Organic Food

Organic and clean trends are making inroads on dietary supplement labels

02-Oct-2019 By Danielle Masterson

Overlapping health trends are pushing more companies to have simpler ingredient decks to achieve organic and clean labels.

'We hoped to provide a product that met your high standards for food that fuels an epic life...'

Nomva no more… Probiotic 'super smoothie' brand Nomva calls it quits

24-Jan-2018 By Elaine Watson

Phenomenal Foods – the Los Angeles-based start-up behind probiotic-fueled organic fruit & veggie snack brand Nomva – has called it a day just over two years after launching in southern California.

Naturex emphasizes traceability for new turmeric and blueberry ingredients

06-Jun-2017 By Stephen Daniells

French botanical ingredient giant Naturex has launched two new ingredients - ThinkBlue and Turmipure – produced in compliance with its Pathfinder program, a 360° approach to traceability, transparency and trust.

Organic sales growing ‘at a good clip’ thanks partly to consumer interest in animal welfare

01-Jun-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite pressure created by food inflation and price deflation, sales of organic continue to grow “at a good clip,” with protein, dips and seasoning breaking out “to find their stride” in the market, according to the head of the Organic Trade Association.

Algatech gets organic certification for algae-derived astaxanthin

05-May-2017

Israel-based Algatechnologies Ltd. has achieved National Organic Program (NOP) certification for its 100% organic Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae powder and astaxanthin oleoresin.

NOSB defers vote on organic certification for hydroponics amid confusion about ‘basically everything’

24-Apr-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

Hydroponic and aquaponic farms can keep their organic status – at least for now – following the National Organic Standards Board’s decision April 21 to defer a vote on whether the systems are eligible for USDA certification.

NOSB reconsiders the use of some non-organic substances in organic certified products

19-Apr-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

Curating the National List of non-organic substances that are allowed in products certified as organic is a core responsibility of the National Organic Standards Board, and as such stakeholders will lobby the USDA advisory board to add and delete several...

Not a fad: Ten years after conception, Orgenetics still strong with organic vitamin offering

08-Mar-2017 By Adi Menayang

When it launched its first brand of USDA-certified organic vitamin C in 2007, “there was no other ingredient like it,” Saumil Maheshvari, in charge of business development at Orgenetics, told NutraIngredients-USA.

USDA calls for comment on organic check-off proposal as demand for organic outstrips supply

17-Jan-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

The US Department of Agriculture’s call today for public comment on the Organic Trade Association’s application to create an organic check-off program comes at a time when sales of organic products in the US are soaring but hampered by limited domestic...

Non-GMO seal for Taiyo’s matcha boosts transparency for multifunctional ingredient

18-Nov-2016 By Hank Schultz

Taiyo’s Non-GMO certification for its Matcha Powder is a sign of the growing influence of this attribute, even for ingredient categories that have never been subject to genetic modification.

NOSB debates organic status of carrageenan, tocopherols, marine algae, hydroponics

16-Nov-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Organic industry stakeholders from across the nation are gathered in St. Louis today for what promises to be a highly contentious three-day meeting during which the National Organic Standards Board will debate the role of hydroponic production, carrageenan,...

Soup-to-Nuts Podcast

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: 5 trends driving growth in natural & organic

30-Sep-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

As US consumers embrace a healthier lifestyle focused on prevention rather than treatment, they increasingly are turning to the natural and organic channel for products that are clean, natural and have added health benefits.

With NDI in hand and production sorted out, organic algal DHA is ready for prime time

27-Sep-2016 By Hank Schultz

Armed with a successful New Dietary Ingredient notification and good results on production development, Canadian company Solarvest BioEnergy said it is ready to launch its organic algal DHA product into the market.

BREAKING NEWS

House approves federal GMO labeling bill that nullifies Vermont law

14-Jul-2016 By Elaine Watson

The US House of Representatives has voted to pass a federal GMO labeling bill (306:117 votes) that would pre-empt and nullify all state-led GMO labeling laws including the one that has just come into effect in Vermont.

Attention given to preventing adulteration on the rise, but has that curbed the problem?

24-Jun-2016 By Hank Schultz

Is the dietary supplement industry getting a handle on the adulteration issue? The baseline data does not exist to be able to say one way or another. But sources agree that in the one thing you can measure—the attention the issue is getting—the situation...

US organic food & beverage sales rose 10.6% to $39.8bn in 2015, says OTA

19-May-2016 By Elaine Watson

US sales of organic food and drink surged 10.6% to $39.8bn in 2015, significantly ahead of the 3% growth in the overall food market, with some segments up more than 30% year-on-year, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA).

What is natural? Over to you, FDA...

10-May-2016 By Elaine Watson

The comment period for the FDA’s probe into ‘natural’ claims has closed, leaving the agency with the unenviable task of sifting through a mammoth pile of submissions from thousands of stakeholders weighing in on the most contentious word in food marketing....

New lubrication excipient removes last hurdle in way of 100% organic supplements, developers say

13-Apr-2016 By Hank Schultz

A partnership between Ribus and Biogrund has surmounted one the chief hurdles on the way to a 100% organic supplement. The pair says its new ingredient, Nu-Rice Extra Lube, can eliminate the need for noncompliant lubrication excipients.

OTA hopes to “turn the corner” on organic supply shortages in 2016

18-Dec-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

The Organic Trade Association in 2016 will push forward several initiatives to help industry “turn the corner” on the supply shortages currently holding it back from meeting surging demand for organic products, the group’s CEO Laura Batcha says.

dispatches from fie 2015

Organic supplements: The future or a niche within a niche?

04-Dec-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Nutrition companies are making moves to go certified organic. But does organic hold any weight in the supplements aisle?

SupplySide West

Extent of confusion about “natural” continues as trade group works to define the term

22-Oct-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

The term “natural” is an extremely effective marketing claim that taps into one of the hottest current trends in food and beverage, but because it is not defined, it leaves consumers confused and companies vulnerable to false claims allegations.

Expo East in review

OTA aims to align supply, demand and farming profitability of organic by 2030

24-Sep-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Sales of organic are skyrocketing in the U.S. with demand often outstripping supply, but the Organic Trade Association has a plan to bring into balance by 2030 the market growth, acreage growth and farming profitability of organic.

Market demand drives Country Life's push for Non GMO Project Verified certification

21-Sep-2015 By Hank Schultz

Country Life Vitamins has joined the ranks of supplement companies that have achieved a non GMO Project Verifed certification. Getting there wasn’t easy, but the effort has become necessary because of the rising demands of consumers, the company said.

Food brands, non profits offered chance to engage with hundreds of bloggers at upcoming event

10-Aug-2015 By Hank Schultz

An event in late September will bring natural and organic food brands and thought leaders together with hundreds of bloggers. It’s the first such event of its kind, organizers said.

Pompeo’s GMO labeling act gets House Agriculture Committee approval

17-Jul-2015 By Stephen Daniells

Efforts to prevent state and local governments from mandating GMO labeling cleared an early hurdle with House Agriculture Committee’s approval this week of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act.

Rice-based excipients can boost organic, non-GMO claims for supplements

07-Jul-2015 By Hank Schultz

Non GMO product positioning continues to gain importance in the marketplace, but the search for compliant excipients still complicates the claim for supplements. A suite of ingredients that will be on display next week in Chicago can help.

Whole Foods Market will enter value ring with new price sensitive chain in 2016

08-May-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Unable to shake its reputation for being notoriously expensive, Whole Foods Market is changing tack to appeal to less affluent millennials with the launch of a new value-focused chain.

Hain Celestial execs predict organic, natural products will continue to grow 3 to 5 more years

10-Nov-2014 By Elizabeth Crawford

Mainstream retailers that have been slow to take up the natural and organic product mantle now are realizing the trend is not a flash-in-the-pan and are scrambling to stock more healthy options, which is good news for Hain Celestial, company executives...

Going non GMO in supplements is worth the effort, sources say

24-Oct-2014 By Hank Schultz

The November elections draw nearer featuring numerous state ballot initiatives requiring the mandatory labeing of genetically modified ingredients. While this is an issue with clear fault lines in the food realm, the question of non GMO positioning is...

Food Justice Certified label aims to verify fair treatment of farm laborers, others in food chain

26-Sep-2014 By Hank Schultz

After a years long pilot process, the new label Food Justice Certified is ready for market. The new designation aims to do what the USDA Organic Certification does not, and that is to verify that in every link of the food chain there is fair treatment...

Organic/natural acquisitions allow the food industry to align CSR messages with product portfolio: Euromonitor

22-Sep-2014 By Stephen DANIELLS

Desires to align product portfolios with messages of corporate social responsibility are driving some of the M&A activity regarding organic and natural companies, says Euromonitor International.

Natural Grocers continues expansion in face of increased competition

12-Aug-2014 By Hank Schultz

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, a regional health food store chain based in Colorado, reported strong results in its third quarter of fiscal 2014 that included expanding the company’s footprint.

Non-GMO not necessarily organic, and other GMO myths busted: OTA

20-Jun-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

With all the attention GMOs have received in recent months—good and bad—confusion in the marketplace has inevitably followed, as consumers scramble to make sense of the pro- and anti-camps’ arguments and product manufactures scramble to keep track of...

Guest article: Mischa Popoff, author, Is it Organic?

GUEST ARTICLE: Phantom menace of GMOs keeps organic industry off target

15-May-2014 By Mischa Popoff

I worked for five years as a USDA-contract organic inspector after growing up on an organic grain farm in Saskatchewan. I had the pleasure of inspecting over 500 organic farms and processors, but I began questioning this career path when I realized the...

Special edition: Organic & Non-GMO

The organic food industry has been engaged in a 'multi-decade public disinformation campaign', claims report

21-Apr-2014 By Elaine WATSON

Consumers have spent years paying over the odds for organic foods based on the erroneous belief - promulgated by stakeholders with a vested interest - that they are healthier and safer than their conventional counterparts, claims a controversial new report.

Probiotics, enzymes, and fiber are the ingredient categories to watch for M&A: NCN CEO

10-Apr-2014 By Stephen DANIELLS

After much consolidation in the fish oil sector, probiotics, enzymes, and fiber could be the ingredient categories to watch moving forward for M&A activity, says the CEO of the Nutrition Capital Network.

Expo West highlights: ‘Unless you've literally pulled it out of the ground yourself and stuck it in a box, don't call it all-natural’

17-Mar-2014 By Elaine WATSON

If it’s in the natural channel today, it could be in food, drug and mass merchandise stores tomorrow, so food and beverage trend-spotters were out in force at the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim on March 6-9.

Insights from Expo West 2014

From ancient wisdom to the new transparency: Trend spotting at Expo West

12-Mar-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

The natural products market continues to grow and achieve scale, reaching $150 billion last year and projected to hit $226 billion by 2018—with 68% of that coming from food and beverage products, according to the Nutrition Business Journal.

Partnership on organic vitamin C part of its transparency mission, MegaFood says

18-Feb-2014 By Hank Schultz

MegaFood, a leading manufacurer of whole food supplements, has teamed up with an organic orange juice supplier for a ‘grove to tablet’ line of vitamin C supplements.

US organic food market to grow 14% from 2013-18

03-Jan-2014 By Stephen DANIELLS

Solid growth for the US organic food market is expected to continue until 2018, according to a new report that puts a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14% on the sector.

NSF joins Non-GMO Project

26-Sep-2013 By Maggie Hennessy

As consumer and retailer demand for third party-verified non-GMO product labels shows no signs of slowing, NSF International announced that it will join the Non-GMO Project as a technical administrator in early 2014.

Sales of organic products rose 13% in the year to July 6 in the US retail market, says SPINS

13-Aug-2013

Sales of organic products rose 13% to $11.2bn in the year to July 6 in the US retail market, with the highest growth found in shelf-stable meats, poultry and seafood (+61%); followed by baby food (+34%); and shelf-stable functional beverages (+33%); according...

Market-driven approach better than laws for GMO labeling, UNPA says

22-Jul-2013 By Hank Schultz

A market-driven approach that allows consumers to opt for foods made without genetically modified ingredients is preferable to mandatory labeling via either state or federal statutes, according to the United Natural Products Alliance.

Organic sector pinched by GMO tainting in seed and feed, Organic Valley CEO says

28-Feb-2013 By Hank Schultz

Organic Valley recently announced a plan to distribute more than $1 million in grants to fund research, education and advocacy on the production of organic foods. The grants have long term goals and a near term objective, with one of the biggest individual...