(Courtesy of The New York Times)

While organic food continues to explode in popularity and is increasingly becoming the food that everyone wants to eat – even Walmart and Target are boosting their organic options – the support for organic continues to erode at its most important levels.

Our government is trying to decimate organic by chipping away at federal organic standards. Namely, the USDA has undermined the intent of the National Organic Program by altering the incredibly important Sunset Rule, which would make it much easier for specially-approved synthetic ingredients to stay in organic much longer than they should.

Our President said in 2007 that he would label GMOs but has yet to do anything about this. GMOs pose an existential threat to organic, and the most powerful way to get people to stop eating this FrankenFood is to have GMOs labeled on the outside of food products. If people knew that they were eating foods that have been genetically-engineered, they would start asking questions, might avoid them altogether, and would be more inclined to eat organic.

And now we have the popular and influential food columnist of The New York Times, Mark Bittman, who, shockingly, has come out against organic and in defense of GMOs.

In his article Leave Organic Out of This, Bittman concludes that sustainable agriculture and healthier eating are the most important struggles in food, both of which have real validity.

Read more »

This past weekend I was at Green Festival NYC and had a fantastic time.

While these shows are not nearly as big as a Natural Products Expo West or Natural Products Expo East, they have definitely been gaining traction over the last few years.

More and more nationally-known organic brands are purchasing booths, and the overall number of booths is expanding as well.

What I particularly like about these shows is that they are geared toward the consumer and showcase a wide variety of eco-friendly products. Furthermore, they have fantastic seminars with some very interesting speakers. Read more »

With pressed organic juice now experiencing tremendous popularity, it seems that everyone wants a piece of the action and entrepreneurs from all over the country are quickly jumping into the juice game.

Yet, one of the pioneers of this massive trend, Denise Mari, founder of NYC’s Organic Avenue, was inspired by something other than money.

Having lost her younger sister to cancer at an early age, Denise quickly realized that she needed to live a life of real purpose and wanted to serve as an inspiration to other people.

Guided by the concept of ahimsa, which means “to do no harm”, her vegan and raw food lifestyle eventually manifested itself as Organic Avenue, and it was her goal to share her knowledge with as many individuals as possible.

Now, the publication of her just-released Organic Avenue: Recipes for Life, Made with Love* (LOVE = Live, Organic, Vegan, Experience) will allow her to do just that and reach people well beyond the confines of New York City. Read more »

Last week in NYC, I went to a fantastic event hosted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and its Executive Director, Heather White.

Not only did we get a chance to meet Heather White in person, but we were updated on the many exciting things that EWG has in the works. Read more »

Recently, I stopped by the offices of Sakara Life, the fantastic organic meal delivery service based here in NYC.

Even though I have known co-founders Danielle DuBoise and Whitney Tingle for a few years, I hadn’t fully researched their company until now. And what a huge mistake that was because it is an incredibly impressive operation with delicious food.

Currently, Sakara Life is delivering fully-prepared, 100% organic, gluten-free, plant-based meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) to customers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. The service will eventually be expanded to other parts of the country, with California on the company’s near-term radar screen.

Here were a few things that I tasted. Read more »

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I have curated a wide variety of the best and most interesting organic gift ideas that I could find.

And it just so happens that they come from many of my favorite organic companies.

SWEET GIFT BOX BY ONE LUCKY DUCK

Having daily access to One Lucky Duck is reason enough to live in NYC.

But not to worry if you don’t live here because One Lucky Duck has you covered. They will ship your Valentine a box of organic, gluten-free, vegan, raw cookies, brownies, and chocolate to anywhere in the country. Read more »

Most people would probably say that choosing the best farmers market in the country would be based on selection, prices, quantity, how much is organic, crowds, and overall experience.

For me, it is much more simple.

Which farmers market will dictate my entire travel schedule just so I can be there for it? Read more »