Annual Organic Week set for June 8-10 on capital’s waterfront
The Organic Trade Association and Food Tank, in an unprecedented partnership, will present the “Future of Organic” summit on June 9 in Washington, D.C.
The powerful collaboration promises to bring to the forefront the complex issues surrounding organic food and farming. It will facilitate open and thoughtful discussions by organic industry leaders, policy experts, organic farmers, retailers and everyone in between looking for clarity on what’s happening now, how to prepare for the future and how to continue advancing organic.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Food Tank this year. This event is dedicated to the future of organic, and we’ll dig deep into the critical issues impacting the organic sector, looking at how we address the critical challenges of today’s organic, how we can take advantage of the huge opportunities for organic, and how we can keep pushing organic forward,” said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association.
“Food Tank is incredibly excited to collaborate with the Organic Trade Association on our first summit focused exclusively on organic agriculture. This partnership is key to creating awareness and finding common ground for what it will take to create an environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable food system,” said Danielle Nierenberg, President and Founder of Food Tank.
The trade association’s annual flagship event, Organic Week in Washington, D.C., will be held on June 8-10 at The InterContinental at the Wharf located on the Potomac River’s recently revitalized Southwest waterfront promenade.
“We are proud of what Organic Week has become for organic stakeholders. Whether our members are coming to D.C. out of their fields or their boardrooms, this week has become a time for discovery, advocacy and focus on organic solutions. The Future of Organic summit with Food Tank will be an event our members won’t want to miss,” said Batcha.
Three Days …
Day 1: Monday, June 8, is Member Day. Repairing the public-private partnership and advancing continuous improvement in organic will be the focus of Member Day. It’s been 30 years since Congress passed the law that established the National Organic Program. What should the future of organic look like for the next 30 years? A day of roundtable discussions and thought-provoking breakouts will end with a networking reception and celebratory dinner honoring the association’s inspirational Leadership Award winners.
Day 2: Tuesday June 9, is Conference Day. The Organic Trade Association and Food Tank are partnering for this year’s annual policy conference. Always a powerful gathering of hundreds of organic industry leaders, coalition partners and government officials, the theme of this year’s summit is “Future of Organic.” Food Tank, known as the Think Tank for Food, was founded in 2013 to reform the food system. Its goal is to highlight environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways of alleviating hunger, obesity, and poverty. Since 2015, Food Tank has hosted a series of summits in cities across the country on various themes in the food system, gathering experts from all sectors of the food industry. This is the first Food Tank summit focused exclusively on organic issues.
Day 3: Wednesday, June 10, is Advocacy Day. A day of Congressional visits, Advocacy Day enables trade association members to lend their voices and help educate the nation’s top policymakers on the importance of organic. Members will work in small teams to attend hundreds of pre-scheduled meetings across Capitol Hill. The full day of advocating ends with the annual Congressional Reception, attended by trade association members, lawmakers and agency officials.
Bonus Day! Thursday, June 11, is Agency Day. Members canvas D.C. on Agency Day, meeting with agency officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food & Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency – just to name a few – to discuss specific organic-related issues. The Organic Trade Association’s Board will also be convening, and Board members encourage all interested trade association members to sit in and contribute.
One Location …
The InterContinental at the Wharf in Washington, D.C., is the Organic Week headquarters hotel where all activities will be based. Organic Week attendees will settle into this beautiful location to learn together and work together. All workshops, meetings, and conference sessions will be held on-site.
The Future of Organic summit will also be livestreamed on June 9. Food Tank’s 2019 summit in New York drew 83,000 viewing via livestream along with #FoodTank trending regionally on Twitter and more than 25,000 engagements across the major social media platforms.
Countless Connections …
Organic Week offers a unique opportunity to gain strategic insights, new advocacy tools and valuable personal connections with countless opportunities for connecting with attendees and sponsors.
The event unites the entire organic sector to take action on issues at the forefront of organic food, agriculture and trade priorities.
“The organic community is diverse and transparent,” said Batcha. “Our Organic Week will reflect that openness in important discussions about the future of our industry. We encourage all of our members to come to this outstanding event to have an impact and to make connections.”
Register for Organic Week here. For sponsorship opportunities, contact the Organic Trade Association.
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 9,500 organic businesses across 50 states. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect ORGANIC with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace.
