A federal agency that investigated whether Boulder-based Aurora Organic Dairy was complying with federal standards for organic products said Wednesday that officials found no violations and were closing the case.The investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) was sparked by a May report by the Washington Post that raised questions about whether the nation’s regulatory system ensures that products labeled organic are truly organic.
The Post story spotlighted the High Plains dairy complex in Greeley, part of a network of farms that provide milk to Aurora Organic Dairy. The Post said its investigation of High Plains and other dairies “highlights critical weaknesses in the unorthodox inspection system that the [federal] Agriculture Department uses to ensure that ‘organic’ food is really organic.”
Aurora supplies milk and other daily products to large retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores and Costco. The “private label” milk generally is sold under the retail chains’ own brand names.
In a letter to Aurora President Scott McGinty, NOP official Betsy Rakola said that the agency interviewed staffers at the Colorado Department of Agriculture about Aurora’s livestock and pasture practices and “also completed an on-site audit at Aurora’s facility, which included observing the dairy operation and practices and conducting a detailed review of Aurora records.”
“NOP’s investigation did not find violations of existing USDA organic regulations by Aurora,” the NOP letter says. ” … The dairy is certified organic and in good standing under the USDA organic regulations.”
It said that information in the Post article “did not provide sufficient evidence to substantiate” any violations of organic regulations. It said it was closing a complaint against the dairy company.
Marc Peperzak, Aurora’s founder and CEO, hailed the ruling in a statement Wednesday.
“The NOP confirmed what we have known all along: that Aurora Organic Dairy is a 100% organic company,” Peperzak said. “Their investigation included a thorough review of our facilities, our grazing practices and the records we maintain to document compliance with the organic rule. We’ve confronted false criticism with facts by fully and transparently cooperating with this enforcement process, and this outcome clearly validates our organic certifications.”
In addition to High Plains, Aurora Organic has other farms in Colorado and Texas and operates an organic dairy processing plant in Platteville. It announced in April that it would build a $90 million dairy plant in Missouri and employ 150 people there.
Source: Denver Business Journal