(To follow my day-to-day organic food adventures, please be sure to add me on Snapchat: maxorganic)

Last week in New York City, I attended the Fancy Food Show 2016, one of the best food shows of the year.

While it is not an organic food show per se, there is an increasing amount of organic vendors and I would estimate that about 15-20% of the booths there do offer some type of organic product.  Read more »

(To follow my day-to-day organic food adventures, please be sure to follow me on Snapchat: maxorganic)

While there are many reasons why we should support organic food, we now have yet another one: organic boosts local economies.

In a new study by the Organic Trade Association called U.S Organic Hotspots and their Benefit to Local Economies, it has been found that organic food and crop production – and the business activities accompanying organic agriculture – creates real and long-lasting regional economic opportunities. Read more »

Following in the footsteps of Campbell’s Soup, General Mills has just announced that it will label all GMOs in its products.

In its press release, the company says that with Vermont’s GMO-labeling bill going into effect on July 1st, it wouldn’t make sense to label GMOs in its products just for that state. So, whatever GMO-labeling requirements that Vermont will mandate, General Mills will put those same labels on its products for every state in the country. Read more »

When people get into a debate about whether organic food is worth it or not, the first issue that always comes up is price.

While organic can cost a little more, there are numerous ways to make it less expensive.

Yet, what is often missing in this discussion is how organic is so much better for the planet.

And this is something that absolutely must be part of the narrative as to why organic is the superior choice, particularly because the global food system is responsible for 44-57% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Read more »

Just the other day, Michael Pollan, arguably the most well-known food writer in the country, debuted his new film In Defense of Food.

And when I asked a handful of other people if they had seen it, the immediate response I got was “I’ve read the book”, implying that there was no need to watch this movie.

While it is true that many, many of us have read the book, this film is definitely worth seeing. Here is why. Read more »

One of the most popular and beloved brands in the organic food industry, Harmless Harvest, surprised us with a Christmas gift that none of us wanted to receive – news that it has temporarily halted the bottling of its prized coconut water.

If you go to the company’s website, there is a long letter from the new CEO, Giannella Alvarez, eloquently saying many different things including that:

We have recently received a letter from the FDA requesting we comply with additional quality criteria to ensure consumers receive an added layer of product quality and safety from delivery into their hands.

The letter from the FDA said that there were serious violations of the company’s Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan and that “spores of Clostridium botulinum have demonstrated the ability to germinate and grow in low acid juices (such as coconut juice), producing toxin.”

According to the World Health Organization, Clostridium botulinum is a bacterium that produces dangerous toxins (botulinum toxins) under low-oxygen conditions, which can result in death.

In retrospect, this news about Harmless Harvest is not a huge surprise. Why? Read more »

Looking back on 2015, we have had some real wins, such as Agent Orange Corn being rejected by the EPA, and some real losses, such as GE-salmon being approved by the FDA.

As we enter a new year, there is a tremendous amount at stake and these are the top 5 organic food news stories that I’ll be keeping a close eye on in 2016.

GMO LABELING IN VERMONT / DARK ACT

While these are two separate issues, they are deeply connected.

In the summer of 2016, Vermont’s mandatory GMO-labeling bill is scheduled to go into effect. If this actually happens, it will be a watershed moment for the organic movement. Read more »