Organic Insider Newsletter Archive

With The Cornucopia Institute having just released a blockbuster report on fraudulent imported organic grains, we take a look at who is responsible for this situation, how it can be rectified, and how it will impact the integrity of organic.

The 2017 U.S. organic industry sales figures were just reported last week, and the sector's 6.4% growth was described as "maturing." Having trouble accepting that "maturing" is the right word, I take a look at what exactly the numbers were showing, what might be missing, and the risk that the industry is facing.

Despite the outcry from many people in the industry that the organic checkoff was rejected by the USDA, support for this program was absolutely not unanimous. I discuss how the rejection of the checkoff could actually present a result far better than anyone could have imagined.

As the organic food industry continues to experience rapid growth and with more companies entering the space each year, the sector is also facing numerous challenges, particularly on the regulatory level. Wanting to get a sense of how my fellow colleagues view the industry, I asked several of them to share an opinion, insight or observation about...

With American organic farmers suffering hundreds of millions of dollars in losses, all due to fraudulent imports, the USDA refuses to get proactive enough to stop the bleeding. And the longer we wait for the USDA to do something, the more damaged will be caused to the organic seal.

What are the major trends in the organic pet food world? Sarah Goldberger, founder of Lord Jameson, one of the hottest brands in the industry today, gives us the scoop. And it's some fascinating insight.

In the organic food industry, competition from private label brands is coming fast and furious. Here are five strategies to make sure you are well-positioned for this shift in market dynamics.

Within a very short period of time, pressed juice has become one of the highest-profile categories in the organic sector, largely because many people view it as an essential daily component of their health routine. Yet, there are conflicting signals as to whether the growth in the category is still strong or has flattened. In this week's Organic...

In what may have been unimaginable in the past, brands are now pushing back against Whole Foods. We take a look at why this is happening and how the company's proposed merchandising policy is impacting the entire industry.

I recently attended the BioNutrient Food Association conference in Massachusetts, and the technology that is emerging from this group could disrupt organic farming -- and benefit consumers -- in a way that we have never seen before. It is an approach unlike anything that I have ever seen before.

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.

Meant as an alternative to the Organic Trade Association and viewed as a vehicle to give small organic farmers representation in Washington, D.C., the Organic Farmers Association is an important development in our industry. I check in with Kate Mendenhall, Executive Director of the OFA, who gives me an update on where things stand.

In an Organic Insider alert, the iconic organic yogurt company Stonyfield has been sold to French-owned Lactalis for $875M.

Amazon's announcement that it would purchase Whole Foods for $14 billion was blockbuster news. So, I approached three former senior executives at Whole Foods, who, combined, have many decades of experience not only at the company but also in the natural products industry, and posed the following question to them: "You have five minutes,...