Effective advertising should include multiple sensory attributes of the product
Posted - October 4, 2009
New study on advertising :All Senses Works Best
By O.W.N. News Network
Time to start showcasing the texture of your food, the pop of the can as it opens, and its attractive appearance, according to “The Effects of Advertising Copy on Sensory Thoughts and Perceived Taste”, recently published in the Journal of Consumer Research. The study, done by Ryan S. Elder and Dr. Aradnha Krishna, used three separate experiments to show that talking about the five senses surrounding a food experience was much more effective than just focusing on taste alone. The study was done at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, where Mr. Elder is a doctoral student of marketing and Dr. Krishna is a professor of marketing.
While smell is a natural complement to taste, the researchers also recommend including all of the other senses. Marketing a food product works best when the product is presented as an immersive experience, where the client can experience the sounds, smells, sights, and physical feel of a product in addition to the taste.
The study included other factors, such as distraction from the product and the effects of distraction on the product experience. In one of the three experiments used, both sets of consumers were simply given white popcorn in a plastic cup. One set was given a short test to do before reading the ad and tasting the popcorn, while the other was not given the same test. The two groups were split further into a group that were given a multiple-sensory ad to read before tasting the popcorn, while the other was given a single-sense ad to read. The interesting finding of this particular experiment was that those who were distracted prior to viewing the multiple-sense ad and eating the popcorn reported a more favourable taste test result than the set that were given the test and just the single input ad to read.
The authors conclusion of the study: “Despite the conventional wisdom that taste is composed of multiple sensory inputs, advertising within the food and beverage industry rarely addresses perceptions beyond taste. The results from our studies suggest that advertising should include multiple sensory attributes of the products as this has a significant impact on perceptions of the product. These findings are particularly relevant for the food industry, including packaged goods and restaurants, as it continues to spend billions of dollars in advertising the taste of food, one of our most pleasurable and sensory experiences.”
This has interesting implications for the organic food industry, with potentially a more immersive experience to sell than other food products .Focusing on other senses besides taste might just be the magic ad bullet that most of us are looking for.
The study is available for purchase at this URL: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/605327 or through purchasing the Journal of Consumer Research, February 2010 print edition.
French retailer Auchan expands sustainable lines
Posted - October 4, 2009
French retailer Auchan expands sustainable lines
By Warren Beaumont
French retailer Groupe Auchan has a strong commitment to sustainable development and promoting environmentally-friendly consumption. Auchan aims to promote high-quality food products, based on sustainable production modes, in particular from the organic sector.
For the last few years, Auchan says the chain has been developing its own ranges in each Western European country: ‘Vida Auchan’ products from Portugal, and ‘Filiera Controllata’ products in Italy; In Spain, Alcampo has developed la Producción Controlada AUCHAN’ range comprising over 120 products and has launched the ‘Producción Ecológica’ range which is organic certified.
For greater clarity, Auchan France has split its range into two brands, Mieux-Vivre Environnement (eco-friendly) and Mieux-Vivre Bio (organic). The chain was also the first retailer to be granted Ecocert certification for the storage and sale of organic food products. This certification applies to its new Auchan Bio range and the national brands it sells. A part of making organic products accessible to everyone by price discounting, this chain has introduced organic sections in all its stores. It has also introduced its own line of 20 cosmetic products, organic certified by Ecocert , carrying the Cosmébio labeling of 100% natural ingredients and presented in recyclable packaging.
The Group has taken practical action to promote a responsible fisheries policy in France by increasing the minimum size of some species, suspending sales of other during their breeding seasons or on the basis of the methods used to catch them, and promoting sales of species where stocks are recognised as being sustainable.
Auchan recently added new products to its Mieux-Vivre Bio and Mieux-Vivre Environnement ranges. The group has added fruit yoghurt, shortcrust pastry, smoked salmon ravioli to the Bio organic offering, and multipurpose cleaning wipes, toilet paper, kitchen roll, compostable bin bags, picture frames, clothing and anti-freeze to its eco-friendly range.
Group sales for the first-half of 2009, reported in August were Euro18.8 billion, while supermarket sales were Euro3.3 billion excluding taxes. The early part of the year saw the completion of the rollout of the Simply Market chain in France, Spain and Poland, while the rollout continued in Italy. In all countries, the majority of stores converted to the Simply Market banner have recorded gradual increases in footfall, which Auchan says confirms the appropriateness of the business model in the present period of economic downturn. During the half-year, 14 new supermarkets were opened (7 Simply Market in Western Europe and 2 in Poland, 2 Fredi in France, and 3 Atak in Russia) while 5 were sold.
Group Auchan operates supermarkets and hypermarkets in countries such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Eastern Europe, Russia and China under brands such as Auchan, Atak, Sabeco, Sma and Simply Market, its new discount supermarket. This includes: 479 fully-consolidated hypermarkets in 12 countries, and 735 supermarkets in five countries, including 591 Simply Market stores; a property division – 293 managed shopping centres in 12 countries; and banking, with 6.2 million customers in 10 countries.
First supermarket chain to introduce organics in Brazil
Posted - October 4, 2009
Pão de Açúcar champions health and well being
By Adriana Michael and Carla Pioli
Pão de Açúcar, part of the Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição, celebrates its 61st anniversary this September as the most successful food retailer in Brazil. It can also boast being a pioneer, since it introduced organic foods in its stores 15 years ago, the first supermarket chain in Brazil to do so.
What began in 1940 by Portuguese immigrant Valentim dos Santos Diniz as an ordinary food store in São Paulo, has turned into the biggest Brazilian retailerof food, general merchandise, electronics and home appliances, one of the most successful retail operations in Latin America. The group operates under different concepts and store names, including supermarkets, gas stations and pharmacies. The company has 1200 outlets spread across 17 states in Brazil, with a total sales area of over 1 million square meters, and a sales force of more than 79 thousand employees.
Ten years ago, only a limited selection of organic fresh produce was available at the stores. Today, Pão de Açúcar has a portfolio of over 600 organic products, from fruits and vegetables to grocery items, dairy, meat, bakery and frozen foods. Fresh produce is still the bestselling category according to Sandra Caires, manager of the organic department. More than 70% of all the volume of fruit, vegetables and organic vegetables sold by the Group are concentrated in São Paulo.
Pão de Açúcar is a local showcase for some of the best organic brands from Brazilian suppliers. The gourmet section is expanding this year, along with a section of imported wines. Some other imported brands, such as the cereal beverages by Italian firm La Finestra sul Cielo are performing well . “Brazil offers soy drinks, but rice milk and other cerealdrinks are not produced locally”, says Jeffrey Sidi of Sim Alimentos distributor of La Finestra. “Gradually, Brazilian consumers are more aware of the difference between conventional and organic certified products. We need to make the effort to increase awareness with education, local fairs and direct contact with the consumer”. Non-food products such as natural cosmetics are another emerging segment of interest at the stores.
Own wellness brand TAEQ
The group also carries around 300 products for the health and environmentally-conscious consumer under its own brand, TAEQ. It is the only complete ‘wellbeing’ brand in Brazil, available in the Group’s Extra, Pão de Açúcar, Sendas and CompreBem stores. The line offers products based on nutrition, organics, sport, home and beauty. The company has created exclusive selling spaces for the products under the TAEQ brand, on display in its own specialized thirteen stores: ten in São Paulo, two in Rio de Janeiro, one in Fortaleza and one in Brasília.
New model for green retailing
Pão de Açúcar is committed to further developing and converting into a fully sustainable enterprise. In view of the current boom for organics and the search for eco-friendly lifestyles, the Group invested in building the Pão de Açúcar Loja Verde last year, Latin America’s first “green” supermarket. The store serves as a model for sustainable retailing. It is the first supermarket in Brazil to apply for certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), in accordance with the standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council. The store also serves as a working laboratory for testing new business practices in sustainable technology, innovations that can be applied throughout the Group’s stores. Pão de Açúcar Loja Verde carries around 750 organic food and non-food and sustainable products. Displays are set up in diagonal positions rather than the traditional vertical layout. Similar products are shown together for consumer convenience.
Features to enhance the shopping experience of the health conscious shopper include: introduction of reusable shopping bags to reduce use of plastic bags; shopping carts made out of recycled plastic bottles; biodegradable produce trays made out of mandioca (”yucca”) starch; better lighting and displays, increased number of locally- sourced organic and natural products, in addition to highly demand imported goods not found in Brazil; less use of paper in marketing activities; increased in- store and consumer recycling programs; expansion of its “Little Citizen” (PA Kids Program) to foster responsible consumption in the future generations; better logistics for reducing packaging materials, transportation costs, water and energy usage and offers of incentives to suppliers who adhere to sustainable policies. Within nine months of its opening, water consumption at the Green Supermarket dropped by 10 percent, and energy use is 14 percent lower, compared with other stores.
Pão de Açúcar awards suppliers
Since 1995 Pão de Açúcar has developed a strong partnership with its suppliers, as it was the first retailing group to envision the potential of the organic sector. To recognize its top suppliers, Pão de Açúcar created an award this year granted to the best companies in the following categories: Pioneer (Native), Innovation (Friboi), Store Action (Cultivar), Success Story (Quinua Real), Customer Service (Fazenda Salvaterra) and Own-Brand (Engenho da Terra).
“We hope to go further in this segment with this Award and keep our leadership position, “says Sandra Caires.
In 2009, the company will include for the first time sustainability indicators to rank companies, in addition to factors such as punctuality, Quick Response, quality control, optimization of resources and logistics to reduce pollutant emissions and packaging.
There is still a long way to go in the evolution of a giant retailer like de Pão de Açúcar Group, but it is encouraging to see the willingness of top management and the commitment of employees and shoppers to find better ways to live and do business with an effort to leave a smaller carbon footprint on the planet!
Strong support for Natexpo 2009
Posted - September 21, 2009
French event celebrates 50th anniversary
By Warren Beaumont
Natexpo 2009, the only French professional exhibition for the natural food and well being sector, will return to Paris celebrating 50 years on October 17 to 19 in Hall 8 of the Parcs Des Exposition at the Paris Nord Villeponte. A biannual event expects about 500 exhibitors and 10,000 trade visitors from France and abroad. These include specialist chain store and shop managers, and major retailers who are devoting an increasing proportion of their shelf space to organic, health and green products.
In 2007 most visitors were specialized retailers (35%) for food, health products and distributors (15%), followed by importers, exporters, agents and wholesalers (12%).Other visitors included manufacturers (8%), medical professionals (7%), special chains and sport shops.
The show is an ideal forum for key players from the organic and well being market and features a rich selection of technical workshops and parallel events, including the third edition of the NATEXPO Awards. The NATEXPO Trophies 2009 will see a jury of industry professionals reward exhibitor’s new products with four trophies in four categories based on sectors represented at the exhibition:
* Healthy eating: organic food
* Health and fitness: health foods, nutrition and dietary supplements
* Natural beauty: organic and natural cosmetics, hygiene and care products
* Daily wellness: green products and equipment (textiles, sustainable habitation etc).
All main segments in the well being sector will be represented at the show: organic and health foods, dietary supplements, natural cosmetics, green household products and equipment.
New products, categories on display
Visitors to NATEXPO 2009 will discover a host of new products and services specially devoted in response to growth in the market for nutrient-specific products (like omega 3 fatty acids), a rapid increase in cosmetic products under the Cosmebio label, and the emergence of environmentally-friendly cleaning products.
Demand for organic, health and green products is booming among French consumers. Organic foods have grown turnover by 15% since 2007, dietary supplements grown by 10% since 2006, and natural and organic cosmetics grown by 30% since 2006, according to a report from Agence BIO (2008). French consumers are increasingly aware of the importance of responsible consumption, and 69% say they prefer to buy products that respect the environment and or sustainable development principles.
Reflecting the diversity of the market with its sights focused on sustainable development, NATEXPO 2009 will pursue the exhibition’s international dimension, as well as the return of the Village des Vins (Organic Wine Village) and the TPE area (Very Small Companies). France’s wine industry has enjoyed unprecedented growth with a 25% increase inland devoted to organic vines in 2007 and 2008 (28,000ha).
Foreign exhibitors are mainly European, such as the Region of Murcia, Spain known for its organic baby foods and purees that have found great acceptance in the French market. Other exhibitors in this show edition include Essential Care Organics from Great Britain, Natures Herb and Spice from Sri Lanka, Caprilac from Spain, and Equi-Nutri from Belgium. The organizers also invited Wallonia, southern Belgium to participate with a shared stand for the first time at this year’s expo.
Natexpo is owned by the French Health Foods Federation and organized by Comexposium, with the support of its member associations: Synadiet, Conseil Nature, Synabio, SynadisBIO. Free attendance passes may be reserved in advance through the website www.natexpo.com
More organic exhibitors at Anuga
Posted - September 21, 2009
More organic exhibitors at Anuga
The Anuga food exhibition being held October 10-14, in Cologne Germany, is showing strong resilience with organizers confident to attract 6,000 exhibitors, compared to 6,600 exhibitors last year. An extraordinary effort for the world’s largest food expo, considering some U.S. shows were down by up to 50% this year. In 2008 Anuga attracted 163,000 trade visitors and was up 3%.
Organizer Koelnmesse said that last year 252 exhibitors presented their lines at Anuga Organic. “We will have about 280 this year, on a slightly increased space – again in hall 5.1, part of our Anuga-concept: Ten food fairs under one roof,” said Christine Hackmann of Koelnmesse.
According to Ms. Hackmann 1,500 companies bring organic products to Anuga and are located all over the fair and that any exhibitor who is offering organic products but is not exhibiting at Anuga Organic can be tracked down through a comprehensive Anuga-database, available on the homepage www.anuga.com
Novelties at Anuga Organic 2009
Slovenian firm BOŽNAR ČEBELARSTVO d.o.o./ HAUSE OF HONEY BOŽNAR will introduce the line Taste of Honey : choco-honey, honey with cinnamon, honey with rum, honey with sour cherry and honey with Williams pear brandy at Anuga in booth F 060. Contact: Mrs. Malči Božnar e-mail: ceb.boznar@siol.net www.boznar.si
China Auto Caiec Ltd. is offering organic certified kidney beans at booth F-088.
For more information contact: Yan Tie e-mail: yt@caiec.cn
German food company Culinaria Biofeinkost GmbH is introducing new dressings in wonderful flavors at booth 10.2C060. Contact Hans-Peter Hoerrlein e-mail hpp.hoerrlein@culinaria.de
US based Dakota Prairie Organic Flour Co. will offerits gluten-free flours and baking mixes at booth C74. For more information contact: Eric Hoberg e-mail: eric@dakota-prairie.com
German firm Wagner Life Design GmbH & Co. KG, which claims to be the world’s largest supplier of Hymalaya salt, will present in booth D-068 / F-069 a beautiful round box with 300 grams of Premium Himalayan crystal salt along with a wooden spoon hand made in Germany. Contact: Cornelia Wagner e-mail: kontakt@wagnerdesign.de www.salz.tv
Toronto hosts two organic fairs in one week
Posted - September 21, 2009
Toronto hosts two organic fairs in one week
CHFA Expo East and Ethnic & Specialty Food Expo offer a good platform to enter Canada via Toronto, the most ethnic urban center in the world.
The Canadian Health Food Association will be presenting Expo East at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from 2-4 October. October 2 will be the conference day, and October 3-4 will be the trade show itself. Over 500 exhibits are expected at this year’s fair, covering close to 80,000 square feet. In 2008, 3500 retailers, industry professionals and distributors attended, with similar numbers expected this year. The Ethnic & Specialty Food Expo celebrates health, organic and regional foods on October 5-6 near the Toronto airport, at the International Centre in Mississauga. It will feature a number of organic, ethnic, local and foreign sustainable exhibitors, including Bio-Grape Foods UK and Ocean Wise. Some of the educational seminars include Blogging about Food, Sustainability, and Health & Wellness. Both shows offer a good platform to enter Canada via Toronto, the most ethnic urban center in the world, close to New York and Chicago, two major cities in the East Coast also with a high concentration of cultural diversity and demand for organic and ethnic foods. www.chfa.ca , www.ethnicandspecialtyfood.com
World Tea East Conference & Pavilion to run parallel to Expo East
Posted - September 21, 2009
World Tea East Conference & Pavilion to run parallel to Expo East
By O.W.N. News Network
World Tea Expo, the leading North American tea event will be launching World Tea East co-located with the Natural Products Expo East September 23-26th in Boston. According to show organizer the Sage Group Intl., the new show responds to demand for a platform on the East Coast by industry members who can’t travel to Las Vegas for World Tea Expo in the summer. The event also provides a sourcing opportunity for holiday product at an ideal time in the tea buying cycle. It is also a fair that brings knowledge, products and connections from the specialty tea trade to the natural products market.
The tea industry is poised to exceed $10 billion in U.S. sales by the end of 2010, up from $7 billion in 2007, according to the Sage Group Intl. “Specialty and premium tea continues to see significant sales growth in the U.S. despite the economic downturn and offer extremely high margins to food service, grocery and retail outlets,” said George Jage, president of World Tea Expo. Leading research firm Mintel said that over 600 new tea products were introduced into the U.S. in 2008, with the hottest trends in organic and natural offerings, with health benefits as the key purchase driver for many tea drinkers. Thousands of non beverage, tea-based products enhanced with tea extracts, essences and flavors such as cosmetics, dietary supplements and functional foods add to this exciting market.
The educational program at World Tea East includes “Current Health Benefits of Tea”, “Tea’s Carbon Footprint”, the Value of Specialty Tea, and more. World Tea Expo is one of the 50 fastest growing trade shows in North America. The event includes educational sessions and focused tastings led by industry experts.
World Tea East organizers also will host the World Tea Championship Winners Tasting on the evening of Sept. 23. to offer the chance to sample winning teas from the World Tea Championship™, an annual competition that results in independent tea ratings.
As an added incentive to attendees registered for World Tea East, World Tea Expo will be giving away a 10-day intimate tea tour of Japan valued at over US $4,500. Attendees visiting the World Tea Expo booth #2981 can have their badge scanned to both get a free subscription to the World Tea News and to enter the “I Want to Pluck!” Giveaway. The 2010 World Tea Expo will take place at Las Vegas Convention Center, June 11-13. For more information, visit www.worldteaexpo.com
First MUNDUS vini BioFach International Organic Wine Award
Posted - September 21, 2009
First MUNDUS vini BioFach International Organic Wine Award
BioFach, the world’s leading exhibition for natural and organic certified products including organic wines, cooperates with media house MUNDUSvini/Meininger to organize the first MUNDUSvini BioFach International Organic Wine Award, a highlight for The Organic Wine World, the section in hall 4a, where 318 organic wine exhibitors presented their latest additions during BioFach, Nuernberg this past February. Show organizer expects around 700 wines to enter the competition for BioFach 2010 next February 17-20.
The MUNDUSvini BioFach International Organic Wine Award aims to become an annual competition to promote the quality and marketing of wines from organic production. The competition also offers manufacturers, winegrowers, importers and consumers a forum for comparing the wines with each other, and a way to provide consumers with valuable guidance when deciding which wine to buy.
The tasting of the samples entered in the competition will take place in Neustadt on the Wine Road from 7–9 December and will be performed by an international jury of experts comprising well-known and experienced tasters from all over the world. The judging is based on a 100-points system involving smell, taste and individual scoring using the sampling tables of the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine) and the U.I.Œ. (International Union of Oenologists). The award winners are decided by a joint decision of the jury. The number of awards is limited to maximum 30 % of the samples entered in line with the OIV rules. The best wines receive “Special Gold”, “Gold” and “Silver” awards.
Eligible for entry are still wines, sparkling wines, perl wines and liqueur wines from organic cultivation with a number from an organic certification body. The deadline for sending samples isNovember 7th, 2009. The full entry conditions and competition forms for the MUNDUSvini BioFach International Organic Wine Award can be requested from the MUNDUSvini organization team by phone +49 (0) 6321 8908-9500 or by e-mail at contact@mundusvini.com. The wines can be entered online at www.webpass-online.com.
Historic agreement on organic equivalency between the USA and Canada
Posted - September 21, 2009
Canada launches organic regulations
Submitted by the Organic Trade Association in Canada
Canada’s long-awaited Organic Products Regulations (OPR) came into effect on June 30, 2009. The regulations make it mandatory for all food, drink, livestock, livestock feed labelled organic to be certified as compliant with Canada’s organic standards.
At the same time, the U.S. and Canada launched a historic agreement equivalency between the two nations’ organic systems. This agreement will allow the continued smooth flow of certified organic products between the two countries and support the growth of this rapidly expanding market in North America. This first international equivalency for the organic industry was formally signed in June at the Organic Trade Association conference All Things Organic ™ in Chicago.
Organic products in Canada must now be certified to the Canadian standards by a certifier accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), or deemed equivalent by a USDA-accredited certifier under the terms of the equivalency agreement. The organic labelling claims permitted in Canada are:
- “Organic” (including such claims and phonetic variations as “organically raised, grown, produced, etc.”) for single ingredient products or those with 95% or more organic ingredients. Must be certified and carry the certifier name on the packaging. Eligible to use the “Biologique Canada Organic” logo. Imported products using the logo must also include “Product of X” or “Imported” adjacent to the logo.
- “XX% organic ingredients” (percentage is rounded down to the nearest whole number) for multi-ingredient products with 70-95% organic ingredients. This differs from the “Made With” claim under the NOP. Must be certified and carry the certifier name on the packaging. Not eligible for the “Biologique Canada Organic” logo.
- No organic claims are allowed on the label of products with less than 70% organic ingredients, except in the ingredient panel. It is impossible for such products to be certified.
- Unlike the US, Canada does not allow a “100% Organic” claim.
Phase-in Policy
Together with the Canadian sector, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has developed a “stream of commerce and enforcement policy” for the first 24-month phase-in of the regulations. During this time, the Canadian regulations and standards are in effect, however CFIA will take a “soft” enforcement approach that will include educating operators if products are found to be non-compliant.
Operators with non-compliant products will be required to provide CFIA with a plan describing how and when they will come into full compliance with the Canada Organic Regime. This applies to labelling as well as standards compliance. Such products will remain on the market as a matter of course, unless CFIA deems the non-compliance serious enough to warrant action.
The full enforcement policy is necessary reading for anyone marketing in Canada and is available on the web site of OTA in Canada, at www.ota-canada.ca
Organic Trade Association welcomes new National Organic Program head
Posted - September 21, 2009
Organic Trade Association welcomes new National Organic Program head
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) expressed delight at the recent selection of Miles McEvoy as the new Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) National Organic Program (NOP).
“As Organic Program Manager for Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Organic Food efforts, Miles has been very active as a long-time member of the Organic Trade Association. OTA is pleased that he will be filling this very important position in USDA. OTA is confident that, with his experience, he will provide invaluable guidance and clear thinking that will further the integrity of the National Organic Program,” said in a release Christine Bushway, OTA’s Executive Director.
As an active participant in OTA activities, McEvoy most recently served on OTA’s Canada-U.S. Equivalency Task Force and is currently a member of OTA’s Fertilizer Verification Task Force. He also participates in OTA Member Forums on aquaculture, farm supplies, international trade, and U.S. governmental affairs. McEvoy has also led the National Association of State Organic Programs, an organization of state officials that provides a forum for discussing the promotion and regulation of the organic farming industry.
This new position and the elevated status for the National Organic Program were announced at OTA’s Policy Conference held in March in Washington, D.C.
In its first nine months in office, the Obama Administration has taken numerous steps to build NOP and to include provisions for organic agriculture within USDA agencies.
Most recently, Kathleen Merrigan, USDA’s Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, announced that USDA had applied to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for a review of its accreditation process and program. Under the review planned for fiscal year 2010, NIST’s National Voluntary Conformity Assessment Systems Evaluation program will evaluate NOP’s accreditation program to assess its ongoing conformity with international standards for managing accreditation programs. Receiving such recognition would support NOP’s credentials as an accrediting body and satisfy regulatory requirements for NOP to obtain peer review.
In May, Merrigan announced USDA’s intentions to create a division dedicated to organic agriculture within the department. Historically, NOP has been part of the Transportation and Marketing Program within USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. In addition, efforts are underway to expand staffing at NOP, including bringing in compliance and enforcement capability within the agency.
Meanwhile, the 2008 Farm Bill has jump-started organic data collection, and provided more money for organic research. USDA also is conducting the first-ever wide-scale survey of organic producers. In addition, USDA hopes to complete an evaluation of crop insurance prices and surcharges for organic crops by the end of the year.
Also in May, USDA offered $50 million in new funding to encourage greater production of organic food in the United States. Available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the program was open to producers either certified through NOP or in the process of transitioning to organic production.
“These efforts are all ones that the Organic Trade Association has worked towards. It is exciting to see NOP receiving more resources to do its job and to uphold the integrity of organic agriculture and production,” said Bushway.
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers’ associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy (www.ota.com).
