Organic Processing Magazine and Organic Trade Association Partner for Education Track
Attendees of the All Things Organic 2009 Conference and Trade Show will have the chance to experience the Organic Ingredients/Processors Educational Track sponsored by Organic Processing Magazine and the Organic Trade Association. The Conference will take place June 16-18 at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL. Listed below are some of the topics to be covered.
Organic 101: Hot Organic Ingredient Trends
Keep ahead of the curve! Ingredient suppliers and processors will learn together about hot new trends in organic ingredients in this session, led by experts from Organic Processing Magazine. Functional foods, fair trade products, and new developments in minor ingredients will be discussed with an eye toward producing enticing and authentic organic products with consumer-friendly labels.
Global Marketplace, Global Supply Chain
How global is the organic supply chain? What is known about the movement of organic products into and out of North America? Featuring the latest information from USDA’s Economic Research Service, you’ll learn from our panel of speakers what to pay attention to, what you are accountable for at your level of the supply chain, how to ensure the quality of the inputs you buy, and how to responsibly sell surplus. Whether you buy or sell organic ingredients or products, this is a timely discussion you don’t want to miss.
Innovation and Collaboration in Sustainable Packaging
Learn about the latest innovations in sustainable packaging solutions. You’ll hear about new options and best practices from those companies that are partnering to craft functional new products and create demand for eco-packaging throughout the industry. Leave with a broader understanding of the options available and some great ideas on how to invent new custom packaging solutions to suit your needs.
Promises and Pitfalls of Private Label
In today’s economy, the convergence of consumers seeking to live their values while stretching their dollars to get the best quality for the price has set the stage for even greater growth in organic private label. Hear panelists share their perspectives on and experiences with the three basic approaches to private label: “beat ‘em, join ‘em, or co-exist with ‘em.” Whether your company makes private label products or competes with them, this session will give you timely insight and advice you need to make an informed decision about how to successfully maneuver through the private label landscape.
Visit www.organicexpo.com for more details or to registers visit www.RegisterNowChicago.com.
Upcoming Events at the Nation’s Capital
OTA 2009 Policy Conference & Hill Visit Day
On March 25 and 26, hear directly from Capitol Hill and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on policies affecting organic production and processing and visit members of Congress and their staffs on the Hill. Be a part of the organic industry’s voice asking for key appropriations in support of organic. Sign up early as registration is limited. For more details, contact Tim Callahan at the Organic Trade Association
413.376.1217.
National Organic Standards Board Meeting
Plan to attend the next National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting, held May 4-6, 2009 in Washington, D.C. This is a chance to be directly involved with the organic regulation rule making process as the board openly debates on issues that will impact the industry and consumers. The organic industry and community at large is invited to sign up to speak during the public comment sessions and contribute research and thoughts on issues that are important to them. The meeting will be held at the Washington Plaza Hotel and there is a block of rooms available at a group rate until April 3, 2009. Call 202.842.1300 for reservations and ask for the USDA group rate.
Consumers Still Purchasing Sustainable Products
The Hartman Group’s new report, “Sustainability: The Rise of Consumer Responsibility” finds that 62 percent of consumers say that current economic conditions have had no impact on their purchase of sustainable products and 13 percent are buying more sustainable products now. The report is based on consumer surveys and interviews conducted in September/October of 2008. According to Hartman, “In many ways, the term ‘sustainability’ has become synonymous with responsibility for consumers. It’s seen as just ‘doing the right thing.’ When consumers are forced to make tradeoffs, sustainable categories typically remain consistently purchased as consumers perceive them to still be the most important to their quality of life.”
Organic, “Green” Blue Jeans Now Sold in Major Big Box Retailers
Jeans certified to organic standards for both fiber production and dye processing are now available on a volume scale online and at Wal-Mart (“Faded Glory”) and Kmart (“Route 66”). Greensource, one of the nation’s largest suppliers of branded and private-label, organic cotton apparel, is launching three lines (men’s, women’s, and children’s) of fashion-forward yet affordable organic cotton jeans, enabling consumers to buy products with a similar look to premium jeans, but with less impact both on the environment and the pocketbook.
The jeans are not only made with organically grown cotton but are also processed according to the new Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) which prohibits the use of toxic dyes and finishing agents, including lead and phthalates. Test quantities of the products already sold successfully in the 4th quarter of 2008 at Macy’s (“Greensource”), Kohl’s (“ReGen”), Wal-Mart (“Faded Glory”) and Kmart (“Route 66”), and based on the success of those sales, Greensource is now launching major quantities at the volume retailers.
Currently, U.S. organic regulations only pertain to the production of the organic fiber, such as cotton. GOTS was agreed to in 2006, but the logo and guidelines were only announced last summer. All five of Greensource’s manufacturing facilities were certified to GOTS by Control Union between 2007 and 2008, making them some of the first mills worldwide to gain certification.
As a result of the wide variety of environmental and social initiatives Greensource supports, Apparel magazine in March announced that the company was one of five Sustainability All-Star award recipients. Initiatives forming the basis of the award including the building of schools for its organic cotton farmers’ children, wastewater and fabric recycling, packaging recycling and reduction, and a traceability program that verifies organic sourcing through all stages, from field to shelf. The winners will be officially an-nounced at Apparel’s Tech Conference West in California at the end of March.
New “Made with Organic” Ingredients Standard for Personal Care Products Adopted as American National Standard
NSF International, an independent, nonprofit standards development organization, recently announced that the standard that “NSF/ANSI 305: Made with Organic Personal Care Products” was adopted as an American National Standard. NSF/ANSI 305 is the first and only American National Standard that allows labeling and marketing requirements for personal care products labeled “made with organic.” NSF/ANSI 305 is also the only consensus-based standard for “made with organic” personal care products, which means it was developed based on balanced participation from key stakeholder groups, including organic personal care manufacturers, trade associations, regulators, organic program administrators, organic product retailers, and other stakeholders from the organic products community.
The new standard allows “made with organic” claims for products with organic content of 70 percent or more that comply with all other requirements of the standard. Products covered by the standard include rinse-off and leave-on personal care and cosmetic products, as well as oral care and personal hygiene products. This new standard establishes materials, processes, production criteria and conditions specifically for made with organic personal care products. The NSF 305 personal care logo will identify personal care products that have achieved certification to the standard.
New Joint Kosher Organic Auditing Program
STAR-K Certification and Quality Assurance International (QAI) recently launched a new joint kosher and organic auditing program. The joint auditing program streamlines the auditing process and reduces overall certification costs. To accomplish this, a number of STAR-K kosher inspectors are now trained organic inspectors. These two intersecting trends have given rise to a flourishing new specialty food category—kosher organic. There has been a major impact on sales of these doubly certified products, and Mintel research data indicates that, in 2008, both “kosher” and “organic” were among the top ten claims for new products.
