Ready Meals

Food Industry Welcomes US-Switzerland Organic Trade Accord

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The United States and Switzerland have agreed to recognize each country’s organic programs as equivalent for organic products and thereby streamline access to each other’s markets, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on July 9.

The organic farming and processed food industry today encompasses over 19,000 businesses in the United States and accounts for $39 billion annually in domestic retail sales. In recent years the US has signed five organic equivalency agreements – including accords with Canada, the European Union, Japan and Korea – to gain entry to international markets worth over $35 billion.

USDA-Organic-logoRepresentatives from the US organic industry – including trade associations and organic producers – have praised the US-Switzerland agreement.

“All of us at Amy’s Kitchen welcome this news,” said Paul Schiefer, director of international operations for the Petaluma, California-headquartered maker of ready meals and other frozen food products. “We are encouraged that the larger shared values and practices relative to organic and sustainable food production between us are no longer overshadowed by minor, technical differences. Amy’s is excited to pursue new market opportunities for our organic products in Switzerland made possible by this arrangement.”

“The Swiss are among the most dedicated organic food buyers in the world, with some of the toughest quality standards in the world. The US-Switzerland organic equivalency arrangement helps open the door to more export business. More importantly, it recognizes the high and disciplined quality standards of both countries,” said Lynn Clarkson, president of Cerro Gordo, Illinois-headquartered Clarkson Grain.

“This new arrangement has been three years in the making, and we thank and congratulate the officials at the US Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for their successful collaborative efforts. Swiss consumers put a high value on food quality and nutrition, and they’ve made organic a part of their daily diets. Now they will enjoy greater access to the high-quality organic products from the US,” said Laura Batcha, executive director and ceo of the Washington, DC-headquartered Organic Trade Association.