Soup is Salty. What Do You Want?

"..Half of all soups sold in supermarkets and by takeaway chains contain harmful levels of salt.

And some organic products which would particularly appeal to the healthconscious, including the Seeds of Change brand, are among the worst offenders.

..The Government's Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said that by 2010 soup should contain no more than 0.6g of salt per 100g. Yet a survey of 576

varieties by the campaigning group, Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH), found 48 per cent are above this threshold."

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Well, I'm not surprised. Soup IS salty. That's why companies like Amy's have introduced reduced sodium soups to their lines.

GM Canola is Fine in Australia, Says ABARE

"The commercialisation of GM canola in Australia is likely to have only negligible direct impacts on the organic canola, livestock and honey industries according to a new ABARE report.

The report, Potential impacts from the introduction of GM canola on organic farming in Australia, was released today by Phillip Glyde, Executive Director of ABARE.

The report investigates the potential economic impacts of the commercialisation of GM canola in Australia on domestic organic agriculture, and looks into the treatment of GMOs in organic certification standards in Australia and in Australia's main organic trade partners."

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Whole Foods Profits Drop 9% in After-Hours Trading

"This time last year, Whole Foods Market Inc. was riding a wave of double-digit store sales increases, its quarterly profit up 27 percent and its stock soaring to more than $65 a share.

But the Austin-based natural and organics food retailer has started to suffer from competition in the organic food market it helped build, posting lower-than-expected revenue and profit Wednesday from its second quarter.

Reaction from Wall Street was swift and brutal: Shares sank nearly 9 percent in after-hours trading to $41.87. In 2006, Whole Foods shares dropped 39 percent, the most significant loss since 1999.

..Whole Foods will likely close down Wild Oats stores that are in competing markets."

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I would laugh in Whole Foods' face if I could right now. If it were possible for supermarkets to have faces anyway.
But I can understand why people don't want to shop there. For one thing, hardly anything useful is ever on sale and if it is, the savings aren't that great. Their regular prices are awful, especially when it comes to produce. To tell you the truth, I'm not a fan of the market, but I do shop there occasionally out of convenience.

Organic Clothing Continues to Gain Popularity

"The sales associate at The E-House Company in South Side chooses "green" products whenever she shops -- for food, clothing, household products, even toilet paper and underwear.

"So many Americans are uneducated about organics," said Baux, 27, of Polish Hill. "If you want to be healthy, you have to be conscious."

In the mid- to late-1990s, organic clothing was available but it was bland, uncomfortable and unfashionable. Today, environmentally-conscious consumers can buy fashionable and environmentally friendly clothing right down to the bare essentials.

The organic clothing industry is integrating with high-end retailers and designers who see the benefit of "going green." Consumers who want to shop at Macy's or Saks can find the same designs in organic alternatives.

"The target market for organic clothing 20 years ago were aging hippies," said Bonnie Siefers, owner of Jonano, an organic clothing distributor in Wexford. "[Now] it's modern and streamlined."

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I don't have the money to buy organic clothing yet, but when I do, I probably will. Right now with my clothes all I care about is whether or not they were made in sweatshops..

Organic To Go Gets New Financial Officer

"Organic To Go (OTC: SPHG) today announced that Paul Campbell will join the company as chief financial officer. Campbell brings significant experience in the retail food service industry to O To Go, including fiscal management experience during the growth of several successful chain restaurants.

Launched late in 2004, O To Go, the nation’s first fast casual cafe to be certified as an organic retailer, has grown quickly to its current 13 stand-alone cafes and 2 catering operations in Washington and Southern California. O To Go food is also available at over 50 other locations, including college and corporate campuses in two states.

"Given our current success and our intention to grow, our company had reached the point where it is the right time to add a seasoned industry professional who can provide accurate historical financial information and analyze that information to focus the team on the key facts to improve our organization. As Organic to Go continues to expand, it is important that we have leaders of Paul’s caliber at the helm,” said Jason Brown, founder and CEO of O To Go. “Paul has been on board with several other fast-growing and very successful food service businesses, and I think his deep-seated knowledge will be instrumental to Organic To Go’s ability to replicate profitable material growth."

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Never heard of Organic To Go before, but it would be nice if they went nation wide. It seems like a great idea.

Wild Oats to Sell Blue Horizon Organic

"Underscoring a milestone in pioneering sustainable seafood products for retailers and consumers, Blue Horizon Organic Seafood Co. received distribution approval from prominent natural foods retailer Wild Oats for its Blue Horizon Organic brand Shrimp Skillet Meals, featuring sustainable seafood and top quality organic ingredients. The lines will be found in the retailer’s freezers as early as June with national distribution approved across the chain including Wild Oats, Henry’s, and Sun Harvest banners.

"We’re delighted as a brand for this opportunity and to be a part of this leading retailer’s offering,” Tim Redmond said, president of Blue Horizon Organic Seafood Co., Inc. “We’re also optimistic that this will be the first of many of our sustainable seafood products to appear at Wild Oats."

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More Info on Amy's Kids Meals

I found out about the new Amy's Kids Meals a few months ago, but then I forgot to look into it more. Here's some info from last month about the two new products:

"Amy's Kitchen, the nation's top-selling brand of natural and organic convenience foods, is pleased to debut a new line of kids meals. The two new meals—Kids Meals Mac n’ Cheese and Kids Meals Baked Ziti—are expected to hit supermarkets nationwide in June. Both are kid-tested favorites that all children will enjoy, and one is made with no dairy or gluten ingredients, for children with special dietary needs in mind.

Kids Meals Mac n’ Cheese
(8.0 ounces, suggested retail price: $4.29) Accompanying the macaroni and cheese is a just-right portion of nutritious organic broccoli with cheese and a flavorful slice of focaccia bread. And for dessert, there are two delicious “snacks” filled with honey-sweetened organic apples. Free tattoo inside, too! How fun is that?

Kids Meals Baked Ziti
(8.0 ounces, suggested retail price: $4.29)
Some kids, cannot tolerate gluten or dairy. For them, Amy’s Kitchen created the “Baked Ziti Kids Meal” made with light tender organic rice noodles topped with a dairy-free cheeze and Amy’s pasta sauce. To complete the meal there’s broccoli & sauce, hand made rice focaccia and a delicious apple crisp. Free tattoo inside, too! Dairy free, gluten free."

Read the rest of the press release

Okay, that sounds delicious to me.