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The Growth of organic foods

         

  Demand for organic foods is primarily driven by concerns for personal health and for the environment.  Global sales for organic foods climbed by more than 170 percent since 2002 reaching more than $63 billion in 2011  while certified organic farmland remained relatively small at less than 2 percent of total farmland under production, increasing in OECD and EU countries (which account for the majority of organic production) by 35 percent for the same time period. Organic products typically cost 10 to 40% more than similar conventionally produced products, to several times the price. Processed organic foods vary in price when compared to their conventional counterparts.

While organic food accounts for 1–2% of total food production worldwide, the organic food sales market is growing rapidly with between 5 and 10 percent of the food market share in the United States according to the Organic Trade Association, significantly outpacing sales growth volume in dollars of conventional food products. World organic food sales jumped from US $23 billion in 2002 to $63 billion in 2011.

Asia

       Production and consumption of organic products is rising rapidly in Asia, and both China and India are becoming global producers of organic crops  and a number of countries, particularly China and Japan, also becoming large consumers of organic food and drink. The disparity between production and demand, is leading to a two-tier organic food industry, typified by significant and growing imports of primary organic products such as dairy and beef from Australia, Europe, New Zealand and the United States.

China

·         China’s domestic organic market is the fourth largest in the world.  The Chinese Organic Food Development Center estimated domestic sales of organic food products to be around US$500 million per annum as of 2013. This is predicted to increase by 30 percent to 50 percent in 2014.  As of 2015, organic foods made up about 1% of the total Chinese food market.  

·         China is the world’s biggest infant formula market with $12.4 billion in sales annually;  of this, organic infant formula and baby food accounted for approximately 5.5 per cent of sales in 2011. Australian organic infant formula and baby food producer Bellamy's Organic have reported that their sales in this market grew 70 per cent annually over the period 2008-2013, while Organic Dairy Farmers of Australia, reported that exports of long-life organic milk to China had grown by 20 to 30 per cent per year over the same period.

Japan

·         In 2010, the Japanese organic market was estimated to be around $1.3 billion.

       

North America

      United States

        Trader Joe's is a market leader of organic grocery stores in the United States.

·       In 2012 the total size of the organic food market in the United States

was about $30 billion (out of the total market for organic and natural consumer products being about $81 billion)

·       Organic food is the fastest growing sector of the American food industry.

·       Organic food sales have grown by 17 to 20 percent a year in the early

2000s  while sales of conventional food have grown only about 2 to 3 percent a year. The US organic market grew 9.5% in 2011, breaking the $30bn barrier for the first time, and continued to outpace sales of non-organic food.

·       In 2003 organic products were available in nearly 20,000 natural food

stores and 73% of conventional grocery stores.

·       Organic products accounted for 3.7% of total food and beverage

sales, and 11.4% of all fruit and vegetable sales in the year 2009.

·       As of 2003, two thirds of organic milk and cream and half of organic

cheese and yogurt are sold through conventional supermarkets.

·       As of 2012, most independent organic food processors in the USA

had been acquired by multinational firms.

·       In order for a product to become USDA organic certified, the farmer

cannot plant GMO seeds, livestock cannot eat plants that have GMO product in them. Farmers must provide substantial evidence showing there were no GMOs used from beginning to table.

Canada

·       Organic food sales surpassed $1 billion in 2006, accounting for 0.9%

of food sales in Canada. By 2012, Canadian organic food sales reached $3 billion.

·       Organic food sales by grocery stores were 28% higher in 2006 than in

2005.

·       British Columbians account for 13% of the Canadian population, but

purchased 26% of the organic food sold in Canada in 2006.

Europe

Denmark

·         In 2012, organic products accounted for 7.8% of the total retail consumption market in Denmark, the highest national market share in the world. Many public institutions have voluntarily committed themselves to buy some organic food and in Copenhagen 75 % of all food served in public institutions is organic. A governmental action plan initiated in 2012-2014 aims at 60 % organic food in all public institutions across the country before 2020.

Austria

·         In 2011, 7.4% of all food products sold in Austrian supermarkets (including discount stores) were organic. In 2007, 8,000 different organic products were available.

Italy

·         Since 2000, the use of some organic food is compulsory in Italian schools and hospitals. A 2002 law of the Emilia Romagna region implemented in 2005, explicitly requires that the food in nursery and primary schools (from 3 months to 10 years) must be 100% organic, and the food in meals at schools, universities and hospitals must be at least 35% organic.

Poland

·         In 2005 7 percent of Polish consumers buy food that was produced according to the EU-Eco-regulation. The value of the organic market is estimated at 50 million Euros (2006).

Romania

·         70%–80% of the local organic production, amounting to 100 million Euros in 2010, is exported. The organic products market grew to 50 million Euros in 2010.

Switzerland

·         As of 2012, 11 per cent of Swiss farms are organic. Bio Suisse (de), the Swiss organic producers' association, provides guidelines for organic farmers.

Ukraine

·         In 2009 Ukraine was in 21st place in the world by area under cultivation of organic food. Much of its production of organic food is exported and not enough organic food is available on the national market to satisfy the rapidly increasing demand. The size of the internal market demand for organic products in Ukraine was estimated at over 5 billion euros in 2011, with rapid growth projected for this segment in the future. Multiple surveys show that the majority of the population of Ukraine is willing to pay more to buy organic food. On the other hand, many Ukrainians have traditionally maintained their own garden plots, and this may result in underestimation of how much organically produced food is actually consumed in Ukraine.

·         The Law on Organic Production was passed by Ukraine's parliament in April of 2011, which in addition to traditional demands for certified organic food also banned the use of GMOs or any products containing GMOs. However, the law was not signed by the President of Ukraine and in September of 2011 it was repealed by the Verkhovna Rada itself. Attempts to pass a new law on organic food production took place throughout 2012.

United Kingdom

·         Organic food sales increased from just over £100 million in 1993/94 to £1.21 billion in 2004 (an 11% increase on 2003). In 2010, the UK sales of organic products fell 5.9% to £1.73 billion. 86% of households buy organic products, the most popular categories being dairies (30.5% of sales) and fresh fruits and vegetables (23.2% of sales). 4.2% of UK farmland is organically managed.

Cuba

·         After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, agricultural inputs that had previously been purchased from Eastern bloc countries were no longer available in Cuba, and many Cuban farms converted to organic methods out of necessity. Consequently, organic agriculture is a mainstream practice in Cuba, while it remains an alternative practice in most other countries. Although some products called organic in Cuba would not satisfy certification requirements in other countries (crops may be genetically modified, for example), Cuba exports organic citrus and citrus juices to EU markets that meet EU organic standards. Cuba's forced conversion to organic methods may position the country to be a global supplier of organic products.

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_food#Economics

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a handy guide for anyone interested in growing vegetables!

“… a handy guide for anyone interested in growing vegetables!”

                You don’t have to grow organic, but we can’t deny it’s a beautiful thing when the plants you love just love you right back. Planet Natural has developed this vegetable gardening guide to answer your biggest questions, no matter how you choose to tend your crop. Enjoy!

Why organic?

               What’s all the fuss about organic produce? When you see it stacked and misted on in the produce section, it all looks about the same. I never understood the hype.Then one day, a box full of fresh-from-the-farm veggies was loaded into my arms. An organic farm just 30 minutes away from my door was selling shares of their crops, and I signed up for a weekly delivery. I didn’t realize I’d stepped into the flourishing world of Community Supported Agriculture that’s changing the face of farming today.

              But my taste buds weren’t interested in a movement. They were hooked on the taste. I couldn’t believe the flavor bursting from mild-mannered zucchini and lowly carrots. The stuff languishing in the store just couldn’t compare.Why hadn’t anyone told me that food – vegetables, for crying out loud! – could be this fabulous?

  From:http://www.planetnatural.com/vegetable-gardening-guru/

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Building Soil

             The earth neither grows old or wears out if it is dunged. – Columella, circa 45 A.D If you want to improve your soil and make it more suitable for your vegetable garden, you first have to figure out what you’re dealing with. Is your soil sandy or clay-based? Is it too acidic or too alkaline? The way to answer these questions is to have your soil tested. There are do-it-yourself tests you can purchase or you can hire a private soil testing laboratory or your local cooperative extension office to test it. Not only will the professional soil tester tell you the composition of your soil, but the lab will usually be able to make recommendations on how to improve it.

              In addition to measuring the pH level of your soil — how acidic or alkaline it is — tests also look at how much calcium, organic matter, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium , sulfur and trace minerals it contains.

When it comes to the pH scale, neutral refers to soil with a pH of 7.0. Anything above a 7.0 is considered alkaline and anything below a 7.0 is considered acidic. Most plants prefer slightly acidic to neutral soil (from 6.0 to 7.0).

If your soil is too acidic, you need to add alkaline material, such as ground limestone. For soil that is too alkaline, you need to add something that is acidic. Most gardeners use elemental sulfur (see How To Change Your Soil’s pH).

                Once you’ve corrected the pH of your soil, you’ll also probably want to add organic matter. According to the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, “an ideal soil would have equal parts of sand (0.02 to 2.0 millimeters), silt (0.002 to 0.02 millimeters) and clay (0 to 0.002 millimeters) and contain about 5 percent organic matter.”

Also aerate your soil. Dig down 10 to 12 inches and turn the soil over. You can do this with a spade or a garden fork. The University of Georgia recommends digging a trench 1-foot-deep on one side of your garden. Push the soil from that trench to the outer boundary. Then dig another ditch right next to it and fill in the first ditch with the dirt from the second ditch. Proceed across the garden. You can also use a tractor-mounted plow or a Rototiller set to the deepest depth. While you’re turning over the soil, add organic matter so it gets down to the root level of the plants, so your vegetables can have access to the nutrients that you are adding.

                 How much organic matter you will have to add depends on your soil’s composition, the size of your garden and your climate. For example, sandy soils in warmer climates may need as much as 2,300 to 4,600 pounds per 1,000 square feet, according to the University of Georgia. Heavier soils in cooler climates with less rainfall may need as little as 200 pounds per 1,000 square feet.

                You’ll want to fertilize your garden plot twice if you can: once before planting and then again in the middle of your growing season. For mid-season fertilizing, it’s easiest to do what’s known as “side dressing,” which means adding dry fertilizers, compost or other organic soil amendments to the side of your plants. To side dress, you dig a narrow furrow one to three inches deep at the plant’s drip line or six inches from the plant base, whichever is greater. You then sprinkle the amendment into the furrow and cover it up with soil.

From: http://www.planetnatural.com/vegetable-gardening-guru/soil-quality/

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Care & Maintenance

          You’ve done it. Your garden is now planted and beginning to grow… but you’re work is far from done. Now it’s time for the watering, staking, mulching and overall general garden care to begin. On this page, I’ve put together information that will ensure your garden is a huge success through out the entire growing season. I’ve also provided tips and techniques for extending your harvest when the weather turns cold.

  Watering

           Although it’s a simple fact that plants need water, watering itself can be a little tricky. Consistent watering will produce the best results. You may also want to consider drip irrigation or a soaker hose, especially if you have a large garden. This can save up to 60% of the water used by sprinkler systems and will ensure that your plants are watered without getting their leaves wet, which will help prevent disease problems.

You’ll know if you’ve over watered if the soil around the plant stem is soaked. Mold or moss growing on the top of your soil is another dead giveaway as is plants with wilting, yellowing or dead leaf margins.

          Too little water has a different set of symptoms: wilting of plants, brown or dead leaves, stunted growth (see Watering Guidelines).

Besides direct observation, you can also purchase a moisture meter to help measure whether roots are too wet or too dry.

          If you’re watering newly planted seeds, be careful to gently sprinkle water on them. Don’t use a torrent from a hose or a bucket that has enough force to mistakenly.

      From:http://www.planetnatural.com/vegetable-gardening-guru/care-maintenance/ash away seeds or cause them to clump together.

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Where to Buy Organic Foods

Where to Buy Organic Foods

           It wasn't so long ago that people who wanted to buy primarily organic foods had to turn to their local food co-ops or settle for a few items in their grocery store. Co-ops and local farmstands are great sources for natural and organic foods. But anyone looking for conventionally grown foods and other items will have to make another stop.

           These days, though, it's easy to find a well-rounded selection of organic products. Most groceries offer organic produce, juices, cereals, baby food, dairy products, and more. And many stores are 100% organic or natural — if you don't have one in your neighborhood, there's likely to be one a short drive away.

            If you can't find a decent selection of organic foods where you shop, talk to the store manager. The more requests a store gets for natural selections, the more likely it is to stock them.

So when you see foods labeled "organic," consider giving them a try — they're likely to be both delicious and good for the planet.

http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/organics.html#

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Sustainable Foods

Sustainable Foods

              Another term you might hear in conjunction with organic and natural foods is "sustainable." This term means that foods have been grown locally by sustainable agricultural methods — that is, using food-growing techniques that don't harm the environment, are seasonal, and preserve agricultural land. Sustainable practices also are humane to animals, pay growers fairly, and support local farming communities by distributing their food through farmer's markets and other venues.

             Again, "sustainable" and "organic" don't always mean the same thing. An organic tomato you buy, for example, might not adhere to sustainable principles if it was grown organically but shipped across the country to your market. And some produce you find at your local stand might not have been grown organically.

             There's a growing trend among health-conscious consumers to buy food that is both sustainable and organic whenever possible.

Refer From:http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/organics.html#

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Bennifits of Organic Diet

Conventional vs. Organic Farming

         The word “organic” refers to the way farmers grow and process agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat. Organic farming practices are designed to encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution. Farmers who grow organic produce don’t use conventional methods to fertilize and control weeds. Examples of organic farming practices include using natural fertilizers to feed soil and plants, and using crop rotation or mulch to manage weeds.

Many people have claimed that eating organic food has made them healthier; they claim that organic food is more nutritious and eating it can help prevent diseases and lengthen their life span. Let’s find out more about what an organic diet can do for you.

Nutrient-Packed

          Organic fruit and vegetables contain more antioxidants than ordinary produce which health experts believe can reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. A research funded by the European Union also shows that organic food is rich in vitamins and minerals such as zinc and iron. People also claim that eating anorganic diet may improve the condition of cancer patients; it may help improve your immune system, prevent obesity and help you sleep better at night.

Organic Diet Tastes Better

       According to people who eat organic food, it tastes better compared to ordinary produce. To support the claim, many restaurants choose organic produce than conventional ones because it makes their dishes tastier and healthier. Fertilizers and other chemicals that are applied to ordinary produce may take out the ‘freshness’ out of fruits and vegetables – this may affect its overall taste.

Organic Diet is Safer for Children

          Babies are born with 200 toxins and carcinogens in their bodies; as they grow older, the amount of harmful substances in their bodies also increases. If you feed your children organic food, you may lower the amount of harmful substances in their blood. Protect your children from developing illnesses by feeding them organic; you may consult with your child’s doctor for further advice on this matter.

Save the Environment

         Nowadays, protecting mother Earth is a big deal. By promotingorganic diet, you can do your part in conserving the environment. Conventional farming methods may gravely harm the environment by using dangerous pesticides and fertilizers. Most of these chemicals take a long time to diminish and can still be found in waters, animals and even humans. Also, they become less effective over time, which requires more chemicals to be used. Just imagine the damage that it can do to the environment… ensure the future of the coming generations and stop using harmful chemicals for farming.

What to Include in Your Organic Diet

        Conventional produce of the following foods contain the most chemicals; go for an organic produce to keep your diet chemical-free and healthy.

• Dairy products
• Bell peppers
• Spinach
• Cherries
• Peaches
• Green beans
• Apples
• Celery
• Meat and poultry

Refer from:http://www.katieskombuchatea.com/tag/benefits-of-organic-diet/

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