A group of 83 farmers, representing, non-GMO seed producers are suing the biotech giant Monsanto in an effort to get them to stop suing farmers. The plaintiffs in the suit are led by the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) and their complaint is aimed at Monsanto’s so-called “seed police,” whose strong-arm tactics include suing farmers for patent infringement any time pollen or seeds from a farm growing GMO plants nearby drifted onto their land.

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I’m always happy to read about eco-news and especially around the holidays, good news just seems to sound better. You would hardly think to associate China with organic food but that is exactly what is happening, with organic food gaining popularity within the country. According to an article in China Daily, one of the top growers [...]

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3p is proud to partner with the Presidio Graduate School’s Managerial Marketing course on a blogging series about “sustainable marketing.” This post is part of that series. To follow along, please click here. By Michael Schimaneck Anyone with an ear to the ground of domestic agriculture has probably heard the sound of the Western Corn [...]

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This post examines the shortcomings of the organic food movement, such as making it more accessible and fun, and compares it to the challenges faced by sustainability advocates.

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By Derek Singleton Over the last couple of decades, the organic food industry has grown by leaps and bounds. According to a survey published by the Organic Trade Association, revenue in 2009 was 25 times greater than what it was in 1990. Although the industry has experienced explosive revenue growth, organic food is still only [...]

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Results of a new study shows that poultry raised on farms that have moved from conventional to organic practices and have stopped using antibiotics have significantly lower levels of antibiotic- and multi-drug resistant enterococci bacteria.

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Indonesia Organic is a business based on social and non-profit entrepreneurship. The idea behind it is to centralize agriculture sales for small farmers, so buyers have an easer time finding them. The website also connects stakeholders in the organic value chain and provides information. As of 2010, Indonesia Organic has had up to 500 visits a day from [...]

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The local food movement has has been gathering steam for the last few years. Time magazine put local food on its cover in 2007 and since then Walmart and Chipotle have both pledged to include more locally sourced food available to their customers. A few days ago a man in Burlington, Vt was arrested for [...]

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This post is part of a series on Stakeholder Engagement sponsored by Jurat Software. I’m sure that when Whole Foods’ executives saw for the first time the YouTube video ‘Whole Foods Parking Lot (see the video below)’ they were relieved. This self-mocking parody on a shopper at Whole Foods, they’ve learned, is very funny and [...]

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U.S organic food sales now total $25 billion according to the Organic Trade Association’s 2010 Organic Industry Survey. This represents a 20% annual sales growth since 1990. But there are two challenges confronting organic food sales: One is the retail price of organic food. Organic food typically costs more. And in this recessionary economy that [...]

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By Julie Graham Diabetes and obesity are on the rise.  We’ve all heard it.  Countless news articles and medical journals say so.  In fact, it’s not just on the rise, it is insidiously reaching epidemic status among the American population at such an alarming rate that is becoming the norm.  Translated, blood sugar levels are [...]

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At the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim the exotic is now mainstream. Guatemalan hats, hippie skirts, and copper bracelets of yesteryear were replaced by business suits, briefcases, and blue tooth ear pieces. The Expo’s main hall were full of men and women yakking into smart phones while pulling sleek rollaway bags, and who would look more comfortable on Wall Street instead of Nature’s Path.

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When it comes to the subject of fair trade, folks might conjure up images of products like chocolate from Ghana, coffee from Guatemala, quinoa from Bolivia or tea from India.  Farmer Direct Cooperative (FDC) is trying to bring that kind of association of fair trade to North America, promoting what they call ‘domestic’ fair trade.  [...]

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Are you looking for a business strategy to spark your revenue growth? Or maybe you are looking for a job within a growth industry that would also enable you to contribute toward making the world a little better place to live in? One market segment to consider is organic foods. The organic food industry has [...]

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Sunflower Farmers Market was launched in 2002 with the slogan “Serious Food…Silly Prices!” having grown from one to 32 stores within six years and now covering six southwest markets in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Texas and New Mexico.  The successful chain’s current plan is to expand into California at the beginning of 2011, the first [...]

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The global market for organic food & drink is recovering from the economic slowdown, with revenues projected to approach $60 billion this year. Although growth has slowed from previous years, revenues have expanded over three-fold from $18 billion in 2000. In its new Global Organic Food & Drink Market report, Organic Monitor finds that global [...]

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Fishy Farm out of Hillsboro, Oregon has created both an indoor and outdoor aquaponic-horticulture-vermiculture system that can grow food and raise fish all within the comfort of your humble abode or backyard.  While non profits like Growing Power and businesses like Sweet Water Organics have brought aquaponics into the limelight on a larger, more industrial [...]

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By Amarjit Sahota Retailer private labels are capitalizing on consumer demand for organic foods. New research finds that private labels are showing healthy sales increases in the current business climate, while some brands are reporting sluggish growth. In its upcoming report on the Global Market for Organic Food & Drink, Organic Monitor finds the lines [...]

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Rishi Tea, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is one of the first tea companies to embrace fair trade. Its founder, Joshua Kaiser, figured that the same aficionado who enjoyed good wines and had a discerning palate for coffee would enjoy unique varieties of teas available around the world.

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By Matthew Green, Outreach and Media Coordinator, California Climate and Agriculture Network With three weeks to Election Day, one of the most widely watched initiatives on the ballot is Proposition 23, which pits oil company interests against the possibility of a clean, green energy future for California. By now you probably know that most of [...]

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At the Northwest corner of Park Avenue and 53rd street in New York City, you will find a totally different yet refreshing kind of food cart. This unique “Organic Cart NYC” not only serves certified-organic food, but it is powered using free energy from the sun. This new twist on street food is a pilot [...]

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Scott Jensen, co-founder and CEO of Rhythm Superfoods, discusses the challenges of running a sustainable startup as well as changing consumer behavior toward nutrition. Our nation faces a massive health crisis and nutrition (or lack thereof) is a core element of the issue. What if there was a food that delivered an extraordinary nutritional benefit [...]

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The farmers’ market was absolutely packed this past Saturday. Of course, it was my own fault for getting up so late… If you’re not there by 7:00 a.m., you have to maneuver through the flocks of hungover hipsters that always seem to congregate around the Thai food stand that displays deep-fried spring rolls like delicate [...]

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The Chinese have surpassed the Japanese in the consumption of organic food. Estimates suggest that the organic food market in China is worth US$1.5 billion, a four-fold increase from five years ago.

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The food foraging trend has hit North America. Last week we featured a Bay Area forager who churns and sells jams made from her neighbors’ fruit trees; she has a counterpart in Santa Cruz as well. Up north, more Canadian entrepreneurs are harvesting foods that have become more popular among chefs and foodies.

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Fair trade has come a long way in a short time, the most visible face of it being coffee. No longer the provence of niche coffee shops, Wal-Mart, Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonalds all offer Fair Trade options. So it was interesting when I heard from Martin Barrett of Portland Roasting that they now go beyond [...]

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By Celeste LeCompte If you live in just about any city in the U.S., you’ve probably noticed an uptick in enthusiasm for all things street food. In San Francisco, that craze encompasses everything from bacon-wrapped hot dogs and empanadas to waffles and creme brulee, but Koji Kanematsu and Kan Hasegawa think they’ve got the next [...]

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By Lesley Lammers for the Green Chamber of Commerce The average American farmer is 57 years old. Only one percent of our population actually declares their main occupation to be farming.   While such  stats show that most of the nation’s farmers are getting old and gray, there is an emergence of young people interested in [...]

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by Amy Westervelt For most small businesspeople, getting a product into a store like Whole Foods is a dream. But if you’re a one-woman show like Zella’s Soulful Kitchen, that dream could lead to insomnia. Started in 2005, Zella’s Soulful Kitchen was meant to be a catering business that would eventually grow into a restaurant. [...]

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This is the  9th post in a series on the business of sustainable agriculture by the folks at Bon Appétit Management Company, a company that provides café and catering services to corporations, colleges and universities. To read the earlier posts, click here. By Dayna Burtness I never knew that I had such a deep desire [...]

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