In March 2006, Organic Bytes (OCA’s electronic newsletter) subscribers
voted 96% to 4% in an online survey to launch a boycott against
two of the largest organic dairy companies in the nation, Horizon
Organic (a subsidiary of Dean Foods), supplier to Wal-Mart and
many natural food stores; and Aurora Organic, a supplier of private
label organic milk to Costco, Safeway, Giant, Wild Oats, and others.
Horizon and Aurora, who together control up to 65% of the organic
dairy market, are blatantly violating traditional organic standards
by purchasing the majority of their milk from factory-style dairy
feedlots where the cows are kept in intensive confinement, with
little or no access to pasture. These same so-called “organic”
dairy feedlots are also continuously importing calves from conventional
farms, where the animals have been weaned on blood, fed slaughterhouse
waste and genetically engineered grains, and dosed with antibiotics.
In April and May of 2006 OCA submitted over 50,000 petitions signed
by organic consumers to the NOSB, calling on the USDA National
Organic Program to put an end to these practices. After widespread
media coverage generated by the OCA and the Cornucopia Institute,
millions of consumers are being alerted to this issue. A growing
number of natural food stores and coops have begun to pull these
bogus organic dairy products from their shelves.
Learn
more: http://organicconsumers.org/nosb2.htm