The U.S. Department of Agriculture has appointed Dr. Barry Flamm to fill an environmentalist position on the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to serve a five-year term, running Jan. 24 through Jan. 24, 2013. He has a doctorate in ecology, serves as an environmental and natural resources consultant and owned and operated a certified organic fruit orchard in Montana. He has also served as an adjunct professor in environmental studies at the University of Missoula.

Sunflower Farmers Markets, organic and natural supermarket chain is expanding in Utah, a new market for Sunflower, as well as their home state of Colorado. Sunflower’s two new Utah stores will be located in Murray and Orem, UT. In addition, Sunflower will expand in Colorado, as they have signed two leases in Littleton and Aurora. This announcement comes just weeks after Sunflower announced completion of a $30 million venture capital deal, which will fund future growth.

Domenick Luccarelli recently joined A.M. Todd as the director of business development for organic ingredients and flavors. Luccarelli will be responsible for updating and implementing A.M. Todd’s strategy for key aspects of their organic offerings. Domenick brings more than 30 years of experience at some of the largest global flavor/fragrance companies, as well as an extensive background in flavor chemistry, sales management, and business development.

Honest Tea, the nation’s leading organic bottled tea manufacturer, recently announced that Coca-Cola purchased a 40 percent share of the company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution pegged the price at $40 million, with the option to buy a larger stake in the future.