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U.S. EPA SETTLES WITH ORGANICLEAN PRODUCER

Release Date: 7/29/1999
Contact Information: Lois Grunwald, U.S. EPA, 415-744-1588

     $200,000 Settlement Provides for National Pesticide Safety Campaign

     SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced settlement of an enforcement action against Alterna Inc., Carson, Calif., for  violating federal pesticide registration requirements and making unproven claims about its products. Alterna will pay a $19,000 fine and will also pay $181,000 towards a nationwide campaign that will inform consumers, produce managers, and others about pesticide safety regulations and how to comply with them.
 
     "We want the public to understand the choices they make about the pesticides they use," said Pamela Cooper, chief of the Pesticides Section at the U.S. EPA's western regional office. "If a company claims its product will protect public health, registering with the U.S. EPA makes sure the product does what it claims.  Registration arms consumers with the information they need to protect themselves and their families.  And instead of simply paying a large fine, Alterna Inc. will fund a nationwide campaign to get the word out to consumers about how to make informed decisions."

      The company sold and distributed an unregistered product called Organiclean Fruit and Vegetable Wash, making unproven claims that the product would remove bacteria including Salmonella from fruits and vegetables.  Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, companies making such claims must register their products with U.S. EPA, providing data on the toxicity, chemical make-up and the effectiveness of the products, and labeling the products with clear directions for safe use.  In August 1997, U.S. EPA issued a stop sale against Alterna Inc. prohibiting the sale and distribution of the product.