Sunday, December 31, 2006

A new addition

I'll soon be adding a whole new section to Organic Food and Drink. Here's a hint...We tried the Organic Dark Chocolate Truffle bar from trusty source Trader Joe's. Verdict: OK, not great. There are other varieties of both dark and milk chocolate available.

Friday, December 29, 2006

Natural Progression

The market for organic produce has expanded from health food specialty outlets to mainstream groceries, and that same kind of shift has happened to farmers - including ones in Palm Beach County.

"It used to be the organic farmer was an ex-hippie kind of guy who ate tofu burgers," said Gene McAvoy, a Hendry County-based extension agent who is witnessing an explosion of organic farming in Southwest Florida. "The new guys are doing it for profit while they adhere to organic principles."

Thursday, December 28, 2006

I found $10 for you...but hurry!

Now through December 31, get a $10 instant rebate off any $49+ order at Amazon Grocery, including both food and household items.  You also get free shipping on any order over $25! Just use the code GROCERY3 when you check out.  Go straight to our organic grocery storefront and stock up for New Year's.


A U.S. promo:  Harry and David is running an after-Christmas clearance sale.  Visit them and browse their selection of organic items and various gifts for whoever is still on your list (hostess gifts, maybe?)  This one goes till January 31.


If you like Hickory Farms better, you'll have to act a little faster.  Until December 31, use code HOLIDAY and get 15% off any order of $50 or more, or use code SNOW06 for free shipping on that $50 order.  Free gifts with purchase too.  Consider a gift certificate if you're not sure what they like.


Making a New Year's resolution to find more ways to go green and organic?  Try a free subscription to Ideal Bites for suggestions and information.  You can even see a sample tip before you subscribe. Not much to lose on this one!

Organic Evolution

Walking slowly down a muddy farm road, Deborah Yashar points to a row of white, sweet-smelling flowers planted next to green shoots of broccoli. The alyssum flower attracts beneficial insects that protect crops from pests, Yashar says. Yashar is the food systems project coordinator for the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), which provides guidance and subsidized land to small organic farmers.

Demand for organic produce feed growth

Thomas and Sarah Rumery started building their greenhouse-gardening venture in rural western Colorado in 1992 to create a flexible, family-oriented lifestyle for rearing their three daughters.

Today, Osage Gardens west of New Castle is Colorado's largest year-round grower of U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic culinary herbs.

Sales of organic red meat up 12% in year

SALES of organic red meat increased by 12 per cent in the year to 5 November, according to a report published by Julie Fisher, a senior research analyst at the Meat and Livestock Commission.

But Fisher points out that the organic market remains very small in relation to total meat sales.

You'll hear more about eating with a conscience

Looking back over the past year in food and ahead to the coming one, we note that several of the hot trends we observed last year -- dark chocolate, exotic salts -- continue to rank high on foodie forecasters' radar.

But one of our 2006 trends to watch has emerged as the No. 1 issue for 2007.

Bringing Fair Trade Home to the U.S.

Ever wondered why the fair trade label only applies to products from outside the U.S.?

Why are all the fair trade certifies located thousands of miles away from the producers?

How can corporations that are so unfair towards workers, farmers, and consumers in the U.S. get away with selling and promoting themselves as fair trade?

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

New labelling to take confusion out of what's organic

Are your potatoes organic? Are you sure?

A new labelling system introduced Friday by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is meant to take the worry out of organic buying and stop food producers from claiming organic status for food that is not certified.

Safe foods, quality water at odds

Programs to conserve wildlife habitat and clean up agricultural water runoff may become victims of summer's E. coli outbreak.

Water and soil conservationists and wildlife habitat preservationists have long encouraged farmers and ranchers to follow eco-friendly practices, but these can compromise food safety, in the view of businesses that buy farm products.

Bulgarian funding failing domestic organic producers

A new report has found that funding designed to initiate and promote organic certification amongst Bulgarian food processors and producers is failing smaller domestic enterprises in the country.

Generously subsidised eco-farmers occupy borderland

The neglected Sudeten landscape along the Czech-German border is changing its face being enlivened by freely moving cattle herds, but the idyll costs hundreds of millions of crowns in subsidies that are to further substantially rise next year, weekly Tyden out today writes.

Chocolate with less guilt: Fair-trade brands help cocoa farmers

Chocolate will never be a guilt-free passion, but buying fair- trade chocolate might ease your conscience a little.

It costs more than run-of-the-mill milk chocolate -- it's 71 cents to $1.90 an ounce -- and doesn't come in holiday shapes. But buyers or sweet tooths lucky enough to receive it as a gift can feel better knowing that the cocoa farmers who helped produce it receive a living wage and money to build health clinics, improve schools and provide clean drinking water.

Asia's organic food industry coming of age

Asia's organic food industry has surged in recent years, with a marked increase in both consumption and production in the region, shows a new report.

What 'organic' really means

Most of the time, organic food costs more than produce grown by conventional methods. Do you know what you are paying for? Here's a quiz to test your savvy when it comes to "organic":

Tibet innovates to eradicate poverty

Encouraged by the market opportunities opened up by the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, Tibet is starting to adopt a more innovative, market-oriented approach to farming and animal husbandry in order to lift its rural and pastoral population out of abject poverty.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

It's the last minute!

Still looking...and no time for shopping? Here's a great place for a gift card - let them choose some good organic coffee!


Coffee for Less

Friday, December 15, 2006

Green farming meet kicks off

Attempts to boost organic trade and market development in the region go a notch higher on Wednesday with the launch of second draft of an East African Organic Standard.

Pesticides need not apply

Considering that elsewhere in the world consumers can do their daily shopping in stores devoted entirely to organic food, should we be talking about Bulgaria’s organic market at all? After all, it is virtually non-existent and the list of organic products on offer in the country can fit onto this page alone. However, things are looking up and today it is possible to shop organic more than you think. Even for chocolate! Here is what you need to know.

Developing organic fruit and vegetables in Poland

There has been a huge increase of land used under organic managment in Poland recently. According to figures of the Ministry of Agriculture, the number of ecological farms exceeded 7000, and the acreage amounts 16.500 hectares. The bad news is that only 5% of the mentioned acreage is used for the production of fruits and berries and less than 2% for vegetables.

Friday, December 8, 2006

Specials for the holidays!

I know I don't have to remind you that the holidays are getting closer. Many of us like doing as much shopping as possible on line and get the best selection without the lines and traffic. But if you're one of them, you'll need to plan ahead. I've been advised of some specials from our Organic Food and Drink partners, so hurry and take advantage!

First, for all your organic shopping, try the one-stop shop at amazon.com. There are a few select products right on the home page, but use the search box to find everything you need.

For wine deals:
How about 1 cent shipping? Spend $99 at wine.com and that's exactly what you'll get! Use promo code LS1CENTDEC and hurry - this one ends December 10. If that's too quick, get 5% off any order of $50 or more with code LSDEC5, $10 off any order of $150 or more with code LSDEC10, and 10% off wine collections with code LSDECCOLL. These are good till December 31, so you've got time for all your holiday wine.

How about chocolate? Chocolate Source is now offering 10% off all orders over $10.00! Be sure to use Coupon Code 95433 at checkout and order by December 10.

In Australia, visit Definitely Chocolate. I challenge you to visit the home page and not want some!

Gift baskets...too may to list them all here, and they all have organic. Gotfruit.com is one of the easiest, and has free shipping. You'll find lots more on the produce page.

Organic meat: Save the Bacon has a huge selection of meats for Christmas. More than that, for just £1.00 you can buy a special package of "Magic Reindeer Food" that will not only delight your kids, but support the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

These are just the ones I'm aware of now. Be sure to visit the Organic Food and Drink web site often for the best places to find your organic foods, around the world.

Thursday, December 7, 2006

Organic produce huge trend in Austria

In Austria, the sales turnover of organic products increased with 30 percent during the first six months of 2006. With around 14.000 companies, Bio Austria is the largest organisation of organic farmers in Europe. Although parasites of the conventional food industry try to take advantage of the huge organic success, the organic industry succeeded in obtaining a strong position on the domestic market.

Sunday, December 3, 2006

Supply drives organic foods to the masses

Nicole Lewis is on the frontline changing the way America shops. She knows the organic fruit, meat and milk sold in this Whole Foods store costs as much as 80 percent more than food without the organic label. Still she is willing to pay.

Organics a growing trend in Delta

Getting back to basics, learning more about where our food comes from and doing something to benefit the environment.

In South Delta, a growing number of producers are meeting the demand from buyers who want their produce unblemished by pesticides or manipulated by genetics.

Food labelling plan spells an end to free-range free-for-all

ALL organic food produced for domestic consumption will be subject to a national standard, after the exposure of widespread rorting and misleading claims by growers and manufacturers.

Standards Australia's food standards board yesterday voted to go ahead with the scheme early next year, as the national competition and consumer watchdog indicated it would crack down on misleading food labelling.

White pressures government on organic sector

GREEN Party Deputy Leader and Spokesperson on Food and Agriculture Councillor Mary White has called for the Government to ensure that the Irish organic sector can fulfil its potential by setting ambitious targets and pursuing the appropriate policies to achieve results. “The market for Irish organic food has grown rapidly in recent years due to increased aware-ness of the advantages of locally-produced, organic food, in terms of health, environment and food-quality. This is a huge opportunity for Irish agriculture. However, prospective and existing organic growers and farmers need adequate support,” said Cllr White.

Retailers 'miss out on fairtrade boom'

A HUGE demand for fairtrade goods is not being met by UK retailers who are missing out on billions of pounds of sales, a survey has revealed.

The truth about food fraud

Is that tuna in your sandwich? Or was the fish in the can a different species altogether? Was the corn-fed, free-range egg you ate for breakfast actually battery-farmed? From careless labelling to outright deception, food fraud in Britain has reached epidemic proportions - and most of us have no idea what we're being sold. How can we sort the organic wheat from the GM chaff?

Avoid the 'Dirty Dozen,' buy organic

Food scares in recent months - from E. coli in spinach to toxins in fish - have a growing number of consumers buying organic food.
But are organics - foods free of growth hormones, chemicals, conventional pesticides and genetically modified ingredients - worth their higher cost?

Namibia: Organic Farming the Way to Go - Mulenga

SMALL-SCALE farmers in Zambia's Chongwe District east of Lusaka are being taught by a local agricultural centre how to grow their crops and vegetables organically, as organic produce are healthy, environmentally friendly and worth more in shops.

Organic food demand sparks more imports

Imports of organic food are rising with domestic production unable to keep pace with soaring demand, according to the country's leading organic certification body, the Soil Association.

Natural & Organic Beef; Similar, But Not The Same

While natural and organic beef products are not likely to ever dominate the US market, demand for organic products has been growing at the rate of about 20% annually since the early 1990’s. The market is estimated to be at $25 billion plus in annual sales, with large specialists such as Whole Foods and Wal-Mart supercenters competing for customers. Certified Angus Beef is now offering natural products. Given the growth in this area, there may be opportunities for producers to participate and benefit. The first step in exploring that option is to understand the differences between natural, organic and other marketing claims of these specialized products.