USDA Organic Certification to Undergo Changes to Root Out Fraud, Simplify Processes for Growers

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is advancing a common Organic System Plan (OSP) as part of its broader effort to tighten organic oversight while easing paperwork burdens that have weighed on smaller fruit and vegetable growers, according to multiple sources.

The movement follows USDA’s Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) rule, which took effect March 19, 2024, and expanded certification and traceability requirements across the organic supply chain to curb fraud. The common OSP is meant to create a more uniform baseline for certification...

100% Organic Free-Range Egg Production Could Have Negative Consequences for Climate and Nature

An international team, including researchers at the University of Oxford's Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, has revealed striking trade-offs between the different ways eggs are produced, with a wholesale shift to free-range and organic systems potentially raising greenhouse gas emissions and land use even as it aligns more closely with concerns about hen welfare.

Using UK data, the study compared several possible scenarios for the egg industry, including shifts to barn, free-range and organic systems, while keeping egg output constant. The authors find that although cage-free systems may align more closely...

Natural Grocers® Expands Private-Label Brand With Regenerative Organic Certified® Pasture-Raised Eggs

New offering meets industry-leading standards for soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness

Natural Grocers®, the nation's largest family-operated natural and organic grocery retailer, is introducing Natural Grocers® Brand Regenerative Organic Certified® Pasture-Raised Eggs, a new private-label offering that reflects the company's longstanding commitment to supporting regenerative agriculture, humane animal care, and small family farmers.

The new eggs are Regenerative Organic Certified®, meeting industry-leading standards for soil health, animal welfare, and...

duBreton Welcomes Step Toward Framework Aligned With Organic & Animal Welfare Certified Pork

duBreton welcomes the decision rendered on March 18, 2026, by the Superior Court of Quebec, which orders Les Éleveurs de porcs du Québec to comply with the directive issued by the Régie des marchés agricoles et alimentaires du Québec and to proceed with a referendum on the potential exclusion of organic and animal welfare certified pork from the collective marketing plan.

The ruling marks an important step in a process initiated by duBreton in 2023, when the company applied to the Régie seeking formal recognition of organic and animal welfare certified pork production...

Niman Ranch Launches Domestic Regenerative Organic Beef Program

Niman Ranch, the pioneer in humane and sustainable meat, today announced the launch of its Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC™) beef program sourced entirely from U.S. family ranches and brought to market at meaningful scale. The program debuts with a network of ranchers covering 105,000 U.S. acres and a roadmap to reach 250,000 acres by 2028.

Re-Shoring the Gold Standard

With the U.S. cattle herd at a 75-year low, the domestic supply chain is under unprecedented pressure—just as demand for organic, grass-fed beef reaches an all-time...