Many CCOF members feel strongly that fees charged by the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Organic Program are duplicative of the fees that they pay for organic certification to the National Organic Program (NOP) and that the state program should be eliminated. In response to these concerns, CCOF’s policy team is undertaking a research and review process to examine the role of the California state organic program relative to the NOP and develop a set of policy recommendations. CCOF’s findings will be compiled in a comprehensive report titled Review of the California State Organic Program.
As it is developed, the Review of the California State Organic Program will be vetted with an advisory committee comprised of growers, certification agency representatives, and other stakeholders. The advisory committee will give CCOF input and feedback on the recommendations, which we plan to release fall 2015.