USDA Research Emails With Organic Industry

Stephan Neidenbach

This is to acknowledge receipt of your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request dated February 9, 2016, for emails of several Agricultural Research Service (ARS) employees. Your request was received in this office on February 10 and assigned FOIA No. 2016-REE-02211-F.

Specifically, you requested:

Any emails to or from Stephanie Greene stephanie.greene@ars.usda.gov<mailto:stephanie.greene@ars.usda.gov> , Sandya Kesoju sandya.kesoju@wsu.edu<mailto:sandya.kesoju@wsu.edu>, Ruth Martin Ruth.Martin@ars.usda.gov<mailto:Ruth.Martin@ars.usda.gov> , or Matthew Kramer Matt.Kramer@ars.usda.gov<mailto:Matt.Kramer@ars.usda.gov> that contain any of the following terms in any field; "stonyfield", “unfi", "naturespath", "ccof", "whitewave", "wholefoods", "organicvalley", "horizondairy", "mercola", or "bronners" from January 1, 2014 to February 5, 2016.

You are considered an all other requester and as such may be charged fees for searching for documents and duplication costs, minus the first 2 hours of search time and the first 100 pages. Because you requests is for emails involving three ARS employees over a two year period, we are compiling a fee estimates concerning the costs involved in processing your request. We hope to provide the estimate to you by February 22.

If you have any questions concerning your request, please contact this office at 301-504-1655 or stasia.hutchison@ars.usda.gov<mailto:stasia.hutchison@ars.usda.gov>.

Sincerely,

Stasia Hutchison

Stasia Hutchison
FOIA/PA Office, REE, USDA
5601 Sunnyside Avenue
GWCC, Room 1-2248, Mail Stop 5128
Beltsville, MD 20705-5128
stasia.hutchison@ars.usda.gov<mailto:stasia.hutchison@ars.usda.gov>
301-504-1655 Telephone; 301-504-1647 Fax
www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=1398<http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=1398>
___________________________________
Get more information: www.ars.usda.gov<http://www.ars.usda.gov/>
[USDALOGO(color) (2).jpg]<http://www.usda.gov/> [twitter-bird-white-on-blue.jpg] <http://www.twitter.com/USDA_ARS> [feed-icon-28x28.jpg] <http://ars.usda.gov/rss/> [Blue envelopee mail icon final(ARS) (2)] <http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/lists.htm> [cid:image005.png@01D165BF.CD373000]

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

Stephan Neidenbach

This is in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request dated February 9, 2016, for emails of several Agricultural Research Service (ARS) employees. Your request was received in this office on February 10 and assigned FOIA No. 2016-REE-02211-F.

Specifically, you requested:

Any emails to or from Stephanie Greene stephanie.greene@ars.usda.gov<mailto:stephanie.greene@ars.usda.gov> , Sandya Kesoju sandya.kesoju@wsu.edu<mailto:sandya.kesoju@wsu.edu>, Ruth Martin Ruth.Martin@ars.usda.gov<mailto:Ruth.Martin@ars.usda.gov> , or Matthew Kramer Matt.Kramer@ars.usda.gov<mailto:Matt.Kramer@ars.usda.gov> that contain any of the following terms in any field; "stonyfield", “unfi", "naturespath", "ccof", "whitewave", "wholefoods", "organicvalley", "horizondairy", "mercola", or "bronners" from January 1, 2014 to February 5, 2016.

A search of the emails of the ARS employees listed in your request was conducted using the names, email addresses, and keywords provided in your request. We did not locate any documents responsive to your request. In instances where no records exist that are responsive to an FOIA request, we are required to inform requesters that they have a right to appeal that determination administratively by writing to the Administrator, ARS, USDA, Room 302-A, Jamie L. Whitten Federal Building, 14th & Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250. The appeal must be received by that office within 45 days of the date of this letter. The phrase “FOIA Appeal” should be placed in capital letters on the front of the envelope containing the appeal.

If you have any questions concerning your request, please contact this office at 301-504-1655 or stasia.hutchison@ars.usda.gov<mailto:stasia.hutchison@ars.usda.gov>.

Sincerely,

Stasia Hutchison

Stasia Hutchison
FOIA/PA Office, REE, USDA
5601 Sunnyside Avenue
GWCC, Room 1-2248, Mail Stop 5128
Beltsville, MD 20705-5128
stasia.hutchison@ars.usda.gov<mailto:stasia.hutchison@ars.usda.gov>
301-504-1655 Telephone; 301-504-1647 Fax
www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=1398<http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=1398>
___________________________________
Get more information: www.ars.usda.gov<http://www.ars.usda.gov/>
[USDALOGO(color) (2).jpg]<http://www.usda.gov/> [twitter-bird-white-on-blue.jpg] <http://www.twitter.com/USDA_ARS> [feed-icon-28x28.jpg] <http://ars.usda.gov/rss/> [Blue envelopee mail icon final(ARS) (2)] <http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/lists.htm> [cid:image005.png@01D169A8.38E5EDF0]

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.