American Organic Beverage Market Grows 97%

"Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c76072) has announced the addition of Organic Beverages in the United States 2007 to their offering.

This report provides market data and trends, as well as the results of an exclusive consumer survey about organic beverages. The market has grown 97% between 2002 and 2007. Driven by concern for the integrity of the food supply, the organic beverage market has moved from a natural food store, counter-cultural setting to the mainstream. More than a quarter of respondents to the exclusive survey purchased organic beverages in the past year.

The report isolates trends in organic beverages, revealing consumer attitudes, concerns, and behavior that will help marketers find opportunities and maximize growth potential."

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Will Organic Foods Meet School Meal Budgets?

"ORGANIC fruit and vegetables could become a staple ingredient of children’s school meals following a pioneering West Wales project.

In a far cry from the days of turkey twizzlers, Carmarthenshire Council has recently piloted organic menus and is now investigating making them a permanent fixture of school meals.

This is believed to be the first scheme of its kind in Wales – other school meals services have previously only held one-off organic food events. But any extension of the trial will depend on whether the council can afford to buy organic produce within its existing £6.5m school meals budget."

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First Organic Omega-3 Powder from Innobio

"Innobioactives has launched an organic omega-3 powder, thereby marrying two very important trends in the food industry.

The Greensboro, North Carolina manufacturer's line of branded Duromega organic oil powders is now certified organic by the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) to meet US Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements for organic foods.

The company says this gives organic food manufacturers access to the market for omega-3 fortification."

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2012 Olympics Will Promote Healthy Food

"The 2012 London Olympics must promote healthy food if it wants to be a "green" event, according to a new report.
The Soil Association said the Games could be used to showcase the benefits of local, seasonal and organic food. It could also help to promote sustainable fish consumption.

The report calls on 2012 sponsors Coca-Cola and McDonald's to serve 75% unprocessed, 50% locally sourced and 30% organic food and drink.

Soil Association spokesman Peter Melchett said: "If London is going to be the greenest Games ever, they have to tackle the 30% of our personal carbon footprint which comes from food.

"And if the Olympics want to avoid looking silly in the face of the obesity crisis now affecting most of the world, they must promote
healthy as well as sustainable food."

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Organic Demand in America

"All the attention on ethanol and $3.50 corn prices probably has slowed the move of acres into organic production, but it has not slowed the demand for organic goods or the prices paid to organic producers in the state.

"We're seeing record highs being paid for organic corn", says Kathleen Delate, who heads the organic program at Iowa State University. She says the price ratios between conventional corn or soybean prices and organic corn or soybean prices have stayed steady.

That translates into prices in the vicinity of $10 a bushel for organic corn and $17/bu. for organic soybeans. That's right, $10 corn and $17 beans. What's more, Delate says, yields for organic corn and beans are getting better. Test plots recorded 209-bu. organic corn and 65-bu. organic beans in Iowa in 2007.

All of that means farmers who are producing those organic crops, as well as organic fruits and vegetables, are doing well right now. But, the rising costs for land and other inputs, as well as the profits to be made producing non-organic crops, has kept organic acreage from rising much in the past two years."

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The Push for Organic in Abu Dhabi

"ABU DHABI — General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, confirmed here yesterday his unconditional support to the overall agricultural progress in the UAE.

He attributed this success to the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s vision to keep agriculture in the UAE as organic and pure.

Shaikh Mohammed also referred to Shaikh Zayed’s repeated phrase “Give me agriculture and I shall give you civilisation”.

He also stressed the continuous support of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who leads the green agricultural organic movement nationwide.

He indicated that “the organic agriculture practices are on the rise in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. This confirms that farmers are willing to convert to organic practices to achieve self-sufficiency and food security in feeding the emirate of Abu Dhabi with healthy and chemical-free products”."

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Can't Feed the World with Organic

"10 December 2007, Rome – FAO has no reason to believe that organic agriculture can substitute for conventional farming systems in ensuring the world’s food security, Dr Jacques Diouf, FAO Director-General, said here today, Dr Diouf was commenting on recent press and media reports suggesting that FAO endorses organic agriculture (OA) as the solution to world hunger.

“We should use organic agriculture and promote it,” Dr. Diouf said. “It produces wholesome, nutritious food and represents a growing source of income for developed and developing countries. But you cannot feed six billion people today and nine billion in 2050 without judicious use of chemical fertilizers.”

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The Leader in Organic Cereal Manufacturing Is..

"(OPENPRESS) December 7, 2007 -- For over 40 years Organic Milling has been producing wholesome and delicious cereal, granola and snack products for health conscious consumers and retailers. Located in San Dimas, California, the firm produces a wide array of products with specific formulations that are unique to food process manufacturers. With more people aware of the health implications of eating quality food products, Organic Milling offers snack mixes, cereal bars, and other products that contain high fiber, high protein, low sugar, low glycemic index, as well as organic. These designations require rigorous tracking of all food content and ingredients; Escape Velocity Systems was the best manufacturing technology solution to meet these needs.

Evan Garber, President of Escape Velocity Systems (www.evs-sw.com) recently announced that Organic Milling selected the firm’s process manufacturing software solution. Garber commented, “We are delighted to have a leader in the cereal, granola, and snack products sector recognize the unique merit and value in our technology solution and are confident Organic Milling will experience enormous value and benefit.”

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Lance Inc. Invests in Late July

"CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lance, Inc. (Nasdaq: LNCE) today announced that in an effort to increase its presence in the organic food sector, it has purchased a non-controlling minority equity interest in Late July Snacks LLC, a privately held organic snack food company.
"Entry into the organic food sector with our investment in Late July(R) is consistent with our strategy to increase our presence in the better-for-you products category, and will allow us to capitalize on growing consumer trends in the organic food space," said Dave Singer, President and CEO of Lance, Inc.
"We are excited about our investment in Late July(R), and look forward to pursuing opportunities to leverage our collective strengths to drive profitable growth in both of our businesses."

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Best Christmas Gift: Chocolate Covered Late July Cookies!

I know during the holiday season how difficult it is to find the perfect gifts for friends and family. I can't imagine how many hours people spend every year thinking "Will (insert name) like this? Or this? Or this?" Fortunately I have found a solution for this year's shopping woes: Hand Dipped cookies from Late July.

I posted this news release about the cookies not too long ago, and before I knew it, the kind folks from Late July shipped me a box to review.

The verdict? They are exquisite! Not only are they beautiful to look at, but they are also incredibly delicious and high in quality. Taking a bite, you can taste all of the work that went into them. The flavors of chocolate work perfectly with each cookie. (I also loved the sprinkles of peppermint bark!) Although it's hard to pick a favorite, the vanilla bean cookie covered in milk chocolate definitely stuck out the most to me.
To top that off, the cookies are wrapped in a charming little eco-friendly brown box, ready for someone to enjoy.

I can't imagine a gift better than this. No matter who you give them to, friends, family or co-workers, I have no doubt everyone will love them. Buy some for yourself or your loved ones and rest assure the holidays will truly be happy (and delicious!) this year.

Review of Organic Energy Drink Syzmo

"Try Szymo on for size

You could go it alone, i.e., do your holiday shopping with mere food as sustenance. But if you dislike shopping as much as I do, you may need a little help to get you through that marathon mall-sweep. I know I do. My plan this year is to put a little Syzmo in my step.

Since I don't usually guzzle energy out of a can, I'm not sure Syzmo will deliver. But the makers of the energy drink claim the carbonated contents of each can will provide the drinker with "sustained energy," thanks to loads of vitamins and lots of energy, courtesy of organic coffee, guarana, green tea and yerba mate.

I figure it's worth a shot — and the drink tastes a lot better than any other energy drink I've tried."

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Organic in the Desert

"The UAE, largely dependent on food supplies from overseas markets, can now breathe easy, courtesy of organic foods that may actually be grown in deserts! Indeed, the UAE’s abundant natural resource – the desert sands – can be turned into fertile cultivable beds for growing organic foods, without using any chemical fertiliser, herbicide or even pesticide, says a food educator.

"My research shows that desert sands can be converted into green beds. But, to grow food in deserts, we have to mix soil and gravel with sand," says Yorkshire-born Dave Friend, who is on a visit to the UAE to spread awareness on organic food as a healthier option."

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Raw Gaia Introduces U.K's First Raw Soap

"Organic skin care company Raw Gaia announces the launch of the UK’s first organic raw soap. It is gentle, truly delicious to use and one of the purest soaps available anywhere.

The vast majority of soaps are made through a high temperature process, which destroys most of the nutrients in the oils and creates toxic trans-fatty acids."

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Organic Shortages in Dutch Supermarkets

"Dutch supermarkets will be forced to import increasing amounts of organic food unless domestic production is increased, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday, quoting the national retail board CBL.

'We would rather not import organic food because bringing it from across the globe is not environment-friendly and is more expensive,' the CBL's Marc Jansen told the paper.

At the same time however, some 60% of Dutch production of organic food is exported abroad, mainly to Denmark, Germany and Britain."

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Fairtrade Organic Rich Dark Chocolate from Delvaux

"Delvaux, an English company with Belgian family roots is currently best known for its specialist and personalised luxury chocolate for the retail sector. The launch of its ‘Fairtrade Organic Rich Dark Chocolate’ and ‘Fairtrade Organic Smooth Milk Chocolate’ ranges targets two new markets for the Company – specialist retail food halls and high street coffee shops.

The gift pack, which holds twenty 5g, individually wrapped bars in a branded container is aimed to be sold in the gift sections of premium retail food halls. The 15g and 75g bars are held in a branded dispense box designed to sit on counters of high street coffee shops. Delvaux produces quality Belgian chocolates and each bar is individually foil wrapped for freshness, hygiene and perfect stock control."

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Offered Organic? Then Take It!

"New Delhi, Dec 3 (PTI) Unavailability and a lack of clear picture about the value for money that health foods offer are major deterrents to the consumption of organic food despite a rapidly growing market, a new study has said.
An ageing global population, rising obesity levels and the occasional food scare have all served to heighten awareness among the worlds consumers about the importance of diet and staying healthy, leading to the rapid expansion of organic food and those promoting specific health benefits.

Yet, consumers, including in India, are still to be convinced by these "offers", the study, released by the Nielsen Company, a global information and media organisation, said."

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More on Montana Organic Conference

"New research shows that organic farming can produce enough food to feed the world. That finding was one of the research results that was presented over the weekend at the fifth annual conference of the Montana Organic Association.

The group met in Great Falls to work with farmers and ranchers who avoid chemical treatments to their livestock and crops.

Sunday's capstone session looked at federal agriculture policy and its possible effects on specialized, organic farming.

Jeff Schahczenski with the National Center for Appropriate Technology says they want to make sure that organic farmers get all of the help that they need."

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City in the Philippines Looks for 2-5% Organic Agriculture

"THE City Agriculture Office (CAO) is targeting to encourage at least two to five percent of the city's farmers to switch to organic farming next year.

City Agriculturist Rocelio Tabay announced the plan in organic forum held at the Green Room of the City Council building Monday as part of the celebration of the city's First Organic Agriculture Day.

Post your comments here on the Makati siege

The Davao City council last week through a resolution proposed by Councilor Conrado Baluran, chair of the council committee on agriculture, designated December 3 as organic agriculture day in Davao City."

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Students Sell Organic in California

"The organic red Russian kale from Blue Heron Farm was selling for $1 a bunch. Cherry tomatoes from Full Belly were going for $2 a pint. And Kaki's satsuma tangerines could be had for $2.50 a pound.

If the prices seemed surprisingly low, the venue was even more startling: Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley.

"The Local" is a weekly produce stand run by people who go to Cal. It's one of the most visible manifestations of a budding campus movement that is trying to provide an alternative for students interested in sustainable, organic and local food production - but frustrated by how little they find at the university."

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How Does Organic Wine Taste?

"Dec. 1, 2007 | Ever since Wal-Mart began stocking organic food, it's clear a lot of consumers now believe that produce and milk produced without pesticides or hormones taste just as good as, if not better than, their conventional brethren. Logic would say that this also goes for "organic wine," which I see cropping up more and more often at health food stores and markets. But in this case the label doesn't tell the whole story.

Wine labeled organic means that at least 95 percent of the grapes used were never sprayed with pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Such chemical purity is ensured by 40-foot buffer zones from farms that spray specific chemicals, loads of paperwork and on-site visits from third-party certifiers. Organic grapes then go to a certified organic winery that doesn't use chemical cleansers or add any preservatives like sulfur dioxide, an antioxidant that gives wine a significant life span."

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