All Things Organic to Co-Locate With Expo Comida Latina and All Asia Food June 16-18, 2009 in Chicago
The Organic Trade Association (OTA), in partnership with Diversified Business Communications, announced it will co-locate its 2009 All Things Organic Conference and Trade Show with two of Diversified’s Cultural Food brand events—Expo Comida Latina and All Asia Food. The show will take place June 16-18, 2009 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

“This is an exciting time to be involved in the organic and ethnic and specialty product sectors, particularly as organic and specialty/ethnic foods are the two fastest-growing segments of retail food sales,” said David Gagnon, OTA’s interim executive director.
According to the Organic Trade Association’s 2007 Manufacturer Survey, overall U.S. organic product sales, including both food and non-food products, are estimated to have reached $21.2 billion in 2007, and are projected to surpass $25 billion in 2008. And ethnic food is also growing—more than 70 percent of U.S. households are buying authentic ethnic food and beverage products today. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanic and Asian Americans will make up 33 percent of the U.S. population by the year 2050. Packaged Facts, meanwhile, has projected Hispanic and Asian markets to top $7 billion and $4 billion, respectively, in sales by 2009.

According to The Natural Marketing Institute, Hispanic and Asian consumers are more interested in organic foods than is the general population, and are more likely to seek out stores that carry organic foods. More than 50 percent of surveyed Hispanic Americans buy organic products to better their health, improve the environment and support local farmers. The co-location of the three shows will bring the certified organic and ethnic food and beverage markets together in one focused event to deliver the latest trends and showcase new and innovative products.

The All Things Organic Conference and Trade Show will mark its ninth year in 2009. Presented by OTA and Diversified Business Communications, the show has grown from 100 exhibitors in the 2001 inaugural event in Austin, TX, to over 600 booths of organic products and services and a buying audience of 12,000 in 2008. OTA and Diversified Business Communications are developing additional opportunities for the co-location in Chicago. Look for more information as it becomes available.


Organic Center Offers Rebuttal to Controversial Review
This summer, the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), an organization that according to the Congressional Quarterly’s Public Interest Profiles receives major funding from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, issued a critique of a report The Organic Center released earlier this year. This report from the Center, entitled, “New Evidence Confirms the Nutritional Superiority of Plant-Based Organic Foods,” reviewed over 97 well designed studies and found that across 11 components in food, the organic samples were, on average 25 percent more nutrient dense than the conventional samples. (This report can be downloaded at www.organic-center.org.)

In the ACSH critique, Dr. Joseph Rosen of Rutgers University questions the Center’s findings, seeking to debunk any efforts to establish organic as a healthier choice.
In response to this critique, the five co-authors of the Center’s report issued a rebuttal. This is now available on the Center’s website at www.organic-center.org/science.latest.php.
Excerpts include:

“The ACSH report by Dr. Joseph Rosen seems to accept, and does not argue with the factors we identified to screen published nutrient content studies for scientific validity. But as he goes through our report, he criticizes us for ‘cherry-picking’ results, excluding matched pairs where the results favor conventional food. However,  he misrepresents our methodology and offers inconsistent and illogical suggestions to correct what he perceives as ‘bias’ in our selection of matched pairs used to compare nutrient concentrations. 

“We applied the screening method and selection criteria consistently, and in fact eliminated more results favoring the organic food in a matched pair than the conventional food. Without our screening methods and criteria, the nutritional advantage of organic food would have been greater.”


Second Annual Organic Summit Calls for Collaboration
Two hundred of the organic industry’s top stakeholders, from a fourth-generation organic peach farmer to Coca-Cola executives, engaged in the working forum of the 2008 Organic Summit (www.theorganicsummit.com) held in Boulder, Colo., June 25th through the 27th.

This year’s conference addressed issues around food justice, supply and accessibility and the challenges facing both small- and large-scale organic farms. The intimate gathering was produced by New Hope Natural Media, a division of Penton Media, in partnership with the nonprofit Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF).

“The organic community still faces a number of challenges—scale of operation and profitability of organic farming—but the different perspectives that used to divide us pale in comparison to what now unites us,” said Bob Scowcroft, executive director of OFRF.

“What I was pleased to observe was the consensus that the multiple benefits that arise out of organic practices can provide solutions to some of the world’s major social issues—from climate change to current health concerns. This summit provides a platform for continuous improvement in our organic systems.”

In addition to a whole host of other sessions, the Organic Summit’s keynotes featured Daria Myers, global president of Origins, who addressed organic personal care, one of the fastest growing and most debatable organic categories. The closing keynote was given by Seth Goldman, president and TeaEO of Honest Tea, and Michael Ohmstede, senior vice president of business development for venturing and emerging brands at Coca-Cola North America. Goldman and Ohmstede discussed their recent partnership as a way to increase distribution of the organic line of tea as well as their support of supplier communities. (See Dialogue, OP’s discussion with Goldman.)

Currently, recordings from the Summit are available to attendees; however, they will be available publicly this fall. In the meantime, interested parties can contact Jylle Larder at jylle.lardaro@penton.com. The 2009 Organic Summit is set to take place June 3-5, 2009 at the Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA.


Katherine DiMatteo Elected as IFOAM’s New World Board President
Katherine DiMatteo, senior associate at Wolf, DiMatteo + Associates and former executive director of the Organic Trade Association (OTA) was recently elected president of the World Board of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) at IFOAM’s General Assembly held in Vignola, Italy.

DiMatteo says that her top priorities are for IFOAM to become a strong advocate for organic agriculture at all levels, to foster harmonization, equivalence and equitable trade, and to facilitate discussions on the future of organic. She will head the ten-member IFOAM World Board for the next three years. Other members are from Australia, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Peru, the Philippines, Switzerland, and Uganda, spanning five continents. Roberto Ugas of Peru and Urs Niggli of Switzerland were named vice presidents and with DiMatteo will comprise the IFOAM executive committee.


November is Canada’s Natural Food Month
This November, don’t miss Canada’s National Health Food Month, an annual health promotion initiative by the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA), the largest trade association for the natural and organic products industry in Canada. Part of this effort is to help raise awareness around organic products, which will be regulated starting when the Organic Products Regulations come into full force December 14, 2008. For additional information contact Natalie Cajic, communications coordinator, Canadian Health Food Association, at 416-497-6939/1-800-661-4510, ext. 234 or ncajic@chfa.ca.


Green Business Conference/Green Festival In San Francisco
On November 12th and 13th, Co-op America brings its Green Business Conference to San Francisco. Gathering together the most powerful minds in green business, the two day event offers speakers, workshops, marketing opportunities and the chance to network with others dedicated to green issues. The conference is followed by the Green Festival, the nation’s largest green consumer event, on November 14th through the 16th.