Walmart to sell organic foods at lower prices

Consumer demand for organically produced goods continues to show double-digit growth, providing market incentives for US farmers. Walmart and Wild Oats will introduce nearly 100 products as part of the line, including common pantry items like chicken broth.
The world’s largest retailer, Walmart, announced April 10, 2014, that it is partnering with Wild Oats, a USDA-certified organic brand and former operator of organic foods markets in North America, to expand the selection of organic items in its grocery section and drive down the price of organic foods across the country.
Walmart and Wild Oats will introduce nearly 100 products as part of the line, including common pantry items like chicken broth. Walmart says the items will be priced at 25 percent below nationally branded organic foods.
Consumer demand for organically produced goods continues to show double-digit growth and account for over 4 percent of total U.S. food sales, providing market incentives for U.S. farmers across a broad range of products, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service data. Walmart research conducted in early April found that 91 percent of its shoppers would purchase affordable organic products in its stores.
“We know our customers are interested in purchasing organic products and, traditionally, those customers have had to pay more,” said Jack Sinclair, executive vice president of grocery at Walmart U.S. in a company press release. “We are changing that and creating a new price position for organic groceries that increases access.”
In addition to growing its organic product offering through Wild Oats, the retailer plans to expand its assortment in categories including yogurt, produce, and deli.

European Commission publishes new organic food production regulation proposals

The European Commission has published new proposals for a new regulation on organic production and the labeling of organic products which seek to address the shortcomings of the current system.
The proposals focus on three main objectives: maintaining consumer confidence, maintaining producer confidence, and making it easier for farmers to switch to organics.
In particular, the Commission proposes to:

• Strengthen and harmonize rules, both in the EU and for imported products, by removing many of the current exceptions in terms of production and controls
• Reinforce controls by making them risk based
• Make it easier for small farmers to join organic farming by introducing the possibility for them to sign up to a group certification system
• Better address the international dimension of trade in organic products with the addition of new provisions on exports
• Simplify the legislation to reduce administrative costs for farmers and improve transparency
To help organic farmers, producers and retailers adjust to the proposed policy changes and meet future challenges, the Commission has produced an action plan on the future of organic production in Europe.
Commenting on the proposed changes, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dacian Ciolos said: "The Commission is looking for more and better organic farming in the EU by consolidating consumer confidence in organic products and removing obstacles to the development of organic agriculture. This package is good for consumers and good for farmers. Consumers will have better guarantees on organic food made and sold in the EU and farmers, producers and retailers will have access to a larger market, both within and outside the EU."

Organic industry is growing, farm bill offers support, says USDA

There are over 25,000 certified organic operations in more than 120 different countries around the world, according to new figures released by the USDA.
The organic agriculture industry is growing at a record pace both domestically and globally, according to new figures released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on March 20. A number of new and expanded efforts from the USDA, supported by the 2014 U.S. Farm Bill, will connect organic farmers and businesses with the resources they need to ensure continued growth.
"Consumer demand for organic products has grown exponentially over the past decade. With retail sales valued at $35 billion last year, the organic industry represents a tremendous economic opportunity for farmers, ranchers and rural communities," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "New support in the 2014 Farm Bill will enhance USDA's efforts to help producers and small businesses tap into this market and support organic agriculture as it continues to grow and thrive."
According to the USDA, there are over 25,000 certified organic operations in more than 120 different countries around the world. The industry today encompasses a record-breaking 18,513 certified organic farms and businesses in the U.S. alone, representing a 245 percent increase since 2002.
The recently-signed 2014 U.S. Farm Bill, the Agricultural Act of 2014, includes provisions to support the organic community, including:

• $20 million annually for dedicated organic research, agricultural extension programs and education
• $5 million to fund data collection on organic agriculture that will give policymakers, organic farmers and organic businesses data needed to make sound policy, business and marketing decisions
• Expanded options for organic crop insurance to protect farmers
• Expanded exemptions for organic producers who are paying into commodity "check off" programs, and authority for the USDA to consider an application for the organic sector to establish its own check off
• Improved enforcement authority for the National Organic Program to conduct investigations
• $5 million for a technology upgrade of the National Organic Program to provide up-to-date information about certified organic operations across the supply chain
• $11.5 million annually for certification cost-share assistance, which reimburses the costs of annual certification for organic farmers and livestock producers by covering 75 percent of certification costs, up to $750 per year
The USDA is helping organic stakeholders access programs that support conservation, provide access to loans and grants, fund organic research and education, and mitigate pest emergencies. Information about USDA resources and support for the organic sector is available on the USDA Organics Resource page.

Turkey, poultry sales buck downward trend in UK organic food sales

Turkey has been the bright spot in the UK’s organic food production over the last five years, with overall poultry production also bucking the market trend.
Prior to the economic downturn, the UK organic food sector was growing strongly, however, over the five years to 2012-2013, demand within the market contracted by 5.5 percent per annum to stand at GBP1.64 billion (US$2.6 billion), reveals a new report.
The main driver behind the overall decline has been a fall in multiple retail sales, which account for 71.4 percent of the total. A reduction in choice, lack of communication, and a lack of investment in own-label have been the key factors leading to this contraction.
Yet in contrast to this, organic poultry sales rose by 5.8 percent over the period, while organic turkey sales surged by 56 percent. According to The Soil Association, the reason for this growth is that consumers are tending to buy organic for special occasions.
The decline in UK organic food sales has resulted in a number of organic farmers converting to conventional farming methods. Nevertheless, over the next five years, the value of the UK organic is expected to grow by 4.7 percent per annum, as consumer confidence returns, to stand at GBP2.07 million in 2017-2018.

EU launches survey on the future of organic production

The European Commission has launched an online survey on organic production in Europe for producers and citizens. Survey results will help provide a framework for new organic regulations.
European organic production rules cover the production chain from farm to fork. Farmers who follow these rules have the right to label their products organic. The survey covers possible simplifications to be brought to the existing scheme as well as the control and international trade.
The survey will run from January 15 to April 10, 2013.

UK project to study environmental impact of turkey production

The UK turkey industry, which relies heavily on imported protein sources, has invested in measuring the environmental impact of turkey production in order to better understand the sustainability challenges facing turkey production.
The collaborative research project is being run by Newcastle and Cranfield Universities together with UK producers, feed companies and the British Poultry Council. All elements of the turkey sector are represented by the project including indoor reared, free range and organic, as well as the breeders and feed companies. The £655,000 project has been part-funded by the government’s Technology Strategy Board, with further support from DEFRA and British Poultry Council members.
“This is an impressive and exciting project, with turkey producers showing real leadership on improving environmental performance and sustainability," said Peter Bradnock, chief executive of the British Poultry Council. "The poultry industry has always worked hard on this front and has an impressive record of feeding the nation in a sustainable, responsible and highly efficient way. But we all need to continue evaluating and innovating as resources become increasing scarce.”

EU poultry produced locally, reaching organic standards must carry logo

The two-year transition period for the European Union's organic food sector to comply with new EU labeling rules ended on June 30.
On July 1, the EU organic logo became obligatory on all pre-packed organic food products produced in EU Member States which meet the necessary standards. The logo is optional for non-packed and imported organic products. Other private, regional logos will continue to be allowed to appear alongside the EU label.
The logo not only contains an image of a leaf, but must also show the code number of the control body and the place of farming or agricultural raw materials of the goods. “Our hope is that the EU logo can further develop into a widely recognized symbol of organic food production across the EU, providing consumers with confidence that the goods are produced in-line with the strict EU organic farming standards,” said EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos.
The “Euro-leaf” logo was introduced on July 1, 2010, but in order to help operators adapt to the new rules, and to avoid waste of existing packaging, a two-year transition period was allowed before it became compulsory on all products.

Europe seeks home-grown rule for organic feed production

A proposed change in feed rules for organic livestock production in Europe's EU-27 countries is under consideration by the European Commission's Standing Committee on Organic Farming.
Advocates of the change want to see a minimum percentage placed on the amount of feed given to organically reared animals and poultry grown on the same farm.
They aim for a rule that mandates at least 40% of feed for organic pigs and poultry to be home-produced, rising to 70% in the case of organic herbivores. Moreover, according to this proposal, any feed that is not produced on the livestock or poultry farm should be sourced locally, from the same region or neighboring regions.
Opponents say any substantial minimum for home-grown feed supplies would be impossible for organic meat producers to achieve because many of these farms tend to be unsuitable for growing grain. 

European organic rule changes worry UK poultry producers

A proposed change to European Union organic feed regulations that would require poultry to be fed a 100% organic diet has the UK’s National Farmers Union expressing its concern.
The move to 100% organic diets for poultry may result in nutritionally unbalanced rations and has the potential to adversely affect bird welfare and performance, said the NFU. A second EU Commission-proposed amendment would require that 50% of feed for monogastrics, like poultry, and 80% of ruminant feed be from own holding or region, in line with the wording of Article 14 (d) (i) of Council Regulation 834/2007. The NFU said it has concerns that this will impose considerable strain on the organic poultry, dairy and livestock industries.
The organic feed regulations are scheduled to go into effect in January 2012.

Study reveals method to verify organic eggs

The presence of a synthetic carotenoid confirms that the egg is not organic.

Studies conducted at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, a leading agriculture school in Western Europe, have led to a method to distinguish between organic eggs and generic eggs.
According to the information released, high-pressure liquid chromatography is used to examine the composition of xanthophyll pigments in the yolk of eggs. It is a universal practice in Holland and Germany to incorporate synthetic carotenoids in feed to produce a deeply pigmented yolk. These synthetic compounds are forbidden in organic diets. The presence of a synthetic carotenoid confirms that the egg is not organic, irrespective of claimed status.
Pigmenting agents containing xanthophylls are derived from marigold petals and are “natural,” although a solvent extraction process is used and renders these additives unacceptable according to NOP rules. Accordingly, supplementary pigment for organic eggs in the U.S. is derived from alfalfa.

National Organic Program intensifies security

The National Organic Program administered by the USDA has recognized a problem of fraudulent claims regarding organic status of products entering the marketplace including the use of false NOP certificates and other misrepresentations with respect to NOP requirements. During 2010, six operations were issued with civil penalties for selling organic products without certification.
Penalties have also been levied as a result of misrepresenting agriculture products.
The NOP is now evaluating the performance of certifying agents. An analysis of 40 audit reports in 2010 denoted significant noncompliance especially with regard to reviewing organic systems plans, scheduling and conducting inspections and conflicts of interest. Based on these revelations, the NOP has justifiably developed improvements in their accreditation programs.
The major components will include in-depth training with a focus on aspects of noncompliance, web-based instructional programs and increased outreach and technical assistance for certifying agents. The NOP intends to repeat the evaluation of audit reports in September 2011 and will develop new recommendations to improve the accreditation program for 2012.
According to NOP literature, ensuring that certifying agents implement a quality audit process is critical to protecting the integrity of the image of organic products bearing the NOP Seal and to maintain consumer confidence.

TABS survey: 13.4% consumers buy organic chicken

A survey conducted by TABS Group in early January 2011 determined that in a panel of 1,000 people aged 18-75, 13.4% said they bought organic chicken at some point in 2010, according to a foodnavigator-usa.com report.
Some 38%-39% of those surveyed said they had bought organic products of some sort in 2010. Other numbers included organic egg purchases (17% of those surveyed), organic milk (16% of those surveyed) and red meat (purchased by 6% of those surveyed).
This year was the first time organic chicken was included in the survey.

Stonyfield spotlights organic farmers with Grant-a-Wish Program

Stonyfield Farm and Organic Valley have chosen six finalists for the Stonyfield Organic Farmers Grant-a-Wish Program, which helps fund organic farming projects that can make a strong environmental impact or improve the long-term viability of organic farming.
"Stonyfield's 2011 goal is to build unprecedented levels of support for organic farming through an intensive yearlong 'organic stories' initiative that starts where organic begins, on the farm," said Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield president and CEO. "The Stonyfield Organic Farmers Grant-a-Wish Program will help some of America's most innovative organic farmers bring to life projects they need help funding." The six finalists are in line for a total of $31,000 in grants: one $10,000 prize, two $7,500 grants and three $2,000 grants will be announced in March.
More information on the finalists, as well as the ability to vote for who should win top prize, is available on Stonyfield's Facebook page.

USDA to pursue organic standards violations

The USDA Agriculture and Marketing Service’s National Organic Program announced it will be more aggressive with respect to deviation from standards and regulations relating to organic certification.
Although the National Organic Program does not have the resources to ensure compliance, it is expected that it will rely on certifying agencies. There is an obvious conflict of interest inherent in a situation where producers remunerate certifying agencies to conduct audits and at the same time the agencies are beholden to the NOP.
If the USDA is to fulfill its function of “allowing us to perform our jobs of persuading consumers they can trust the USDA organic label” as stated by Miles McEvoy, Deputy Administrator of the NOP, the agency itself must be responsible for investigating violations and taking appropriate action.

USDA small farmer initiative questioned

Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) have requested a list of awards made under the KYF2 (Know Your Farmers Know Your Foods) program including the names of organizations receiving funds and amounts distributed.
The letter from the senators questioned the desirability of expending funds on “locavore” projects and “feel-good” measures. In the opinion of the three senators these grants are “completely detached from the realities of production agriculture.”
USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan the original promoter of the National Organic Program under a previous administration, has favored community development programs and intends distributing up to $1 billion for the KYF2 initiative.
USDA Secretary Vilsack, in defending Deputy Secretary Merrigan characterized her policy as “an example of our efforts to enhance awareness of our programs and utilize them more effectively.”
The current administration has demonstrated a distinct bias towards alternative agriculture at the expense of conventional intensive crop and livestock production. This is understandable given the extremely pro-environmental, anti-commercial, background of policy makers and their complete detachment from the realities of modern grain and livestock production. ...Read the full blog on www.animalagnet.com.

UK consumers gravitate toward eggs from non-caged hens

Eggs from non-caged hens now make up the majority of UK egg sales by volume, according to data from Kantar Worldpanel. In the 12 months ending March 22, 2010, 52.6% of eggs sold were from non-caged hens, compared with 47.3% the previous year.
This change came despite a recessionary economy and the fact that free range, barn and organic eggs are more expensive than eggs from caged hens, animal advocacy group Compassion in World Farming noted in a press release. In monetary value, eggs from non-caged hens made up 66.4% of all egg purchases during the measurement period. That’s 4.2 percentage points higher than in the previous year.
Data provided by Kantar Worldpanel reveal that sales of free range eggs have risen to 56.8% of the value of the market from 52.3% in the previous year, making up 44.2% of the market by volume (up from 40.6%). Barn eggs, traditionally a small proportion of the market, have seen growth to 5.6% of the market by value (up from 4.7%), 6.4% by volume (up from 4.0%).
“The latest figures should encourage major supermarkets and others in the food industry to continue working towards higher welfare standards,” said Steve McIvor, director of food business at Compassion in World Farming. “There is a great opportunity for both farmers and retailers to make the most of growing consumer demand for higher welfare chicken and eggs.”

Proposed synthetic methionine ban in organic diets

The board of the U.S. National Organic Program is considering a proposal to ban synthetic methionine from organic diets, following an earlier decision regarding synthetic lysine. The decision has been deferred following presentations made by the program’s Methionine Task Force, which includes nutritionists and producers of organic products.
Deletion of synthetic methionine from an organic diet to produce specialty organic eggs would result in an additional cost of $100 per ton, compared with comparable formulations using organic ingredients but allowing inclusion of 0.35% synthetic methionine.
Reducing specifications for dietary sulphur-containing amino acids could reduce the incremental cost to $50 per ton, although this would result in a corresponding reduction in egg size and egg numbers. Assuming a differential of $75, representing deletion of synthetic methionine and moderate relaxation of nutritional specifications, the cost to a producer would be $900 per day for 100,000 hens, or between 13 to 15 cents per dozen, depending on the level of flock production.
Supporters of continuing to allow synthetic methionine in organic production point out that the ingredient is derived by microbial fermentation and that it is absorbed and metabolized in the same way as plant-sourced methionine.

Study: organic agricultural land totals 35 million hectares worldwide

About 35 million hectares of agricultural land were certified according to organic standards at the end of 2008, a 3 million hectare increase from the previous year, according to the latest information from The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics and Emerging Trends 2010. Conversion of land to organic farming was strongest in Latin America and Europe.
The greatest share of the global organic surface area is in Oceania (34.7%), followed by Europe (23.4%) and Latin America (23%). Countries with the most organic farmlands include Australia with 12 million hectares, much of which is grazing land, followed by Argentina with 4 million hectares and China with 1.9 million hectares.
The book is published by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and Germany’s SÖL (Stiftung Ökologie & Linotype, or Foundation Ecology & Agriculture) .
The number of organic producers is almost 1.4 million, said Helga Willer of FiBL.
FiBL and IFOAM will present statistics from The World of Organic Agriculture on February 19 at BioFach 2010 in Nuremberg, Germany. BioFach is the world’s largest tradeshow for organic products.

Less than 1% of US farmland used for organic products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released a survey finding that less than 0.5% of U.S. farmland is used for raising organic crops and livestock—a total of 14,450 farms on 4.1 million acres, compared with a total of 2.2 million farms on 922 million acres, according to The Wall Street Journal. Organic farms accounted for $3.16B in sales in 2008.
California accounts for a fifth of U.S. organic farm operations and more than a third of sales, the survey found.