Organic Consumers Association Explained

Organic Consumers Association
Abbreviation:OCA
Formation:1998
Type:Non-profit
Purpose:Organic agriculture advocacy group
Headquarters:Finland, Minnesota
Membership:850,000[1]
Membership Year:2015
Leader Title:National Director
Leader Name:Ronnie Cummins
Revenue:$2,868,117 USD[2]
Revenue Year:2020
Website:organicconsumers.org

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is a non-profit advocacy group for the organic agriculture industry based in Minnesota. The organization's members include subscribers to their online newsletters, volunteers, supporters, and retail outlets. The organization seeks to influence public opinion on a variety of issues, such as campaigning for GMO labeling, by its own advocacy campaigns and providing funds to other groups and individuals whose goals align with the organization's members, such as US Right to Know (USRTK),[3] of which the association is the sole major sponsor.

The activities of these associated lobbying bodies have been called "antiscientific" and "akin to climate change denialism" by scientists, alleging also that they seek primarily to engage in harassment of food scientists.[4]

OCA was embroiled in controversy for work they did with Andrew Wakefield to mislead the Somali immigrant community about the safety of vaccines.[5] Reporting has also exposed their close ties and financial relationship with Joseph Mercola, an alternative medicine proponent and "major funder of the anti-vaccine movement".[6] [7] The Washington Post reported that Mercola had donated $3.3m to OCA.[6] Mercola and Ronnie Cummins, the founder of OCA, published a book titled The Truth About COVID-19: Exposing the Great Reset, Lockdowns, Vaccine Passports, and the New Normal: Why We Must Unite in a Global Movement for Health and Freedom which the McGill Office for Science and Society described as "monumentally wrong".[6]

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: About OCA. 6 August 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150802190833/https://www.organicconsumers.org/about-oca. 2 August 2015.
  2. Web site: Organic Consumers Association 2020 Tax Return. 2 February 2022.
  3. News: Bredderman. William. 2021-11-05. This Fave Mainstream Media Source Is Funded by Anti-Vaxxers. Daily Beast. 2021-11-07.
  4. Web site: The anti-GM lobby appears to be taking a page out of the Climategate playbook . Fedoroff . Nina . Raven . Peter . Sharp . Phillip . . 9 March 2015 . 10 November 2015.
  5. Web site: Belluz. Julia. 2017-05-10. Why Minnesota lost a battle against anti-vaccine campaigners. 2021-11-07. Vox. en.
  6. Web site: Jarry . Jonathan . The Upside-Down Doctor . Office for Science and Society . McGill University . 1 December 2021.
  7. News: Bredderman. William. 2021-10-24. The Green New Deal Activists Spreading Deadly Vaccine Lies. en. The Daily Beast. 2021-11-07.