Governor Jerry Brown has ushered in the next chapter of organic agriculture by signing into law the California Organic Food and Farming Act (COFFA). This legislation marks the first update to California’s state organic law and program in over a decade, bringing about much-needed reform to support the state’s growing organic sector.
“California’s state organic program has helped the state become the global leader in organics, but it has also created some duplicative fees and paperwork for producers. COFFA will help limit those duplications and ensure California remains as a top producer of the high quality organic products enjoyed by consumers around the world,” said the bills author Mark Stone.
COFFA streamlines the registration process by allowing USDA-accredited organic certifying agents to submit registration information for their clients directly to the state. This will save CCOF-certified farmers hundreds of hours in paperwork every year, especially farmers growing multiple crops.
California produces more organic product than any other state in the United States, with over $12 billion in organic product sales annually (comprised of $9.85 billion in processed products and $2.2 billion in farm commodities). Yet organic acreage in California hovers around 3 percent of the state’s agricultural land and cannot produce enough organic product to meet consumer demand. Food manufacturers are importing more product than ever before to capitalize on the booming organic marketplace that has seen double-digit growth almost every year since the 1990s.