Organic foods were a big draw for US consumers in 2014 as sales of organic products jumped up 11 percent to $39 billion, a record for the industry, according to the annual Organic Trade Association (OTA) survey.
A coalition of15 major players in the organic food industry—including producers, farmers, consumer, environmental and certification groups—filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging USDA violated the federal rulemaking process.
Major recalls from a number companies who use organic spinach in their products continue to roll in this week resulting in thousands of products being pulled from the shelves because of a possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
USDA announced more than $66.5 million in funding for research and extension programs to address needs of the nation’s specialty crop industry and solve critical organic agriculture production issues.
Consumers will have a new method of picking produce when shopping at Whole Foods Market which announced today the launch of a new Responsibly Grown tiered produce rating system to assess how eco-friendly a product’s growing practices are and the potential impact on human health.
USDA will award more than $52 million to support the growth of the organic industry in addition to local and regional food systems through the use of five department grant programs.
The state of the organic industry is filled with opportunities, but equally plagued with a host of challenges, according to Laura Batcha, Organic Trade Association executive director and CEO who spoke at the Natural Products Expo East trade show last week.
