The words organic and sustainability are bandied around quite a bit. While some wont eat anything but organic, others deny that theres any future in organic farming. After all, with a population thats seven billion-strong and growing, how can we possibly expect organics to feed the world? Or so the critics ask. In their view, feeding the masses simply cant be done without strong chemicals and genetic modification.

However, organic farming has far more capacity than many people imagine. It goes way, way beyond growing a few tomato plants on your back verandah. Besides, if we want to live on a clean, healthy planet, going organic is the only way forward not only for gardeners and farmers, but also for all businesses related to agriculture, from your local caf to your nearest supermarket, from your preferred beautician to your favorite clothing boutique. In fact, when you think about just how many industries depend on agriculture, its clear that a shift towards sustainable, chemical-free practices is essential.

Worker and consumer health

The first and most pressing argument for organics is human health. Current intensive agricultural practices expose people especially farmworkers to toxic pesticides. In 2002, a Californianstudyrevealed that, between 1997 and 2000, an average of 475 farmworkers suffered pesticide poisoning annually. As the study suggests, the total figure was probably much higher, given that many cases go unreported each year. Whats more? Increasingly,studiesare demonstrating links between pesticides and cancer, as well as disruption of the endocrine system.

Meanwhile, those at the other end of organic farming consumers also face health risks. Food grown using intensive techniques cancontain pesticide residues, which consumers ingest when they eat. Plus, some studies show that organic products are more nutritious than their conventionally farmed counterparts. For example, astudy(PDF) conducted by the (admittedly biased) Organic Center showed that organic food performs much better when it comes to antioxidant power, polyphenol levels and flavonoid levels. And the same goes for animal products. Dairy products from animals raised on organic farms, which havent been fed antibiotics, tend to be higher in antioxidants and omega-3.

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An Organic Future

Much of the organic foods available in the markets are fake, Assistant Food Safety Commissioner (Kollam) A.K. Mini has said.

Marketers of most organic products are cheating customers by charging more through false claims and this sector is now growing into one of the biggest ways through which people are cheated.

Ms. Mini said this while addressing a seminar on safe water and food, organised by the Laboratory and Technical Division (LTD) attached to the Cashew Export Promotion Council of India (CEPCI), here on Saturday. This situation calls for stringent and flawless methods to certify organic food products, she said.

Overdose of permitted colours in food is rampant in Kollam, and this is harmful to human health.

She said only 100 milligrams of permitted colour was the upper limit for one kilo gram of pastry product. But many bakeries do not have any measuring standards. Adding even permitted colours to meals sold from restaurants is an offence.

Earlier food safety authorities looked only for unpermitted colours. But now, detection comprises quantitative analysis to find out whether permitted colours have been added in excess of the permitted levels. Ms. Mini said all food supplements could be marketed only after obtaining the mandatory approval from the Food Safety Authority of India.

Such food imported should comply with the domestic regulations in force in the country. This is the reason why some food products from China have been denied import permission recently. Our food products exported should mandatorily comply with the food safety standards of the importing country. She said while cigarettes were not banned, pan masala was banned under the Food Safety and Standards Act because it was a consumable product. More than 2 tonnes of such tobacco products were seized from the district during raids. The High Court has now given permission to destroy the entire seized quantity.

She said during drives in the past the use of hazardous chemical erythrocin in watermelons was detected in Kollam district. Now with the start of the watermelon, the surveillance has resumed.

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Most organic food in market is fake: food safety official

A North Point Breeze natural and organic food market may expand into PPG Place, while the New York developer spurned in its bid to buy the August Wilson Center and top it with a hotel has its eye on another Downtown landmark Macys department store.

The East End Food Co-op has been talking to Highwoods Properties, owner of the PPG Place complex in Downtown, about putting a grocery in the food court space in the 2 PPG building, co-op general manager Justin Pizzella confirmed Wednesday.

In general, its no secret that were looking to expand our business. Were evaluating a lot of opportunities, and thats one of them, he said.

The members-owned co-op has been a staple in the East End since 1980, offering a selection of natural and organic foods, fresh meats, and locally grown produce long before Whole Foods Market moved in to the region.

With business brisk, the co-op is seeking to expand its reach. Mr. Pizzella noted that about 50 percent of its 11,000 members live 5 miles or more from the store.

Theres definitely a market and theres definitely a need to serve our members better, he said.

The co-op is early on in its talks with Highwoods, he added. It is looking at a 15,000- to 20,000-square-foot space in 2 PPG, more than triple the size of its 4,500-square-foot East End store, which would remain open.

At PPG, the co-op has hopes of taking the existing format to another level. It plans to emphasize fresh natural and organic foods and expand its prepared food selection, while also offering fresh meat and staples like milk, cheese, eggs and butter. As in the East End store, the PPG location would have a vegetarian cafe and coffee and juice bars. I think we can bring something pretty unique down there, Mr. Pizzella said.

The co-op is probably months away from a decision, he said. Highwoods has been considering a grocery for the food court space for the past two years. It now is seeking a $3 million state redevelopment capital assistance grant to help bring those plans to fruition.

Success in securing the funding is going to be a big part of the decision making regarding a possible expansion to PPG, Mr. Pizzella said.

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Development could be in store for Downtown Pittsburgh landmarks

The American Soybean Association wants to see the GMO labeling debate move towards a certification model that has worked in areas such as organic food.

Wade Cowan, president of ASA and a farmer from Brownfield, Texas, told reporters at Commodity Classic in Phoenix that ASA is going to couch all of its arguments in a positive light. He said this will be apparent in ASA's new stance on biotech labeling.

"For too long organizations in ag have said 'Don't do this. Don't do this.' Now we would like to present the consumer community with a positive outreach," Cowan said.

ASA wants to change the dialogue on GMO labeling by supporting a voluntary certified non-GMO label through USDA. The group argues it would be easier to label food that does not have ingredients from products containing ingredients from biotech crops than labeling all of the products that do have ingredients from GMOs. That's particularly true given the volume of food products that contain ingredients derived from soybeans, corn or sugar beets, all of which high percentages of biotech acreages.

"What's more effective is that we have a positive outlook and that we have a GMO label that is certified by USDA as non-GMO," Cowan said. "Those people and those companies in the food chain that want to go into that market have the ability to label theirs as such," Cowan said.

Cowan added that it lets people know whatever is labeled is certified by USDA. That's the most efficient and effective way to inform consumers, he said. "It's a good message to the consumer and I hope it goes forward," he said.

Such a label would piggyback on similar programs under USDA for organic certification.

Cowan said biotech supporters can't continue spending money battling labeling efforts, though it doesn't make sense to have a potential hodge-podge of labels if some states demand GMO labeling and others do not. "It's a losing argument when you say consumers don't have a right to know what's in their food," Cowan said. "What we want them to know is what they want to know if they have the opportunity to buy food that is non-GMO."

Cowan said the idea of non-GMO certification has been looked at by the Grocery Manufacturers Association for the new Congress and a possible reintroduction of a bill championed in the last Congress by Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan.

Cowan added, "Hopefully this is a message that catches fire and goes forward in the U.S. and we can put this issue behind us."

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ASA Seeks to Change Dialogue on GMO Labeling Debate

Tuesday 24 February 2015 17:17

Organic food and drink is showing signs of recovery, as consumers spending power recovers following the recession. These five key points summarise the markets current position.

Between 2008 and 2011 sales fell by almost a quarter,dropping from a peak of 2.1bn to 1.6bn.

Since then, there has been steady recovery, with two successive years of growth. Sales climbed 4% in 2014, according to the Soil Associations latest market report. This was set against a decline in the overall food and drink market of 1.1%.

The drivers of this growth are online and so-called box schemes, such as that run by Abel & Cole. It is being bought about by a young demographic thats web-savvy, health conscious and concerned about the provenance of food.

See also:Organic conversion if the price is right

Dairy is the overall top performer, accounting for 27.9% of total organic sales. Branding and increased availability were cited as reasons for its success. It grew some 6.8% in 2014.

It is also a success story in the catering sector. This was worth around 55m in sales in 2014, and milk accounted for about half of that. Headline buyers include McDonalds and coffee chain Pret A Manger.

Eggs also saw strong sales growth, topping almost 16%. This is a sector which many thought had been killed off during the recession, with all but a hard core of consumers switching out of organic into free range.

Poultrymeat was also noted as an area of strong growth. A representative from Waitrose said it was the top-performing category for organic poultry, with sales increasing 19% last year.

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Key market facts for anyone considering organic farming

In 1750, the avocado was introduced to Indonesia, in 1833 Florida, in 1908 Israel. It reached Australia in the late 1800s.

Floridas avocado industry is focused on varieties like Choquette, Hall and Lulu large, smooth-skinned fruits with juicy, sweet flesh popular among the salad eaters of the south Florida areas. Florida avocado lovers dislike the California-grown varieties like Haas. They are more oily than juicy and Haas varieties are very small relative to the Florida grown cousins.

There are many diverse ranges for growing avocados in the USA. Florida is the best growing reagion for the varieties listed below. To find out more about avocado growing ranges, refer to the avocado growing map here.

Commercially grown avocados are easy to find in stores, supermarkets and grocers. But, some of the Florida grown varieties are select and harder to find.

Here is a chart showng the different growing regions for avocados in California and Florida.

Shepard. This small avocado, an important commercial variety in Australia, has delicate smooth skin and a pointed, acorn-shaped pit embedded in rich, sticky flesh. A relative of the Hass, it has its obvious similarities in texture, but with a thicker almost gluey consistency. It was a top contender in our lineup. Season*: August through October.

Originally posted here:
My Organic Food Club - America's Favorite Organic Food ...