Erin Raser of Far West Fungi and Jeffrey Chean of Groundwork Coffee Roasters recently were appointed by Secretary of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross to the California Organic Products Advisory Committee (COPAC).
Raser and Chean join other CCOF-certified members who have been appointed to COPAC, including CCOF Board Chair Philip LaRocca of LaRocca Vineyards, Kaley Grimland of Sol Seeker Farm, Blake Alexandre of Alexandre Family Farm, David Will of Pierce Egg Co., and Amanda Felder of Taylor Farms/Earthbound Farm.
COPAC is a body established by state law to advise the Secretary of Food and Agriculture on state organic regulations and education, outreach, and technical assistance for producers. COPAC is composed of 15 members who represent different sectors of the organic community.
Currently, there are six voting seat vacancies on COPAC:
- One producer
- One processor
- One environmental representative
- One technical representative
- One consumer representative
- One accredited certifier representative
In addition, each seat has an alternate to fill in when the voting member is unavailable. All 15 alternate seats are currently vacant.
COPAC members are appointed by the California Secretary of Food and Agriculture and have a unique opportunity to guide state policy on organic. COPAC meets three times a year.
For more information on qualifications for each type of seat, view this list of COPAC vacancies on the State Organic Program website. You can also read the steps to apply for a seat on COPAC. The CDFA website has more information on COPAC including a link to the Prospective Member Appointment Questionnaire. To request CCOF support for your nomination, send an email expressing interest to memberservices@ccof.org.