All About Organics
OCA's Organic Resource Center
Organic Consumers Association Campaigns, Essays, Headlines, Action Alerts, Downloads and Videos on Organic Food.
Organic food is pure food. It's safer, more nutritious and free of chemical additives. Organic crops are grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers and organic livestock are raised without antibiotics, growth hormones or other drugs. Organic food isn't genetically modified or irradiated.
News
June 5, 2006
Organic coffee sales jumped 40% in 2005 to $89 million, according to a new data from the Organic Trade Association's Manufacturer Survey. In addition, International Coffee Assn. found that Americans' awareness of organic coffee rose nine percent from 2003 to 2006.
Sales have risen as the market becomes more mainstream, and organic coffee is selling well in supermarkets, institutions, and even convenience stores.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters in Waterbury, VT said its net sales in its most recent quarter jumped 26.5% to $46.8 million, and the company had a 60% gain in Read more
Sales have risen as the market becomes more mainstream, and organic coffee is selling well in supermarkets, institutions, and even convenience stores.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters in Waterbury, VT said its net sales in its most recent quarter jumped 26.5% to $46.8 million, and the company had a 60% gain in Read more
News
June 4, 2006
"Elitist" is just about the nastiest name you can call someone, or something, in America these days, a finely-honed term of derision in the culture wars, and "elitist" has stuck to organic food in this country like balsamic vinegar to mâche. Thirty years ago the rap on organic was a little different: back then the stuff was derided as hippie food, crunchy granola and bricklike brown bread for the unshaved set (male and female division). So for organic to be tagged as elitist may count as progress. But you knew it was over for John Kerry in the farm belt when his wife, Teresa, helpfully Read more
News
June 1, 2006
(Hyderabad): There is yet another controversy linked to the genetically modified Bt cotton plant and this time it is the alarming reports of sheep and goat taking ill, even dying after grazing on leftover Bt cotton fields.
This is what farmers and shepherds in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh are saying.
The central government has reportedly ordered independent toxicology tests on Bt cotton leaves to ascertain the facts.
"They just became very dull and lifeless and died," said Pendala Venkatamma describing what happened to her sheep.
Earlier Read more
This is what farmers and shepherds in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh are saying.
The central government has reportedly ordered independent toxicology tests on Bt cotton leaves to ascertain the facts.
"They just became very dull and lifeless and died," said Pendala Venkatamma describing what happened to her sheep.
Earlier Read more
News
May 31, 2006
Organic meat experienced the most growth last year in the fast-growing organic food market, according to a preliminary study by the Organic Trade Association.
The association recently released its 2006 manufacturer study that showed U.S. organic food sales totaled about $14 billion (2.5 percent of all retail food sales) in 2005 and are expected to reach about $16 billion this year.
Of organic foods experiencing growth in 2005, organic meat sales grew 55.4 percent, followed by condiments at 24.2 percent, and dairy products at 23.5 percent.
Consumers also bought Read more
The association recently released its 2006 manufacturer study that showed U.S. organic food sales totaled about $14 billion (2.5 percent of all retail food sales) in 2005 and are expected to reach about $16 billion this year.
Of organic foods experiencing growth in 2005, organic meat sales grew 55.4 percent, followed by condiments at 24.2 percent, and dairy products at 23.5 percent.
Consumers also bought Read more
News
May 12, 2006
Chicago—“Consumers are telling us they’re looking for food choices that are more nutritious, along with great-tasting and convenient, but they want help in identifying what’s good for them,” according to Debbie Carosella, vice president, strategic marketing, ConAgra Foods Consumer Foods.
ConAgra was one of several companies and organizations that released new consumer surveys this week.
While more shoppers are seeking ways to improve their eating habits with balanced, sensible solutions, deciphering the right food
Read more News
May 31, 2006
A few years ago, buying organic meant a special trip to stores such as Whole Foods Market or hunting down the lone organic grower at the farmers market. Now, nearly every traditional grocer is expanding its organic produce selections.
Not surprisingly, health-conscious Baby Boomers--particularly those aged 45 to 54--are fueling the buying trend, according to the Organic Trade Association.
Although the organic contribution of total produce sales is small, at just 5.5 percent, produce grabs the biggest market share (41 percent) of all organic foods sold. Sales topped $5 Read more
Not surprisingly, health-conscious Baby Boomers--particularly those aged 45 to 54--are fueling the buying trend, according to the Organic Trade Association.
Although the organic contribution of total produce sales is small, at just 5.5 percent, produce grabs the biggest market share (41 percent) of all organic foods sold. Sales topped $5 Read more
News
May 31, 2006
Michael Pollan has built a reputation as a sleuthing agro-journalist. In his writing for The New York Times Magazine and a quartet of books, he's trailed a steer from birth to dinner plate, traced America's obesity epidemic to corn subsidies, and narrowly, fumblingly outwitted a small-town cop who came uncomfortably close to his marijuana patch. His writing -- an engaging mélange of travelogue, economic analysis, and sheer, tactile joy in the pleasures of food -- has made him a favorite among the foodie and enviro crowds alike.
In his latest book, "The Omnivore's Dilemma," he Read more
In his latest book, "The Omnivore's Dilemma," he Read more
News
June 1, 2006
The European Union and the United States dominate the global organic food market. Combined, the two regions accounted for 95 percent of world organic retail sales in 2003. Strong consumer demand drives both markets. But the EU and US differ in their approaches to encourage organic food production.
Organic acreage increasing
The amount of certified organic agricultural land is increasing in both the EU and US. From 1997 through 2003, certified organic land in the EU rose from 2.1 million hectares to 5.1 million hectares, about 4 percent of total Read more
Organic acreage increasing
The amount of certified organic agricultural land is increasing in both the EU and US. From 1997 through 2003, certified organic land in the EU rose from 2.1 million hectares to 5.1 million hectares, about 4 percent of total Read more
News
May 30, 2006
NEW YORK -
Americans already have a taste for organic food and organic clothing. Now, the organic trend is making a mark on the world of furniture.
In The Early Show's "Trend Report" Tuesday, House & Garden magazine's special projects editor, Susanna Salk, shows some stylish examples.
According to Salk:
Such furniture is made with stuffing, upholstery fiber and wood certified as chemical-free. While organic furniture sales make up just a fraction of the $14 billion rung up by the organic industry, the trend is growing. Just as organic food has Read more
Americans already have a taste for organic food and organic clothing. Now, the organic trend is making a mark on the world of furniture.
In The Early Show's "Trend Report" Tuesday, House & Garden magazine's special projects editor, Susanna Salk, shows some stylish examples.
According to Salk:
Such furniture is made with stuffing, upholstery fiber and wood certified as chemical-free. While organic furniture sales make up just a fraction of the $14 billion rung up by the organic industry, the trend is growing. Just as organic food has Read more
News
May 30, 2006
SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, California --- Earthbound Farm's fields of organic baby spinach and romaine lettuce are a living symbol of the organic food movement's explosive growth in recent years.
What started two decades ago as a three-acre roadside farm in this valley 90 miles south of San Francisco has grown into the country's largest grower of organic produce, with more than 100 types of fruits and vegetables on 28,000 acres in the U.S. and abroad.
Earthbound's extraordinary growth is only the most visible example of how organic farming is changing. Small family farms created Read more
What started two decades ago as a three-acre roadside farm in this valley 90 miles south of San Francisco has grown into the country's largest grower of organic produce, with more than 100 types of fruits and vegetables on 28,000 acres in the U.S. and abroad.
Earthbound's extraordinary growth is only the most visible example of how organic farming is changing. Small family farms created Read more
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