May 15, 2017 11:31 ET | Source: Research and Markets

Dublin, May 15, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "France Organic Food & Beverages Market Size & Analysis, By Type, Market Share, Forecast and Opportunities 2017-2022" report to their offering.

France Organic Food & Beverages Market By Type, Forecast and Opportunities, 2017-2022, organic food & beverages market is forecast to touch USD 9.49 billion by 2022, owing to upsurge in the number of diseases caused by consumption of conventional food & beverages grown with more chemicals and pesticides, growing awareness resulting into change in consumers' taste and preference and increasing number of specialist organic stores. France organic food & beverages market is highly competitive market with large number of organic food companies.

France is the largest country in the European Union and it is world's sixth- largest economy by nominal figure. French consumers are showing high inclination for organic food products & beverages. And, the market for these products is burgeoning on account of increasing health conscious consumers with high per capita income and wide product offerings from specialist organic stores, supermarkets and grocery stores.

The key companies include Distriborg France, Lactalis Groupe, Triballat-Noyal SAS, Cedilac SA, Fleury Michon Nutrition & Sant SAS, Hipp and many others.

In 2016, Organic Dairy Products' category accounted for the largest market share in the country's organic food & beverages market, and was closely followed by Organic grocery products including sweet and salty groceries. North West region is the largest regional market for organic food & beverages in France, as it is home to tens of millions of French consumers with high personal disposable income.

French organic food & beverages industry saw strong growth, owing to institutional support from French Government as well as European Union. Moreover, improvements in macro-economic policies, like moderate inflation and low interest rates also boosted consumers' sentiments and organic industry emerged as one of the beneficiary.

This report elaborates the following aspects of organic food & beverages market in the country:

- France Organic Food & Beverages Market Size, Share & Forecast - Segmental Analysis - By Type (Organic Dairy Products, Organic Grocery, Organic Fruits and Vegetables, Organic Bread & Bakery Products, Organic Beverages, Organic Meat and Other Organic Products & By Company and By Region - France Organic Food & Beverages Market Dynamics (Drivers & Challenges) - Doing Business in France & Economic Analysis - Policy and Regulatory Landscape - Micro Market Trends & Developments - Competitive Landscape & Strategic Recommendations

Key Topics Covered:

1. Product Overview

2. Research Methodology

3. Executive Summary

4. Global Organic Food & Beverages Market Overview

5. France organic Food & Beverages Market Outlook 5.1. France Country & Economic Overview 5.2. Market size & Forecast By Value 5.3. Market Share & Forecast 5.3.1 By Product Type 5.3.2 By Company 5.3.3 By Region

6. France Organic Dairy Market Outlook 6.1. Market size and Forecast By Value 6.2. Pricing Analysis

7. France Organic Grocery Market Outlook 7.1 Market size and Forecast By Value 7.2. Pricing Analysis

8. France Organic Fruits & Vegetable Market Outlook 8.1. Market Size & Forecast By Value 8.2. Pricing Analysis

9. France Organic Bread & Bakery Market Outlook 9.1. Market size & Forecast By Value 9.2. Pricing Analysis

10. France Organic Meat Market Outlook 10.1. Market size & Forecast By Value

11. France Organic Beverages Market Outlook 11.1. Market size & Forecast By Value 11.2. Pricing Analysis

12. France Other Organic Food Products Market Outlook 12.1. Market size & Forecast By Value

13. Supply Chain Analysis

14. France Organic Food & Beverages Market Dynamics 14.1. Drivers 14.2. Challenges

15. France Organic Food & Beverages Market Trends & Developments

16. Policy & Regulatory Landscape

17. France Economic Profile 17.1. France Economic Profile 17.2. Doing Business in France & Economic Analysis

18. Competitive Landscape 18.1. Distriborg France 18.2. Lacatalis Groupe 18.3. Triballat-Noyal SAS 18.4. Fleury Michon, Groupe 18.5. Nutrition & Sant SAS 18.6. Danival SAS 18.7. Vitagermine SAS 18.8. Hipp SA 18.9. Fruit Entreprises SA

19. Strategic Recommendations

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/xvj4hv/france_organic

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France Organic Food & Beverages Market Size, Opportunities & Analysis 2017-2022 - GlobeNewswire (press release)

By: Dr. Joel Fuhrman - Updated: 10 hours ago

VALLEY There is not a definite yes or no answer to this question. There may be important time periods at which people are more vulnerable to the potential harm of pesticide residues on our food: just prior to conception, during pregnancy, and during early childhood. There is evidence that organophosphate pesticide exposure during these time periods is associated with deficits in cognitive and behavioral development in children.

There are some clear environmental benefits to buying organic produce. However, it is unclear whether there are health risks to consumers from ingesting pesticides from conventional produce. Each year the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases their Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists. Using pesticide residue data from the USDA, the EWG ranks the highest and lowest pesticide fruits and vegetables.

The 2017 Dirty Dozen list contains strawberries, spinach, nectarines, apples, peaches, pears, cherries, grapes, celery, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, and potatoes. The 2017 Clean Fifteen list contains sweet corn, avocados, pineapples, cabbage, onions, sweet peas, papayas, asparagus, mangoes, eggplant, honeydew, kiwi, cantaloupe, cauliflower, and grapefruit. EWG recommends buying the organic versions of the fruits and vegetables on the Dirty Dozen list to minimize exposure to synthetic pesticides.

Organic agriculture utilizes crop rotation, compost and manure as fertilizers, soil and water conservation practices, natural methods for managing pests, and no synthetic pesticides. Some of the goals of organic agriculture, according to the USDAs organic program, are to promote ecological balance and conserve biodiversity.

Pesticide exposure: The Environmental Protection Agency sets limits for safe consumption of pesticides; they estimate an exposure level called the chronic reference dose, the amount of a chemical a person could be exposed to daily throughout life without any harmful effects. A 2011 study estimated typical amounts of exposure to synthetic pesticides based on the USDAs pesticide residue data for fruits and vegetables on the Dirty Dozen list. They found that most pesticides were present at amounts one thousand times smaller than the chronic reference dose. Even the highest pesticide residue detected was only 2 percent of the chronic reference dose. This puts the Dirty Dozen list in perspective: it means that even the highest pesticide conventional produce is very low in pesticides.

Is that small amount of synthetic pesticide any risk to consumers? Some scientists think that pesticide residues do not pose health risks, because humans and other animals are exposed to small amounts of naturally occurring toxins in every plant food we eat. The body regularly breaks down self-produced metabolic wastes and naturally occurring carcinogens in foods, as well as pesticides, and excretes these harmful substances.

Greater concentrations of urinary breakdown products of synthetic pesticides have been found in frequent consumers of conventional produce compared to frequent consumers of organic produce, and several short-term studies have shown that switching conventional foods for organic foods reduces urinary pesticide metabolites. However, evidence is lacking whether the consumer gains any significant health benefit by eating organic instead of conventional produce.

What about people who work with pesticides in agriculture? Studies suggest a link between pesticide exposure and brain cancer, Parkinsons disease, multiple myeloma, leukemia, lymphoma, and cancers of the stomach and prostate. A study comparing several markers of DNA damage in blood samples of conventional and organic farmers found evidence of greater DNA damage in conventional farmers. This suggests supporting organic agriculture can help to reduce the harmful effects of synthetic pesticide exposure for those who work in agriculture and are exposed to very high doses.

There are environmental advantages. Organic agriculture avoids conventional fertilizers, aiming to prevent harmful nitrogen runoff into waterways. Avoiding synthetic pesticides prevents pesticide contamination of groundwater. Although organic pest management methods may not work as well as conventional in some cases, there is a great deal of evidence that organic crops bring better soil quality, less soil erosion, more plant diversity, and more diversity in insects, soil organisms, and birds.

Regarding nutritional differences, there appears to be a small increase in antioxidant content in organic fruits and vegetables compared to their conventional counterparts.

There is growing evidence that exposure to a mixture of synthetic pesticides is harmful to the bees we depend on as pollinators for many crops. A shift toward organic agriculture could help to alleviate some of the stress on bee populations.

Note that the Dirty Dozen are not our major dietary source of exposure to harmful chemicals. Exposure to persistent organic pollutants such as organochlorine pesticides and PCBs occurs primarily via fatty animal foods like fish, dairy products, and meat. Also, glyphosate, an herbicide linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma in agricultural workers, is present primarily in processed foods.

By centering your diet on unrefined plant foods, you will automatically reduce your exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals. The large volume of studies performed on typical, pesticide-treated produce has demonstrated that consumption of produce, whether organic or not, protects against chronic diseases. For your health, consuming a diet of vegetables, beans, fruit, nuts, and seeds is the most important action you can take. If you are able to buy organic vegetables and fruits, that is preferable, especially for our children, the environment and for farmers.

Dr. Fuhrman is a #1 New York Times best-selling author and a board certified family physician specializing in lifestyle and nutritional medicine. The Eat To Live Cookbook offers over 200 unique disease-fighting delicious recipes and his newest book, The End of Heart Disease, offers a detailed plan to prevent and reverse heart disease using a nutrient-dense, plant-rich eating style. Visit his informative website at DrFuhrman.com. Submit your questions and comments about this column directly to [emailprotected]

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Fuhrman: Should we only buy organic produce? - Valley Courier

Tom Leyde 9:07 p.m. PT May 15, 2017

Fresh flowers are among the crops JSM Organics grows in north Monterey County. Zamora picks a fresh bouquet at one of his farms.(Photo: Tom Leyde/For The Salinas Californian)Buy Photo

Javier Zamora looks proudly at a rolling field full of flowers, fruits and vegetables.

I like being out here, he said. It calms you down.

On a walk to the top of the hill, he points out certified organic heirloom tomatoes, beets, parsley, cilantro, sugar peas, squash, strawberries and lavender. His organic growing business, JSM Organics, grows a variety of crops but focuses heavily on strawberries.

In five years, Zamora, 43, has gone from near ruin to becoming a successful grower. He came to the United States from Michoacan, Mexico, at age 20 and climbed the ladder to success at a restaurant corporation in Los Angeles. He had a large home and expensive cars.

But the housing crisis in 2006-2007 sent his life into a tailspin. He, his wife Paola and two daughters wound up in a one-bedroom apartment. The couple decided to move to Stockton, where his wife had relatives. Zamora found work and went to school to obtain his GED.

One of his teachers encouraged him to go to college. He did and earned associate of science degrees in horticulture and landscaping, studying at Delta College in Stockton and Cabrillo College in Aptos.

The couple then moved to the Watsonville area, where Zamora worked for a flower grower. He then attended classes to learn how to become an organic grower at Agriculture and Land-Based Training Associaton (ALBA) in Salinas. He graduated and went off on his own.

I started with zero money zero. Just my passion for growing my own food, Zamora said.

He began by obtaining a $5,000 loan and leasing one acre of land. He now leases several farms, totaling 60 acres that he works with the help of more than 20 employees. He recently purchased 200 acres of his own in the Royal Oaks area.

Although he didnt start out to be a farmer, he grew up in a farming family in Mexico. His father farmed there and so do his brothers.

At 7, I was farming with them in Michoacan, Zamora said.

Today, he willingly shares his farming expertise with other growers and students. In April, he was honored at the Salinas Sports Complex by the Monterey County Resource Conservation Districts annual stewardship and scholarship barbecue. Zamora was presented with the Cooperator of the Year award.

This is my Oscar for farming, Zamora said after receiving the honor.

The award acknowledges his successful farming operation and his contributions to organics. He has developed contacts with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to implement projects and practices to address erosion, soil health, water quality and water conservation and pollinator and wildlife habitat on his ranches.

Zamora has shared his knowledge at the EcoFarm Conference, the Salinas Ag Expo, the Latino Farmer Conference and elsewhere. He also sits on the boards of ALBA, the USDAs Small Farmers and Ranchers Advisory Committee and the Pajaro Valley Water Management Association. He has even helped four of his employees start their own farming operations.

His lifes philosophy is about giving.

I think its more of how many people can you help and what can you leave behind, he said. I thank God and Im really blessed As long as were healthy and were still here and have a positive attitude I think we will be OK.

Tom Leyde is a freelance writer and former Californian staff member living in Salinas. Contact him at thomasthomas9330@sbcglobal.net.

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Javier Zamora outlines his path to growing organic produce - The Salinas Californian

While his peers were chasing B-school placements, MNC jobs, and the big moolah, Raghav decided to venture into organic farming.

In an age where people are chasing B-school placements and those big pay cheques, few choose to tread a different path and follow their passion.

For Raghav Baldwa, a 24-year-old from Indore, growing food organically, farming, and leading the lifestyle that it entails meant much more than pursuing a degree in business administration. And thats how Mangalam Organic Foods was born.

Raghav, who is an MBA dropout from T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal, began researching organic farming and its scope in India. The more time he spent learning about it, the more he was convinced of becoming an organic farmer and addressing the issues faced by farmers in the country.

Raghav, who took a keen interest in organic farming, soon found out that there were major grey areas in the field. I realised that no matter how educated people are, they give almost no importance to the source of the food they eat every day. Many people claiming to sell organic produce failed to show any certifications related to it. Using this level of ignorance and the lack of information, organic retailers started taking advantage of the situation, says Raghav.

Raghav also points out that most retailers who sell organic produce at a premium price do so without any certification from a public or private entity. The middlemen who claim to sell organic produce, meanwhile, often have no clue as to how and where the produce they are selling is grown.

Raghav was concerned about the huge problem that the use of pesticides and fertilisers was giving rise to. Be it the increasing health problems, the degrading quality of the land, or farmers woes, everything could be traced to how our food was grown, and thats exactly what Raghav decided to focus on.

Having witnessed ignorance and malpractice in his very hometown, Raghav decided to start organic farming the right way, and started Mangalam Organic Foods.

In May 2015, a month after dropping out of his MBA course, Raghav, along with his father, purchased 20 acres of barren land in Harjipura village, about 80 km from Indore.

The barren land was converted into highly fertile organic farmland using natural methods. We practisedchemical-free agriculture, and focused on all the naturalways. We consciously chose not to use any chemicals or fertilisers on our farmland. We used naturally grown neem manure, gobar manure made of cow dung, vermi compost, and so on. We use techniques such as crop rotation, manual weeding, mulching, and composting, says Raghav.

We received certification after high level scrutiny and multiple lab tests of our produce and soil in May 2016. Officials from MPSOCA (Madhya Pradesh State Organic Certification Agency) visit every now and then for surprise checks, says Raghav.

Apart from managing the land that has been purchased, Raghav is also working towards developing land by taking it on lease from farmers nearby. He is currently leasing lands from farmers who are in debt and have land to spare but no resources to cultivate it.

We prepare such land for farming, train those farmers in organic farming, and take care of all the certifications, rules, and regulations. Employing those farmers again on their land means that they do not have to shift to cities for work, says Raghav.

Raghav and his team are currently managing 42 acres of land, including land that is under lease from six different farmers. The venture employs over 150 farmers and workers.

The produce from the land is sold directly to the consumers, doing away with middlemen, which has allowed Mangalam Organic Foods to sell the produce at prices 15-20 percent lower than those in the market.

We even sell our produce to Big Basket in Indore, and also ship it on demand to various cities in MP, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. We are currently selling over four tonnes of produce every month, with some handsome month-on-month increases in sales, says Raghav.

Raghav and his family rely completely on the produce from the land. The land currently produces multiple crops on rotation, such as grains, pulses, vegetables, pomegranates, oranges, drum sticks, and pulses like tuar, moong, and urad. The farm also has 12 desi cows and four bulls, a gobar gas plant, and a vermicompost pit as well.

Raghav mostly lives on the farm now, and intends to make a homestay out of the place pretty soon. I want this to be a place where people get to take a break from their busy and hectic lifestyle. A couple of tree houses are already under construction. The idea is about making people acquainted with organic farming and its benefits while they enjoy a relaxing short stay, he says.

Raghav also hopes to launch organic food trucks, which can supply Indore according to a fixed bi-weekly schedule, so that people can buy organic produce at a highly competitive price at their ease.

Raghav is currently working on various methods to increase their production and yield, including a moisture sensing technology. Presently in its nascent stages, the technology would be able to sense the moisture in the soil, which can enable them to time watering accordingly and save a lot of water.

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Dropping out of his MBA to become an organic farmer, this 24-year-old is lifting farmers out of debt - YourStory.com

Sydni Phillips grows vegetables and herbs at Golgi Farm. She's the new produce vendor at Milford Farmers Market.(Photo: Courtesy of Golgi Farm)

Sydni Phillips grows her garden with GMO-free seeds, organic practices and maybe even a little divine help.

The owner of Golgi Farm, LLC works the soil on one-third of an acre at Commerce Church of the Nazarene, where her husband, Matt, serves as youth pastor.

Shes the newest addition to Milford Farmers' Market, which kicked off its new season Thursday, May 11, on Liberty, just east of Main in downtown Milford.

Arugula, baby kale and mint, said Phillips, listing what she brought to the market last week. I actually sold out by 6 p.m. She hopes to have radishes within a week or two, followed by lettuce.

Phillips said she grows unusual and heirloom varieties of familiar vegetables.

I have 10 different colors of carrots, cool varieties of cauliflower, broccoli. Everything is organic. I mostly just pay attention to how I plant things, she said, explaining that some plants act as natural pest repellents.

Phillips said her arrangement with Commerce Church of the Nazarene helps her budding business and brings some attention to the church. She spends approximately 5-10 hours on the farm, Monday-Saturday.

The Redford native fell in love with farming and food justice while in college, where she earned a biology degree, learned about farming and sustainability, and tended to a garden during a life-changing internship in 2013.

More: Opening day approaches for farmers market

I planted food for the first time in my life and I said, yep, this is my career.

After graduating from college and losing her job at a church, Phillips moved into the basement at her parents home in Dearborn, where she also gardened.

I was able to practice what I preached. I ended up selling a tiny bit of produce at (Dearborn) farmers market. I didnt make a living wage, but I learned so much.

The following year she started a community garden in Dundee where she had been living, and realized that she wanted to farm full time. After their marriage last October, Phillips husband suggested she do what she loved. Phillips received permission from the pastor and church board to garden at the church.

Chris Redman, of Christine's Natural Soaps, makes a sale at the May 11 Milford Farmers Market.(Photo: JOHN HEIDER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

The name, Golgi, is a reference to her love of science. The Golgi apparatus is the part of a cell that takes things and turns them into more complex and usable things, like proteins, Phillips explains on her Facebook page.

At Golgi Farm, my goal is to take simple things like seeds, soil and water (and a ton of hard work) to produce useful things like fruits and veggies. Pretty cool, huh?

Milford Farmers Market, which is volunteer-run, also welcomed returning vendors last week, including Garden Fort, Great Harvest Bakery, Christines Natural Goats Milk Soaps and Dianas Heirloom Produce.

What I like best about market day is the community gathering. I often compare the streets of our market to an Italian town square, said Kelley M. Hovitch-Kirchner, market master. The community comes together to gather their local goods and be social. It is such a sight to see.

The market runs 3-8 p.m.Thursday, through Oct. 19. See local entertainment from 5-7:30 p.m. at the market. Special events include a dog fashion show on Sept. 7.

sdargay@hometownlife.com

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New farm vendor sells organic produce at Milford Farmers' Market - Hometownlife.com

A new investigation from the Washington Post has revealed that non-organic corn and soy with organic labels is flooding into the United States.

36million pounds of soybeans, which originated in the Ukraine and Turkey were priced like regular soybeans, and fumigated with pesticides, but by the time they reached California, they had been labeled as organic boosting their value by $4 million.

Millions more pounds of corn, which the Post says makes up a large proportion our supply, was discovered to have undone the same mysterious process.They found at the Romanian company that provided the corn is not certified organic, and originally purchased the corn from a supplier also not certified organic at prices usually seen on its conventional counterpart.

The fraudulent shipments of corn and soybeans that the Post uncovered all originated in Turkey, which is supposedly one of America's largest suppliers of organic foods.

Eventually the soybean shipment in question was tested for pesticides, but by then, 21 million pounds of the 36 million-pound shipment had already been distributed to farms and mills.

Most of that corn and soy ended up in animal feed, but organic meat and dairy products that are labeled as such are supposed to only be produced from animals that have been fed organic products.

The USDA claims that their safeguards against this type of food fraud are strong, explaining that any organic product must verify its status by producing a USDA organic certificate. Still, companies are not required to track their products all the way to the farm of origin, leaving a gap open in the process.

Farmers can also hire inspection companies on their own and schedule inspections in advance and with warning, meaning theres plenty of opportunity to cover up any evidence that their production process isnt organic.

Theres plenty of incentive to game the system: Organic products sell for twice as much as non-organicversions.

The U.S. market is the easiest for potentially fraudulent organic products to penetrate because the chances of getting caught here are not very high," John Bobbe, executive director of the Organic Farmers' Agency for Relationship Marketing, told the Post.

Products coming from China are even more susceptible to being mislabeled: A German inspection agency called Ceres which tests so-called organic products imported from China found that 37% of the 232 samples showed pesticide residue.

But not even those results can be trusted.

The certifying agencies can choose who and when they test," said Mischa Popoff, a former USDA organic inspector."That's why the results they can get are completely arbitrary."

These lax standards may seem shocking for people who think that the U.S. has built barriers to prevent this type of food fraud, but the USDA still has some gaps, which clearly can be exploited. In the meantime, if youneed brushing up on how to combat food fraud in your home, check out our easy guide.

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How 36 Million Pounds of Fake-Organic Food Ended Up in the US - Food & Wine

By Kristy OConnell

A Roslyn couple recently launched Full House Organic, a fast-casual eatery located at 38 Glen Cove Road in Greenvale, with the goal of introducing organic options to more than just health-conscious consumers.

According to co-owner Judy Racz, the couple opened their restaurant back in January for deliveries via their website, app and grubhub but has since opened for eat-in.

The idea is that a lot of times people think organic food is healthy and wont taste as good, but I believe that is a big myth, Racz. With organic food, the ingredients are just cleaner and realer.

While their chef specializes in Italian cuisine, Racz said the restaurant offers a wide variety of food, ranging from vegan options to meatballs and rotisserie chickens.

The make-your-own-salad option is a fan favorite, she said.

The couple wanted their restaurant to be a place that can suit people with specific dietary needs while also appealing toa more traditional diet, she said. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are all available.

The couple is working towards not only maintaining their organic ingredients status but also towards certifying their entire kitchen as organic as well.

We arent just trying to meet the minimum requirements of being organic, said Judy.

Judy also emphasized that their restaurant does not use tap water and instead uses reverse-osmosis water for soups and the cleaning of vegetables. In addition, Judy emphasized that they do not use plastic for packaging.

She also expressed particular excitement over the work her team is doing with a dietician to soon begin offering meal plans.

The Full House Organic currently offers eat-in, take-out or free delivery and can be contacted at 516-621-4040 or at http://www.FullHouseOrganic.com.

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Organic eatery joins Greenvale - The Island Now

The greenhouse on Richard and Sharon Hastings property in rural East Texas looks like a typical greenhouse any gardening enthusiast might own.

But a closer look reveals the channels of water where red and green butter lettuce plants are floating on foam pads. This is not a typical greenhouse after all.

The Hastings endured the hustle and bustle of Austin for over 28 years. They raised their children while working in the tech industry. They survived the big city traffic and hour-long commutes to work.

Now theyre managing partners in their own business, East Texas Aquaponics.

We were looking for the next phase of our lives, Mrs. Hasting said. We are passionate about food and food quality. We are part of that community and wanted to find a way to make it into a business.

The Hastings greenhouse boasts a deep-water culture system where Tilapia and channel catfish make their home in 2,000 gallon water tanks. A pump system moves the water through a filtration system. That water goes into the channels, where lettuce plants are floating on foam rafts on the surface of the water. The plant roots hang into the water and absorb the nutrients that the fish put into the water.

This form of farming uses one-tenth of the water to grow good, clean food, Hasting said. Tons and tons of water resources are used to grow vegetables to make a salad. We have the opportunity to reduce that and to reduce the transportation costs.

The water shortage crises that can occur throughout Texas make this type of farming ideal in areas where drought and people lack access to water.

We wanted to help support food shortages in underserved areas, Mrs. Hasting said. Trying to get processed food out and something green and healthy in is important to us.

It takes butter lettuce six weeks to mature in the winter months and four weeks during the summer. This makes it an ideal crop for aquaponics.

Food that is organically grown, using reduced amounts of water, fertilizers and pesticides is a trend that many people support and the type of food many people want on their tables.

Weve partnered with Mudhen Meat and Greens in Dallas, Mrs. Hastings said. Its a farm to table restaurant in Dallas. We also sell at farmers markets in Winnsboro, Mineola, Dallas and Rockwall.

Hastings is working to expand their farming operation beyond lettuce and herbs. Next year, they hope to be growing tomatoes and fruit bushes and trees.

When Hasting lifts the granite rock gravel in one of his beds, he exposes the worms. He said the book Worms Eat my Garbage turned him into a sort of eco hippie type.

I bought a pound of the worms to get started, Hasting said. Worms eat 30 percent of their body weight each day.

Hasting uses the worms in the granite gravel bed and the bed of expanded clay pellets where strawberries and fig trees are starting to grow.

The worms feed on the decayed roots of the plants. Theyre a tool to ward off plant disease and manage insects.

This keeps the tanks clean, Hasting said. Selling the worms can be another source of income.

East Texas Aquaponics is partnering with Genuine Provisions to sell and promote their products. They hope to establish a partnership with the East Texas Food Bank to have their food distributed to hunger relief programs in East Texas.

This gets our product to another demographic that wouldnt have access to this type of food, Mrs. Hasting said. Were also interested in educating the community and helping them learn to grow their own food in this way, with minimal investment.

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East Texas Aquaponics grows organic produce using non-traditional growing practices - Tyler Morning Telegraph

Step into any supermarket these days and youre sure to find a wide variety of organic foods on the shelves. From produce, milk and meat to breakfast cereals and snack foods, consumers have their pick of certified organic productsa far cry from the time when you could only find them in natural foods stores. The demand for organic foods continues to soar: According to theOrganic Trade Association, organic food sales saw their biggest dollar gain ever in 2015 with more than 10 percent growth.

Certified organic foods have been linked to manyheath benefits, but they can sometimes be more expensive than conventionally farmed produce. Try these tips to make an organic diet more affordable.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently completed an analysis of conventionally grown (non-organic) produce to measure pesticide residue levels. Based on the results of almost 34,000 samples taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and federal Food and Drug Administration, EWG estimates that eating the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables, referred to as The Dirty Dozen, exposes the average person to about 15 different pesticides each day, while someone eating the least contaminated will be exposed to fewer than two pesticides each day. By avoiding these most contaminated foods, consumers could reduce their pesticide exposure by almost 90 percent.

If you have budget constraints, get more health for your money by choosing organic varieties of the following fruits and vegetables (listed in descending order, starting with greatest levels of pesticide contamination). Download a pocket guide to the Dirty Dozenhere.

If going totally organic is too difficult or pricey, play it safe and eat the following conventional produce items to minimize your exposure. These are known to have the least amount of pesticide residue (listed in ascending order, starting with lowest levels of contamination):

When eating conventional foods, be certain to peel away edible skins and outer leaves (such as those on lettuce), as pesticides are often concentrated there. Remember to wash all produce (conventional and organic) thoroughly with a natural fruit and vegetable cleanser. Peeling and washing can helpreduce (not eliminate) pesticide exposure, but can also cause the loss of valuable vitamins and nutrients, such as fiber.

When you have the choice between an organic item and one thats conventionally grown, choose organic as often as possible. To see EWG's complete study results and the rankings of different produce items, visittheir website.

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When to buy organic & when to save your money - Atlanta Journal Constitution

A shipment of 36million pounds of soybeans sailed late last year from Ukraine to Turkey to California. Along the way, it underwent a remarkable transformation.

The cargo began as ordinary soybeans, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. Like ordinary soybeans, they were fumigated with a pesticide. They were priced like ordinary soybeans, too.

But by the time the 600-foot cargo ship carrying them to Stockton, Calif., arrived in December, the soybeans had been labeled organic, according to receipts, invoices and other shipping records. That switch the addition of the USDA Organic designation boosted their value by approximately $4 million, creating a windfall for at least one company in the supply chain.

After being contacted by The Post, the broker for the soybeans, Annapolis-based Global Natural, emailed a statement saying it may have been provided with false certification documents regarding some grain shipments from Eastern Europe. About 21million pounds of the soybeans have already been distributed to customers.

The multimillion-dollar metamorphosis of the soybeans, as well as two other similar grain shipments in the past year examined by The Post, demonstrate weaknesses in the way that the United States ensures that what is sold as USDA Organic is really organic.

The three shipments, each involving millions of pounds of organic corn or soybeans, were large enough to constitute a meaningful proportion of the U.S. supply of those commodities. All three were presented as organic, despite evidence to the contrary. And all three hailed from Turkey, now one of the largest exporters of organic products to the United States, according to Foreign Agricultural Service statistics.

Agriculture Department officials said that they are investigating fraudulent organic grain shipments. But the agency declined to identify any of the firms or shipments involved.

We are continuing the investigation based on the evidence received, it said in a statement.

The imported corn and soybean shipments examined by The Post were largely destined to become animal feed and enter the supply chain for some of the largest organic food industries. Organic eggs, organic milk, organic chicken and organic beef are supposed to come from animals that consume organic feed, an added expense for farmers that contributes to the higher consumer prices on those items.

While most food sold as USDA Organic is grown in the United States, at least half of some organic commodities corn, soybeans and coffee come from overseas, from as many as 100 countries.

USDA officials say that their system for guarding against fraud is robust.

Under USDA rules, a company importing an organic product must verify that it has come from a supplier that has a USDA Organic certificate. It must keep receipts and invoices. But it need not trace the product back to the farm. Some importers, aware of the possibility of fraud, request extra documentation. But others do not.

Regardless of where organics come from, critics say, the system suffers from multiple weaknesses in enforcement: Farmers hire their own inspection companies; most inspections are announced days or weeks in advance and lack the element of surprise; and testing for pesticides is the exception rather than the rule.

These vulnerabilities are magnified with imported products, which often involve more middlemen, each of whom could profit by relabeling conventional goods as organic. The temptation could be substantial, too: Products with a USDA Organic label routinely sell for twice the price of their conventional counterparts.

In recent years, even as the amount of organic corn and soybeans imported to the United States has more than tripled, the USDA has not issued any major sanctions for the import of fraudulent grain, U.S. farmers said.

The U.S. market is the easiest for potentially fraudulent organic products to penetrate because the chances of getting caught here are not very high, said John Bobbe, executive director of the Organic Farmers Agency for Relationship Marketing, or OFARM, a farmer cooperative. In Europe and Canada, he said, import rules for organics are much stricter.

Moreover, even when the USDA has responded to complaints of questionable imports, action has come too late to prevent the products from reaching consumers.

Four months after the soybeans arrived in California and after The Post began making calls about the shipment, county officials acting on behalf of the USDA showed up at the warehouse where the soybeans were being stored. The officials took samples to test for exposure to pesticides.

By that time, about 21million pounds of the 36million-pound shipment had already reached farms and mills. The customers who have purchased the soybeans said they were unaware there may have been a problem until a Post reporter called.

Gauging the extent of fraud in imported organics is difficult because there is little incentive for organic companies to advertise their suspicions about suppliers.

To test USDA claims that organic imports are rigorously monitored, The Post examined pesticide residue testing conducted on organic products in China.

China is the leading source of organic tea and ginger in the United States, and its food exports have drawn repeated scrutiny.

In China, farmers have trouble following their own laws, said Chenglin Liu, a professor at St. Marys University School of Law in San Antonio. So how can Americans expect Chinese farmers will follow U.S. organic rules?

As in the United States, farmers in China seeking the USDA Organic label hire an inspection agency to certify that they meet the organic rules.

Using public-records laws, The Post obtained the results of pesticide residue tests conducted on farms with USDA organic certification in China. Although pesticide tests are not mandatory, inspection agencies are required to take samples from 5percent of their clients, and The Post requested the results from the three most active inspection agencies overseeing Chinese farms.

The pesticide results showed very high levels of pesticide residue on some organic Chinese products. They also showed that the pesticide residue tests are applied unevenly.

One of the largest inspection agencies, a German company known as Ceres, appears to do rigorous testing.

Ceres conducts most of its tests on plant leaves, rather than on fruits, a method that can be more likely to detect pesticide use.

Their results from China, as a Ceres official said, were quite shocking.

Of 232 samples that Ceres tested from the Chinese organic farms, 37percent showed more than traces of pesticide residue.

This is the reality we are battling with in China, said Albrecht Benzing of Ceres.

Some of the problem arises from pesticides from neighboring farms drifting over, experts said, and some is contamination from Chinas polluted soil and water.

For example, in Shandong province, the Laiwu Manhing Vegetables Fruits Corp. harvests ginger that has been grown organically. But the water available for washing the ginger is so polluted that it leaves pesticide residue.

After the ginger is washed, the water leaves behind pesticide residues too high to be considered organic in the United States, said Li Hongtao, a sales manager at the company. He said the ginger is sold as organic in some countries but not the United States or Europe.

The pesticide residue results that were obtained by The Post also indicate that enforcement of USDA Organic rules for pesticides are uneven and possibly arbitrary, with results depending on the inspection agency.

While Ceres found remarkably high levels of pesticide residue, others reported extremely low levels.

For example, Ecocert, a French inspection agency, reported pesticide residue on about 1percent of 360 samples from China in 2015 a level of cleanliness remarkable for any country, let alone China and its well-documented pollution.

This wide range of pesticide use detected by organic inspectors in China nearly 40percent at one company and 1percent in another suggests a variety of methods and standards at work. Ecocert said their results may be low because they chose samples from a large number of farms. Different firms may also use different thresholds for what constitutes a positive result. The next year, Ecocert said, its testing criteria changed slightly, and the percentage of samples with pesticide levels rose to 8percent.

Critics say the disparity in results shows that certifying agencies can make any farm look organic.

The certifying agencies can choose who and when they test, said Mischa Popoff, a former USDA organic inspector turned critic. Thats why the results they can get are completely arbitrary.

Each of the questionable organic shipments of corn and soybeans examined by The Post passed through Turkey, a country whose organic exports have provoked criticism from international authorities.

In 2013, for example, a report by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture found that half of European importers and Turkish handlers had detected pesticide residue on organic products from Turkey.

The United States has seen large spikes in the amount of organic corn and soybeans entering from Turkey, according to USDA statistics. Between 2014 and 2016, the amount of organic corn arriving from Turkey rose from 15,000 metric tons to more than 399,000 metric tons; the amount of organic soybeans coming from Turkey rose from 14,000 metric tons to 165,000. (The three shipments examined by The Post represent roughly 7percent of annual organic corn imports and 4percent of organic soybean imports.)

Such sudden jumps in organic food production draw scrutiny because the organic transition process is slow it can take three years for conventional land to be converted into organic farmland.

Where did all this big production come from? Where are these organic farmers? Miles McEvoy, chief of the USDAs organic program, said to a group of U.S. organic farmers earlier this year.

The rise of imports has helped drop prices by more than 25percent, hurting U.S. organic farmers, many of them small operations.

My neighbor, small farm, lost $30,000 last year on 100 acres of organic corn, said OFARMs Bobbe. In fact, theres so much coming in, were finding buyers who wont take any corn.

To piece together the three questionable shipments, The Post was given records of the transactions by an industry expert who requested anonymity because they may conflict with the mandates of his employer. The documents included company invoices, shipping records and health certificates accompanying the shipments. Warehouse operators, importers, exporters and Ukrainian officials verified key documents and added details.

The first of the shipments arrived at the port of Wilmington in Delaware a year ago. It consisted of 46million pounds of organic corn.

The Romanian company that provided the corn is not a certified organic company, and receipts show that the corn was initially purchased at the conventional price, not the organic one.

The shipper is listed as Hakan Organics, a Dubai-based company with operations in Turkey.

Hakan Organics is listed as an organic handler in good standing with the USDA.

The first intended customer for the corn, Perdue Agribusiness, asked for additional paperwork and then refused to accept the shipment, because we could not confirm all the proper documentation that Perdue requires, a company spokesman said.

The Post could not determine who ended up purchasing the organic corn.

Since then, Perdue has not received any shipments from Hakan Organics, a Perdue spokesman said.

Hakan Organics continued to ship agricultural products to the United States.

Hakan Bahceci, the chief executive of Hakan, indicated by email that he would answer questions but then did not respond further.

The second shipment, the soybeans from Ukraine and Turkey, arrived aboard the Four Diamond at the port of Stockton in December 2016.

A set of health certificates that accompanied the soybeans allowed The Post to trace the soybeans from California back to Turkey and to their origin in Ukraine.

The health certificates and associated receipts indicate that they were not really organic. For one thing, the soybeans were fumigated with tablets of aluminum phosphide, a pesticide prohibited under organic regulations; some of the soybeans originated from ADM Ukraine, a company that does not produce or trade organic soybeans and did not sell or label them as such, a company spokeswoman said; and finally, the soybeans were originally priced at the level of conventional soybeans.

Invoices and other documents for those soybeans showed that they were originally priced at about $360 per ton. By the time they reached the United States, the price reached almost $600 per ton.

Global Natural, the Annapolis-based firm that was marketing the soybeans in the United States, said it has stopped selling all potentially affected product. Company officials declined to answer further questions.

The importer of the soybeans is Agropex International.

Ashley Anderson, who is listed as the president of Agropex International, insisted that the soybeans that arrived in Stockton are legitimately organic.

The third shipment involved 46million pounds of organic corn that sailed from Romania to Turkey and then to Baltimore, arriving in March.

The Romanian producers of the corn, a company called Belor, is not a certified organic company and sold the corn at conventional prices, according to receipts. But by the time the corn from Romania reached the United States, it was labeled organic. Its price had risen 72percent. As with the cargo aboard the Four Diamond, the value of the shipment increased by millions.

Dennis Minnaard of DFI Organics said his company had been set to buy some of the corn but rejected the shipment because the broker did not take away our doubts about its authenticity.

Yet that organic corn continued to be marketed to other customers, according to industry officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the deals.

With the complex supply chain of organic grain, McEvoy, the USDA official, told concerned farmers at the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service conference earlier this year, there are challenges.

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The labels said 'organic.' But these massive imports of corn and ... - Washington Post