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Protest at Natural Products Trade Show to Expose Organic Fraud

ANAHEIM, Calif., March 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Friday, March 12 at 10am, The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) will hold a protest outside of the largest annual gathering of the natural and organic products industry, Natural Products Expo West. Members of the OCA will picket the entrance to the Expo using creative visual props including 5 ft. tall shampoo bottles to mock mislabeled "organic" products while distributing flyers to educate the public about the lack of regulation in the organic personal care marketplace.

WHO: The Organic Consumers Association; conscious consumers and other advocates for strong organic standards.

WHAT: Protest and Rally for Organic Integrity in the Personal Care Marketplace

WHEN: Friday, March 12, 2010 at 10am

WHERE: Front Entrance of Anaheim Convention Center - 800 West Katella Avenue Anaheim, CA 92802

Through it's "Coming Clean Campaign", The Organic Consumers Association has been working to clean up the natural and organic personal care industry. The word "organic" is not properly regulated on personal care products (examples: soap and bodywash, toothpaste, shampoo, lotion, etc.) as it is on food products, unless the product is certified by the USDA National Organic Program. Due to this lax regulation, many personal care products have the word "organic" in their brand name or otherwise on their product label, but unless they are USDA certified, the main cleansing ingredients and preservatives are usually made with synthetic and petrochemical compounds.

On November 5, 2009, the USDA National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) formally recommended that the National Organic Program regulate personal care to ensure that any use of the word "organic" on a personal care product is backed up by third-party certification to USDA organic standards. Immediately following the recommendation, the OCA launched a consumer boycott of the major 'organic cheater' brands, and has produced a list of USDA certified organic brands that are true to their claims and are safe for organic consumers.

For further information, go to: http://www.organicconsumers.org

SOURCE Organic Consumers Association