Friday May 18, 2012
I really hope this goes without saying, but being rude about organics won't help you score sales. Yet, according to a new study, organic advocates may be more snotty and judgmental than average.
The
study itself, featured in Social Psychological and Personality Science reveals that people who buy organic food, or who are otherwise exposed to organics tend to volunteer significantly less and judge others moral transgressions significantly harsher than those who are not as exposed to organics. Researchers guess that this may be due to folks thinking that simply because they've bought organic, they've done their good deed, now they no longer need to do more.
More alarming than the study was the coverage of said study on msnbc. In this coverage, various consumers mentioned times they've been looked down on for not buying organics or for not knowing enough about organics.
Read More...Friday May 18, 2012
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) have released their official agenda for their spring 2012 meeting.
The spring meeting, taking place in Albuquerque, New Mexico in just a few days (May 22-25, 2012) will be covering various topics of interest in the organic industry, including...
- Compliance, Accreditation & Certification
- Sanitizers and "100% organic" products
- Material Review Organizations review criteria
- Extractants and solvents
- Aquaculture petition update
- GMO vaccines
- Dairy score card
- Guidance for Assessing Welfare of Poultry, Sheep and Bison
- Petitioned Materials Proposals on Choline, Curry leaf, Gibberellic acid, Inositol and Citrus hystrix
- And more...
If you're missing this spring's meeting, but are interested in the above topics, stay tuned to NOSB's meeting page for updates.
+ See the full agenda (pdf)
Monday May 14, 2012
If you've been considering applying for a Farmers Market Promotion Program Grant, time is running out. Applications for this program will only be accepted via grants.gov and must be received by May 21, 2012.
The Farmers Market Promotion Program Grants this year are offering approximately $10 million for marketing operations such as farmers markets, community supported agriculture and road-side stands. This program is competitive and all grants are administered by USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan notes:
"These grants will put resources into rural and urban economies, and help strengthen efforts to provide access to nutritious and affordable foods. This program not only supports the health and well-being of local communities but also the economic health of their farms and businesses."
Learn more about applying for a Farmers Market Promotion Program grant. Note that all applications will only be accepted via grants.gov and again, must be received by May 21, 2012. Contact Carmen Humphrey, Program Manager, by phone: (202) 720-8317, or e-mail: usdafmppquestions@ams.usda.gov for more information.
Monday April 30, 2012
Although most industries have seen jobs decline, the organic industry continues to experience growth, even when it comes to jobs. According to a new economic report, "2010 Impacts of the U.S. Organic Foods Industry on the U.S. Economy," released recently at the Organic Trade Association's (OTA's) Policy Conference, the organic food industry generated more than five hundred thousand American jobs in 2010. Impressive numbers and it builds on data released by OTA previously that reveals that the overall U.S. organic market in 2011 surpassed $31 billion for the first time.
Congressman Sam Farr (CA-17) notes, "This report sends a strong message that doing what's good for the environment and what's good for industry economics are not mutually exclusive. The organic food processing industry is creating jobs, stimulating our economy and delivering the products that consumers increasingly demand. This report is only the latest testament on why supporting organic is a no-brainer."
Key findings of the report show that for every $1 billion in retail sales of organic products, 28,000 more jobs were created throughout the economy. The report also shows that use of organically produced ingredients resulted in the creation of 21% more jobs than would have been generated if the food industry had relied solely on conventional farms for its ingredients.
To learn more about careers in the organic industry, visit the links below:
