Organic Insider Newsletter Archive

A recently released report from the USDA Economic Research Department, which sheds light on the eating and shopping habits of Millennials, provides important information to the organic food industry. Namely, there is a big distribution opportunity that it is ignoring.

Even though there are plenty of things still to achieve in the organic industry, 2017 did provide many, many positive developments. We take a look at what went well, what key milestones were accomplished and some of my personal highlights from 2017.

The first-ever Regenerative Earth Summit: Food+Climate+Culture was held in Colorado last week. Here is a full recap of what took place and the major themes discussed.

In a report by The International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems and The Global Alliance for the Future of Food, the case is made that the industrial food system is largely to blame for our "staggering" health care costs, which includes the $760 billion yearly cost of obesity and $673 billion yearly cost of diabetes. Learn how the...

With the USDA announced that it had completed a months-long investigation of Aurora and closed the complaint, saying that the USDA found no "clear and substantive evidence that the existing organic regulations" on grazing were violated. According to The Washington Post, the USDA said it reviewed grazing records from last year but did not share...

After 30 years at The New York Times, food business reporter Stephanie Strom has stepped down. Widely regarded as the most influential journalist in the space, Stephanie talks about what it was like to cover the sector from inside the NYT, if she faced any pressure to cover GMOs in a certain way, and what companies should know when pitching...

This past weekend, I was in Pennsylvania for a farm tour and to attend the 7th annual Organic Pioneer Awards dinner at the Rodale Institute. In all of my years covering the organic industry, this was one of the most special days that I have experienced. If you've never been to Rodale and you love organic, absolutely make a visit to this place....

As the Internet was abuzz last week with prices at Whole Foods down by as much as 43%, let’s remember one thing -- there is no free lunch. In today's Organic Insider, we take a look at what this margin pressure means for the industry and how competitors, such as Lidl, are making lower prices work.

With organic and natural personal care category exploding, Indie Beauty Expo is my favorite showcase for learning what is new and interesting in the space. Here is the best of what I found at last week's show in New York City.

As one of the most important and beloved leaders in the organic food industry, John Foraker stepped down last week from Annie's, and the news caught a lot of us by shock. In tody's column, I spoke with John and he gave us some clues as to what is coming next.

Armed with $50 million from Silicon Valley venture capitalists, Brandless sells organic and Non-GMO food and household items, almost all of which are $3. With this powerful new entrant into the market, there is a lot that brands can learn from this company.