Chefs Collaborative Expertise Chosen For National Organic Standards Board

Executive Director Jennifer Hall Begins Term as Board Member

Jennifer Hall, executive director of Chefs Collaborative, has been selected to serve on the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), positioning her as an influential representative for environmentally- and health-conscious consumers before the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). As announced by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, six new board members, including Hall, will begin their terms on January 24, 2006.

"With the organic movement's growing popularity, it's more important than ever to make sure foods and products marked 'organic' are held to the highest standards," says Hall. "I'm honored by the opportunity to bring Chefs Collaborative's mission of fostering a safe and sustainable food supply to the NOSB."

The National Organic Program, created by the Organic Foods Production Act passed by Congress in 1990, undertook an aggressive search before making its decision, soliciting nominations from over 11,000 organic producers, handlers and farmers' market associations across the country to ensure a variety of interests are represented on the NOSB. Hall joins new appointees Kevin Engelbert, a fifth-generation crop and dairy farmer in upstate New York; Daniel Giacomini, an independent dairy nutrition consultant; Katrina Heinze, manager of global regulatory affairs for General Mills; Jeffrey Moyer, farm manager at the Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania; and Joseph Smillie of Quality Assurance International, a USDA-accredited certifying agency.

Comprised of a total of 15 producers, handlers, retailers, environmentalists and scientists, the NOSB is responsible for providing advice on aspects of the USDA's organic program and making recommendations regarding the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances for organic operations. One of Hall's and the board's first initiatives will be to review the recommendations for organic standards provided by the aquaculture task force. For more information, visit http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexNet.htm.

About Chefs Collaborative
Chefs Collaborative is a national network of more than 1,000 members of the food community who promote sustainable cuisine by celebrating the joys of local, seasonal, and artisanal cooking. While celebrating the pleasures of food, Collaborative members recognize the impact of food on our lives, on the well-being of our communities, and on the integrity of the global environment. Founded in 1993, Chefs Collaborative is the only culinary organization that provides its members with tools for running economically healthy, sustainable food service businesses and making environmentally sound purchasing decisions.