The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is a membership-based business association that focuses on the organic business community in North America. OTA's mission is to promote ethical consumerism

Ethical consumerism

Ethical consumerism is the intentional purchase of products and services that the customer considers to be made ethically. This may mean with minimal harm to or exploitation of humans, animals and/or the natural environment...

, promoting and protecting the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment

Natural environment

The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....

, farmers, the public and the economy. OTA is a member of The International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) and The International Working Group on Global Organic Textile Standard

Global Organic Textile Standard

Global Organic Textile Standard is a standard for organic textiles used for clothing. The four member organisations responsible for the definition and enforcement of GOTS are US-based Organic Trade Association, International Association Natural Textile Industry , british Soil Association and Japan...

.

Criticism

The OTA has been widely criticized for being an agent of big business interests working to undermine the credibility of the organic movement

Organic movement

The organic movement broadly refers to the organizations and individuals involved worldwide in the promotion of organic farming, which is a more sustainable mode of agriculture...

. The OTA Rider attached to the Agriculture Appropriations Act, which the USDA approved, and passed before Congress in 2006, opened the door for non-organic, non-agricultural, and synthetic additives in food products bearing the "organic" label. The Organic Consumers Association

Organic Consumers Association

The Organic Consumers Association is a consumer protection and organic agriculture advocacy group based in Finland, Minnesota. It was formed in 1998 in the wake of the mass backlash by organic consumers against the U.S. Department of Agriculture's controversial proposed regulations for organic food...

 OCA

OCA

The Oca , is a starchy, edible tuber, grown in South America.OCA or Oca may also refer to:* Oca a tributary of the Ebro, Spain, having its source in the comarca of Montes de Oca.In business and politics:...

 derided the OTA’s “sneak attack”. The OCA stated, “In the broadest and most basic sense, the OTA rider takes away the organic
community’s leading role in setting and monitoring organic standards for processed organic foods, and instead places this power in the hands of the USDA and industry” (OCA 2005a).

See also

• Organic agriculture
• Organic Certification
  Organic certification
  Organic certification is a certification process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products. In general, any business directly involved in food production can be certified, including seed suppliers, farmers, [food] processors, retailers and restaurants.Requirements vary...
  
  
• Organic Food
  Organic food
  Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
  
  
• Organic Farming
  Organic farming
  Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...