Minnesota
. It was formed in 1998 in the wake of the mass backlash by organic consumers against the U.S. Department of Agriculture's controversial proposed regulations for organic food. The OCA is an online
non-profit public interest
organization that has over 850,000 members in its database
. The members include subscribers, volunteers, supporters, and 3,000 cooperating retail co-ops, such as in the natural foods and organic marketplace.
The OCA deals with wide range of current crucial issues for health, justice, and sustainability. The campaigns are issues of food safety, industrial agriculture
, genetic engineering, children's health, fair trade
, environmental sustainability and other crucial topics.
One of OCA's positions is that large corporation
s are undermining the intent of "organic" as an identifier by influencing the legislation and implementation of government standards, or by directly failing to meet existing standards. Through the OCA's Safeguard Organic Standards (SOS) Campaign and other organizations' cooperation, the organic community has been able to mobilize a great many consumers to pressure the USDA and organic companies to preserve organic standards. One of their campaigns in this regard is a call to boycott Dean Foods
' Horizon Organic
and Aurora Organic Dairy
; as well as Dean Foods subsidiaries Silk
and White Wave Foods, and private label
milk supplied by Aurora.
. Horizon's parent company, Dean Foods
, makes White Wave Foods' tofu
and Silk. Much of the soy in these products is sourced abroad, primarily from Brazil and China where environmental standards and workers' rights are routinely violated.http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=4756
organization. Between 2005 and 2006, OCA's program expenses accounted for 68% of the organization's spending. Charities typically allocate at least 75% of their revenue towards programs. Charities which operate below this value are not functioning as efficiently as possible. OCA has a modest budget, approximately $1,000,000 annually. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/10156.htm
Consumer protection
Consumer protection laws designed to ensure fair trade competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors and may provide additional...
and organic agriculture advocacy group
Advocacy group
Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems...
based in Finland, Minnesota
Finland, Minnesota
Finland is an unincorporated community in Lake County, Minnesota, United States.The community is located north of Silver Bay on Minnesota Highway 1.-Notes:...
. It was formed in 1998 in the wake of the mass backlash by organic consumers against the U.S. Department of Agriculture's controversial proposed regulations for organic food. The OCA is an online
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
non-profit public interest
Public interest
The public interest refers to the "common well-being" or "general welfare." The public interest is central to policy debates, politics, democracy and the nature of government itself...
organization that has over 850,000 members in its database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
. The members include subscribers, volunteers, supporters, and 3,000 cooperating retail co-ops, such as in the natural foods and organic marketplace.
The OCA deals with wide range of current crucial issues for health, justice, and sustainability. The campaigns are issues of food safety, industrial agriculture
Industrial agriculture
Industrial farming is a form of modern farming that refers to the industrialized production of livestock, poultry, fish, and crops. The methods of industrial agriculture are technoscientific, economic, and political...
, genetic engineering, children's health, fair trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
, environmental sustainability and other crucial topics.
One of OCA's positions is that large corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s are undermining the intent of "organic" as an identifier by influencing the legislation and implementation of government standards, or by directly failing to meet existing standards. Through the OCA's Safeguard Organic Standards (SOS) Campaign and other organizations' cooperation, the organic community has been able to mobilize a great many consumers to pressure the USDA and organic companies to preserve organic standards. One of their campaigns in this regard is a call to boycott Dean Foods
Dean Foods
Dean Foods is an American food and beverage company with two operating divisions: Fresh Dairy Direct and WhiteWave-Morningstar. The company maintains plants and distributors in the United States and the United Kingdom. Dean Foods products are sold throughout the USA.-History:In 1925, Samuel E...
' Horizon Organic
Horizon Organic
Horizon Organic®, founded in 1991 in the United States , is a certified dairy that produces and supplies organic milk products. Horizon Organic is owned by Dean Foods and its products are distributed by WhiteWave Foods.-Current status:...
and Aurora Organic Dairy
Aurora Organic Dairy
Aurora Organic Dairy is an American company, based in Boulder, Colorado, which operates large factory farms, each with thousands of dairy cows, in Colorado and Texas...
; as well as Dean Foods subsidiaries Silk
Silk (soy milk)
Silk is a brand of soy milk and other dairy-substitute products, including soy yogurt and almond milk distributed by White Wave Foods, a subsidiary of Dean Foods. The name "Silk" is a portmanteau of "soy" and "milk".-History:...
and White Wave Foods, and private label
Private label
Private label products or services are typically those manufactured or provided by one company for offer under another company's brand. Private label goods and services are available in a wide range of industries from food to cosmetics to web hosting...
milk supplied by Aurora.
SOS: Safeguard Organic Standards
Since 1972, various groups have worked to ensure a certain quality of organic foods. This campaign is concerned with large corporations which want to lower standards to claim their foods are "organic" and can market them accordingly and sell them to an unaware public. The campaign targets various companies, including Horizon and Aurora organic dairy products, such as the brand Silk (soy milk)Silk (soy milk)
Silk is a brand of soy milk and other dairy-substitute products, including soy yogurt and almond milk distributed by White Wave Foods, a subsidiary of Dean Foods. The name "Silk" is a portmanteau of "soy" and "milk".-History:...
. Horizon's parent company, Dean Foods
Dean Foods
Dean Foods is an American food and beverage company with two operating divisions: Fresh Dairy Direct and WhiteWave-Morningstar. The company maintains plants and distributors in the United States and the United Kingdom. Dean Foods products are sold throughout the USA.-History:In 1925, Samuel E...
, makes White Wave Foods' tofu
Tofu
is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and others. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu...
and Silk. Much of the soy in these products is sourced abroad, primarily from Brazil and China where environmental standards and workers' rights are routinely violated.http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=4756
Charity efficiency
The Organic Consumer Association received a low rating from the Charity NavigatorCharity Navigator
Charity Navigator is an independent, non-profit organization that evaluates American charities. Its stated goal is "to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America's largest charities."-About:...
organization. Between 2005 and 2006, OCA's program expenses accounted for 68% of the organization's spending. Charities typically allocate at least 75% of their revenue towards programs. Charities which operate below this value are not functioning as efficiently as possible. OCA has a modest budget, approximately $1,000,000 annually. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/10156.htm
| 2005 Expenses | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Programs | 67.55 |
| Administration | 16.5 |
| Fundraising | 15.95 |