One of the exciting things about CCOF’s 50th birthday is that many of our long-time members are celebrating milestone birthdays, too! One of those members is Mark Neal, from Neal Family Vineyards. Next year will mark 40 years of Mark farming organic grapes at the prestigious Martha’s Vineyard in Napa, California.
Twenty years ago, one year after the USDA National Organic Standards were enacted, CCOF member Whole Foods Market became the first ever certified organic national retailer. Doing so made Whole Foods a trailblazer in organic retail, setting the stage for other retailers—large and small—to follow.
CCOF staff will be out of office from November 22 through 26 to gather with friends and family. This time of year, we reflect on our gratitude for Indigenous peoples who have tended the earth respectfully for generations. Thank you also to the organic producers who work year-round to put nourishing food on our tables. Happy Thanksgiving!
Jamie Carr, CCOF's new Inspection Operations Director
In the past 50 years since CCOF’s founding in 1973, research about organic has come a long way. We now know that the benefits of organic our founding members believed in so fiercely are backed by scientific data to have a measurable effect on the wellbeing of our planet, communities, and economy.
California congressman Sam Farr and Mark Lipson in the early days of creating the organic standards.
The Rodale Institute, a progenitor of the organic movement in the United States that built the scientific underpinnings of organic production, awarded Mark Lipson (CCOF’s first paid employee) the Organic Stewardship Award in a ceremony held at the Rodale research farm in Kutztown, Pennsylvania.
Dear CCOF members and supporters,
This year, we’re celebrating 50 years of CCOF and reflecting on how our organization has developed to what we are today.
A formative part of our history is, of course, organic certification and the development of the organic standards at the California state and United States federal levels. This give-and-take relationship between CCOF and regulatory bodies has shaped us into who we are today.
Take a peek with us today at CCOF’s journey from 1973 to 2023.
The California State Fair takes place July 14-30, 2023 in Sacramento, California. CCOF will be hosting a display and booth on July 14-16 at the California Cannabis Exhibit in Expo Center Building 6. Come see us!
