Organic Processing Vo1.8 #3

Today, however, the dream of “Organic for Everyone” is coming to life through the proliferation of farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and Farm to School programs throughout the nation. It’s being fostered by many organic companies who are reaching out to bridge the gap through education and economically savvy initiatives. It is even being introduced into governmental programs through a new wave of leadership that sees the importance in providing organic, healthy, nontoxic food to our children. It is a dream that is being grown from the ground up by young organic farmers who see farming as a way to make a positive impact in the world.

Progress So Far

While many changes need to happen to make organic accessible and more affordable on all levels, the good news is that today organic products are more accessible than ever. Globally, organic acreage increased 6 percent in 2009 compared with 2008, to a total of more than 91 million acres under organic production, according to data presented at the 2011 BioFach world organic exhibition in Germany by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).

In the United States, the industry has rebounded significantly from the economic turmoil of the last few years, and judging by Whole Foods Market’s rising stock price, up from a 52-week low of $33.96 to close at $65.68 on April 5, a litmus test for the industry overall, it looks like organic continues to be poised for strong growth in relation to the overall market. In fact, total U.S. sales of organic products grew 5. 3 percent to $26.6 billion in 2009, according to the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA) 2010 Organic Industry Survey.

Consumers, of course, continue to drive the growth, as they are drawn to organic products one food safety concern after another. According to the “2009 U.S. Families’ Organic Attitudes and Belief Study” conducted by Kiwi Magazine and OTA, nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of U.S. families buy organic products at least occasionally, chiefly for health reasons. The study also shows that 3 in 10 U.S. families ( 31 percent) in 2009 were actually buying more organic foods compared with a year earlier, with many parents preferring to reduce their spending in other areas before targeting organic product cuts. In fact, according to the survey, 17 percent of U.S. families said their largest increases in spending in the past year were for organic products.

Organic Valley and
“Renegade Lunch Lady”
Chef Ann Cooper went
back to “old fashioned”
bag-in-a-box milk
dispensers in order to
make organic milk
affordable to schools.

United States—which means we still have a lot of people to reach. How do we help consumers understand the true cost of food and vote with their dollars to support the organic movement? And how do we reach more economically challenged consumers and change the perception (and sometimes the reality) that “organic is too expensive” or that it is only for the elite?

The Foundation for the Next Phase of the
Organic Movement

While organic is gaining more ground in the marketplace, much of the progress in creating widespread access to organic is taking place in the fertile soil of local communities— through schools, farmers markets, CSAs and community gardens. It is in these grass-roots efforts to improve their own communities that a true appreciation for organic is germinated. This appreciation grows into a set of values that leads these people to support the organic movement with their own actions, from pushing for political initiatives to supporting organic in the checkout lane.

How Do We Make Organic Accessible to Everyone?

While the organic industry continues to grow, the total sales of organic products still constitutes only 3 to 5 percent of the total spent on groceries within the

Organic in Schools

One area that has organic companies and local communities working together is school lunch programs. First lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign led to the president signing the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010—which includes a $10 million Organic Pilot Program to help provide organic food choices in school nutrition programs. The program is dedicated to providing nutrition platforms to help improve the health of students by eliminating nutritional de-ficiencies and risks for diseases, including childhood diabetes and obesity. The initiative will be the first major upgrade to school lunch programs nationwide in more than 15 years.