Government Groups Want Exemption From Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) after the American Egg Board

Big Ag groups are on the defensive after hundreds of emails were released recently linking the American Egg Board (AEB) to some nasty tactics to put a wrench in sales of Just Mayo, the Vegan alternative to mayonnaise. Congress has inserted language into the new Farm Bill to exempt the American Egg Board along with other Business-supported government check-off programs from all Freedom of Information Act requests. Apparently, the groups don't think they should be treated like government groups, even though their leadership is appointed by the USDA and the same food boards went before the supreme court in 2005 and won a suit so that they could be considered as federal agencies. See https://newrepublic.com/article/133871/big-food-doesnt-want-know for more details.

I want to share two more articles detailing the actions of the American Egg Board against Just Mayo and Hampton Creek (a company that produces Vegan food products). I believe that the agency engaged in illegal and inappropriate activities both in regards to Just Mayo and, most recently, in taking action to get Congress to put language in the Farm Bill that would exempt them from public scrutiny. See https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/sep/06/usda-american-egg-board-paid-bloggers-hampton-creek and https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/02/usda-american-egg-board-hampton-creek-just-mayo.

Please email your member of Congress and ask them to remove the FOIA exemption for these government groups from the Farm Bill. If you need help locating your legislator's phone number or email, please contact us and let us know.

I have not received any financial compensation from Hampton Creek. Nor do I wish to promote or recommend a Vegan Diet. I only wish to draw attention to a Consumer issue that affects us all.

-Emily