In what has become a routine practice during the COVID-19 shelter in place orders, the California Organic Products Advisory Committee (COPAC) will meet via teleconference from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2020.
COPAC advises the California secretary of food and agriculture on the State Organic Program and on current issues in the state’s organic sector. The State Organic Program is managed by two state agencies: the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), which regulates organic processed products, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), which regulates organic agricultural production.
Items on the May 7 agenda include a report from CDPH on enforcement and registration activities and CDFA reports on compliance, enforcement, complaints, and pesticide sampling.
COPAC also will review the fiscal year 2020/21 budget for CDFA’s portion of the State Organic Program.
CDFA staff will provide an update on COPAC vacancies and upcoming term endings. According to the current roster, open seats include producer, wholesale distributor, retail, technical, and consumer representatives. Numerous alternate seats are also open. Guidelines for applying for a seat on COPAC are online.
The public is welcome to participate in the meeting by calling 1-888-456-1737 and entering passcode 57711.
For further information, contact State Organic Program Supervising Special Investigator Danny Lee at (916) 900-5030 or Danny.Lee@cdfa.ca.gov.