National Processed Raspberry Council
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- 1796 Front St.
Lynden, WA 98264-1714
 "Red Razz" logo of the National Processed Raspberry Council | |
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| Location(s) |
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|---|---|
| Coordinates | 48°56′22″N 122°28′28″W / 48.939441°N 122.474427°W |
Chairperson | John S. Clark |
Vice Chairperson | Ravinder S. Dhaliwal |
Executive Director | Thomas Krugman |
| Budget | $2.7 million (October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016) |
| Website | www |
The National Processed Raspberry Council is a U.S. organization that promotes and researches processed raspberries. It is part of a commodity checkoff program overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The National Processed Raspberry Council's self-stated mission is to "conduct nutrition research on the health and wellness benefits of raspberries and to promote the consumption of processed raspberries based on research results"[1] The basic core of the council's work centers on research and promotion.[2][3]
History
The Washington Red Raspberry Commission initially approached the U.S. Department of Agriculture about establishing a national research and promotion program, better known as a commodity checkoff program.[4] The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service conducted a referendum among affected raspberry growers and importers in June 2011.[4] Support for the raspberry checkoff program was around 88 percent in that referendum.[4][5]
As the rule establishing the checkoff program - the Processed Raspberries Research and Promotion Order - was being finalized the USDA put a temporary hold on its implementation.[5] The delay was due to the backlash surrounding the attempted implementation of a similar rule regarding Christmas trees in November 2011.[5] The proposed Christmas tree checkoff created political controversy when it was characterized as a tax in the media.[5] The Washington Red Raspberry Commission expected the program to be implemented in November 2011.[6] After several months of delay the rule establishing the checkoff program was finally implemented in May 2012.[6][4]