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State Organic Advisory Board Has Wide Range of Vacant Seats

by Jane Sooby |

The California Organic Products Advisory Committee (COPAC) is an advisory 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 7 voting seat vacancies on COPAC:

  • 2 producers 
  • 1 wholesale distributor
  • 1 processor 
  • 1 environmental representative 
  • 1 technical representative 
  • 1 consumer 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. At the most recent COPAC meeting, held at Eco Farm in January, the committee heard updates from California Department of Food and Agriculture and California Department of Public Health staff on numbers of registrants in the State Organic Program, program revenues and expenses, outcomes of complaints, and results of surveillance sampling for pesticide residues. 

For more information on qualifications for each type of seat, view this list of COPAC vacancies on the State Organic Program website. Click here for steps to apply for a seat on COPAC. For information on CCOF supporting your nomination, send an email expressing interest to memberservices@ccof.org