As consumers increasingly look to third party certifications when choosing natural and/or organic products, the USDA has often been held up as the gold standard for US-based products. This month, they announced the launch of their new BioBased label, designed to give companies the opportunity to seek certification without meeting the food-grade standard of USDA Certified Organic. Unfortunately, the gap between USDA Certified Organic and the new BioBased standard is so large, it will likely only increase consumer confusion and decrease America’s standards for what are truly natural, organic, and sustainable consumer goods. More