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Brazil launches program to regulate organic products in 2010

Starting next year, all Brazilian organic products (except those sold directly by farmers) must have the Seal of the Brazilian System of Organic Conformity Assessment (Sisorg) -which identifies organic products.

The seal is an essential guide to consumers, helping to identify whether a food is truly organic and what to look for when buying such products.

Small organic farms shun the downturn

Large-scale organic farms in Spain have been affected by a drop in sales, also due to the fact that supermarkets over the past year have reduced the shelf space dedicated to organic produce. But many smaller farmers could avoid the consequences of organic consumption drop, as they are not dependent on large corporate customers, such as supermarkets.

MEXICO: Fair Trade Will Become Major Trend, Say Growers

Thanks to fair trade, Jorge Cetz - a lemon and mango grower from the southeastern Mexican state of Campeche - has gained access to markets and organised his cooperative better. But in order to enhance results under this form of sustainable production and alternative marketing, more support is needed, he said.

New standard for organic and biodynamic foods

The introduction of a new Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Produce on Friday by Standards Australia has been welcomed by some as the final resolution of organic regulation.

This is despite the fact that the standard still remains voluntary, similar to existing standards in Australia.

New seizure in Italy of fake fresh organic fruit

460 tonnes of apples and pears from conventional farming were seized in Padua during a blitz in a company registered in the list of organic food processors. Agricultural minister Zaia: "Controls are becoming more effective."

Organic meat – now benefit free!

Following news that organic food has been shown to be nutritionally the same as conventionally produced food (which I discussed here) comes another report that undermines the organic industry’s sense of superiority.

A recent report by Kansas State University researchers has found that natural, organic and conventional cattle production systems are similar in terms of prevalence rates of bacteria and their susceptibility to antibiotics.

Organic crop fraud targeted

A bill meant to deter fraud in California's nation-leading organic farming industry is headed to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk.

Assembly Bill 856, authored by Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, targets problems in the organic fertilizer sector, the subject of several Bee articles beginning in December.

The bill increases penalties for violations of organic fertilizer standards, expands state regulators' inspection authority and raises as much as $416,000 annually for enforcement through new fees on fertilizer makers.

Exim Bank to fund branding of Indian organic tea

State-run Export-Import (Exim) Bank will finance planters up to 50 percent for branding Indian organic tea in overseas markets, a top bank official said here.

“We will lend planters by way of grant up to 50 percent to promote organic teas as Indian brands in international markets by getting geographical indication (GI) certification,” Exim Bank chairman and managing director T.C. Venkat Subramanian told IANS in an interview.

Sweden must be better than organic

As the first in Europe, the Swedish will put climate requirements on organic produce. Swedish organic farmers must, from 2012, adhere to strict regulations to obtain the EKO-label. A list of requirements, such as chemicals for growing, tractors running on green energy, limit nitrogen gases when spreading compost and dramatically reduce energy use per product. Before 2012 the farmers must have a plan on how they will get all the energy used on the farm from renewable sources before 2015. The Swedish certification organisation KRAV have recently made the legislation known.

French study says 'oui' to organic benefits

A new study from France concludes that in many important ways, organic foods are more nutritious and safer to eat than their conventional counterparts.

This flies in the face of a United Kingdom study published last month that concluded there was no significant nutritional difference between organic and other food.

The study is yet another salvo in the ongoing debate over the nutritional benefits of organic food compared with food raised using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides

UK organic market can grow by £1 billion, experts say

Great expectations for the UK's organic market: according to the Organic Trade Board, which has presented its expansions plan to industry stakeholders, the sector can grow by £1 billion over the next five years in spite of the economic downturn.

Is biodynamic the new organic?

Organic food has had a terrible recession. Before the crunch, the organic sector had been growing steadily year on year – but sales came to a crashing halt when cost-conscious customers began to look for cheaper alternatives.

Last week, sales of organic vegetables were revealed to be down by a fifth, while demand for organic wine and bread sales has halved in 12 months. On top of the dip in sales, the Food Standards Agency's Organic Food Report this summer concluded that the nutritional benefits of organic food were negligible.

So you might think that now is no time to get into biodynamic food, a spin-off of the organic revolution.

Biodynamics embraces a holistic view of nature: it is by definition organic but it also involves biodiversity and – strangest of all – astronomy. Food is grown, harvested and sometimes even consumed in accordance with lunar cycles.