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.

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,...

With retailing giant Amazon now owning Whole Foods, I discuss what this sale means for the organic industry and explore possible scenarios. Also, recent coverage in the Washington Post about organic gives a reason to be somewhat optimistic.

With the recently released 2016 OTA report about the size of the organic industry, we saw growth of U.S organic food sales from 2015 to 2016 of 8.4%, down from 11% from the year before. We take a look at what caused this slowdown.

What has transpired in the organic industry over the last month is cause for serious concern and should force all of us to acknowledge that we need to start doing things differently. While consumer demand for organic has never been stronger, the underpinnings of our industry are fraying at the seams. Here is what has taken place and what I think...

With organic food already mainstream and organic beauty products gaining serious traction, organic clothing is the next frontier. And given that fashion is an environmental disaster, with its highly toxic dyes and the massive problems with genetically-modified cotton, particularly in India, we desperately need organic clothing to take hold. That...

Greg Fleishman, co-founder of Purely Righteous Brands and the most sought-after brand building consultant in the organic food industry today, talks about what it takes to successfully launch a product and how brands fail to develop a strong identity.

As we enter the second week of Jana Partners and its allies acquiring a near 9% stake in the company, a few interesting developments have been revealed. However, a significant flaw in the hedge fund's strategy remains.

Yesterday, it was disclosed that activist hedge fund Jana Partners and several allies have taken a 9% stake in Whole Foods Market, and The Wall Street Journal reported that Jana “wants the chain to improve its technology and operations to better compete with larger rivals, shake up its board and find out how much a potential bidder might be...

In breaking news, CNBC and other outlets are reporting that activist hedge fund Jana Partners has taken a 9% stake in Whole Foods Market. The question now is: will the company be put on the auction block?

This past week, French-based Danone announced it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to sell its entire stake in Stonyfield, a requisite to get approval for its $12.5 billion acquisition of WhiteWave Foods. We take a look at potential suitors and how Stonyfield could expand its product line.

For my commentary this week, I talk about the number one mistake that I see many organic food companies making and bring in one of the sharpest and most innovative minds that I know -- Zak Normandin, former founder of Little Duck Organics and is now the founder of Dirty Lemon (not organic). His beverage company does 100% of its sales online and...