Organic Processing Vo1.8 #5 - September/October 2011

Details

Organic Educational Sessions at All Things Organic at Expo East

Don’t miss these informative sessions at All Things Organic-BioFach America at Natural Products Expo East at the Baltimore Convention Center Sept. 21–24. Here is a quick preview:

Thursday, 9/22:

The opening day of
the conference hits
at the heart of sev-
eral issues critical to
the organic sector, including the preservation of organic seed stocks,
GMO policy and the evolution and implementation of the organic regula-
tions. To help orient conference-goers, the State of the Industry session
will illuminate consumer and business trends to watch.

• Organic: It all starts with seeds: 8 – 9 a.m., Room 315

• State of the Organic Industry: 11 a.m. – Noon, Room 314

• Hot Topics in Organic: The latest dirt on GMOs: 2 – 3 p.m., Room 314

• Organic Regulatory Update: 4 – 5 p.m., Room 315

Friday, 9/23: This year’s All Things Organic Conference features a four-session track highlighting cutting-edge research relevant to organic. Here, researchers and thought leaders will convene to discuss scientific findings of consequence to organic production and products. • Environmental Benefits: Climate change and water quality and use, 8 –

9 a.m., Room 314 • Organic Yields and “Feeding the World:” 11 a.m. – Noon, Room 314 • Health Benefits: 2 – 3 p.m., Room 314 • Research Track Plenary Session: 4 – 5 p.m., Room 314

*This session is for OTA Members only. OTA’s Annual Meeting will immediately follow the plenary session.

Saturday, 9/24: The final day of the All Things Organic Conference features several innovative sessions, highlighting a number of the ideas that could define the future of the organic industry. Also featured will be an introductory session for retailers new to organic, where they will learn the basics about how to preserve organic integrity in their stores, and successfully market these value-added products to their communities. • Organic Futures Market: Price Discovery & Demand Forecast:

8 – 9 a.m., Room 315

• Creating Breakout Growth for Organic with a Consolidated Industry Campaign: 11 a.m. – Noon, Room 314

• Organic Retail 101: 11 a.m. – Noon, Room 315

Awards Gala. In addition, OTA’s Annual Awards Gala Wednesday evening, Sept. 21, at the Maryland Science Center, will feature cocktails with dinosaurs, dinner with a great city skyline view, and fantastic company as OTA honors Michael Funk and Mark Lipson with its 2011 Organic Leadership Awards. You can purchase tickets at www.ota.com/allthingsorganic/annualdinner/ticket.html. For more information, including a full schedule of All Things Organic and OTA’s Member Days events, visit www.ota.com/allthingsorganic.html.

Simply Organic Donations for Organic Education, Research and Development Surpass a Half Million Dollars

Coinciding with the celebration of its’ 10th anniversary, Simply Organic—an all-organic brand from Frontier Natural Products Co-op—has surpassed the half-million-dollar contribution mark through a recent donation made to the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES). Simply Organic’s One Percent Fund— SO1%—takes 1 percent of net sales on all Simply Organic spices, seasoning mixes, baking flavors/extracts and baking mixes, and uses it to support organic agriculture through education, research and grower development. Additionally, a new You Tube video has been posted to highlight the major milestones of Simply Organic’s 10-year history, including key donations of the SO1% Fund.

Recent contributions made with SO1% funds include a scholarship in perpetuity at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in the Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems apprenticeship program. After graduation, Simply Organic’s first scholarship recipient, Evelyn Rosas, went to Washington, D.C., to intern for several months at the Organic Farming Research Foundation, another benefactor of the SO1% Fund.

The SO1% Fund also donated nearly $30,000 in 2009 to provide organic agricultural training to 790 farmers in the mountainous regions of southwest India. These funds were also used to reach out to members of state and local governments on organic agriculture in this area as well.

The most recent donation of $10,000 went to MOSES, which supports farmers striving to produce high-quality, healthful food using organic and sustainable techniques. One way the organization ac-complishes these goals is through its annual conference, which this year attracted more than 2,600 farmers, advocates, educators, and community members.