Healthy Communities

Center for Food Safety, alongside farmworker and environmental health organizations, sued EPA over its decades-long failure to test and regulate endocrine-disrupting pesticides as required by federal law.

In a major victory, EPA agreed to a landmark legal settlement requiring the agency to take concrete steps to assess endocrine-disrupting pesticides and establish timelines for reviewing dozens of chemicals over the coming years.

The agreement marked a major step toward protecting farmworkers, rural communities, and public health after decades of agency inaction.

Center for Food Safety successfully challenged the Trump administration’s withdrawal of animal welfare protections under the organic standard, helping restore rules that improve the treatment of animals raised under the USDA Organic label. The final rule strengthens protections for millions of organically raised animals and represents a major victory for organic integrity, farmers, consumers, and animal welfare advocates.

Center for Food Safety successfully challenged USDA’s unlawful decision to allow pesticide-contaminated compost in organic production without public participation, protecting organic standards and preserving trust in the regulatory process. In a major victory, a federal court ruled that USDA violated the law and struck down the contaminated compost loophole. The decision restored protections against pesticide contamination in compost used for organic production and reaffirmed the importance of transparency and public participation in organic policymaking.

In 2013, Center for Food Safety and a coalition of organic farmers, businesses, certifiers, and consumer organizations challenged USDA’s decision to change the long-standing "sunset" review process without public notice or rulemaking.