Industry News
EDITORIAL INDEX TO PEOPLE, COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS ISSUE Andrea Mangan, Harvest Urban Market ............. 10 Angela Liu, Crispy Green Inc. .............................. 15 Angela Lorenzen, Whole Foods Market ................ 8 Beth Naff ziger, French Meadow Bakery .............. 18 Bob Moore, Bob's Red Mill .................................. 18 Center for Food Safety (CFS) ................................. 6 Clarine Hardesty, Clarine's Florentines .................. 9 Datamonitor Product Launch Analytics .............. 15 Gilles Desaulniers, Harvest Urban Market ........... 10 Goodwin's Organic Foods & Drink ......................... 9 Irene Costello, Effi e's Homemade ........................ 15 IRI (Information Resources, Inc.) ........................ 15 Jacob Jaber, Philz Coff ee ....................................... 8 Jill Robbins, HomeFree ....................................... 18 Jim Vlahos, Pan's Food Store ............................... 15 John Mackey, Whole Foods Market ....................... 7 Joyce Guan, California Girl Foods .......................... 9 Julie Van Rosendaal, Author ............................... 15 King Arthur Flour ............................................... 18 La Cocina .............................................................. 8 Larry Graham, National Confectioners Assoc. ..... 28 Luis Yanez, Harvest Urban Market ...................... 12 Mark Mulcahy, Organic Options .......................... 26 Matthew Cox, Bob's Red Mill .............................. 17 Michael Zwiebach, Sacred Chocolate .................. 14 Nature's Best Distributors ................................... 12 Nick Fielding, The Wilshire ...............................GW3 Nicole Bernard Dawes, Late July Organic Snacks 16 Nora Schultz, Naturally Nora .............................. 20 Packaged Facts ............................................. 15, 17 Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Illinois .................................. 4 Smart ChoicesTM .................................................... 6 SPINS ................................................................... 6 Steve Whitley, Majan's Bhuja .............................. 15 The Good Stuff Distributing ................................ 12 The Hartman Group...................................... 17, 20 The Organic Center (TOC) ...................................... 6 UNFI ..................................................................... 6 Union for Concerned Scientists (UCS) ................... 6 The widespread adoption of genetically modified soybeans, corn and cotton was supposed to result in lower use of pesticides, but a long-range study has revealed that the opposite has turned out to be true. Instead, the genetically modified crops have promoted increased use of pesticides, an epidemic of herbicide-resistant weeds and more chemical residues in foods. The report was released by nonprofits The Organic Center (TOC), the Union for Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the Center for Food Safety (CFS). Their research showed that herbicide use grew by 383 million pounds from 1996 to 2008, with 46 percent of the total increase taking place in 2007 and 2008. While herbicide use has increased, the use of insecticides declined because of biotech crops. The report said adoption of genetically engineered corn and cotton that carry traits resistant to insects has led to a reduction in insecticide use by 64 million pounds since 1996. That leaves a net overall increase on U.S. fields of 318 million pounds of pesticides, which includes both insecticides and herbicides, over the first 13 years of commercial use. - Holly Case UNFI partnership A strategic partnership between organic distributor United Natural Foods (UNFI) and market researcher SPINS will off er the natural food industry a wealth of useful data. UNFI is the largest independent distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods, will utilize SPINS' data and industry expertise for increased insight into industry dynamics and consumer behavior. UNFI also endorsed SPINS' initiative to develop a new, fi rst ever POS reporting service specifi cally for the Specialty Gourmet channel. The collaboration between SPINS and UNFI and the alignment of our services will strengthen our support of and foster the growth within Natural and Specialty Gourmet, said SPINS CEO Tony Olson. Olson has been developing a classifi cation system consisting of 80 categories and more than 450 subcategories of specialty foods. SPINS, based in Schaumburg, Ill. has been tracking sales of natural products since 1995. Labeling claims are serious business. Just days after the FDA announced an investigation of the Smart Choices labeling program for making potentially misleading nutrition claims, the label was suspended. Smart Choices voluntarily postponed active operations announced it would not encourage wider use of the logo at this time by either new or currently enrolled companies. This is not the fi rst time the industry-funded label has faced criticism. Since it was introduced in August, the Smart Choices labeling program has come under increasing criticism, particularly because the label has been applied to high sugar cereals such as Froot Loops and Cocoa Puff s. Consumers have been calling for a front-of-the-package nutrition label for years, and the Smart Choices label claimed to be just that. However, now it appears that the label may not provide the reliable guidance consumers were seeking. The FDA is assessing the criteria established by food manufacturers for such symbols and comparing them to our regulatory criteria , with an intent to establish a standardized approach to front-of-pack labeling  and that it would use its regulatory tools if such schemes were not used in a credible way. Among the companies that have signed up to the program are several market giants, including Kellogg's, General Mills, Kraft, Unilever, ConAgra, and PepsiCo's Quaker Foods. In a related development Canada is reviewing that nation's Health Check labelling which is endorsed by the Heart and Stroke Foundation as a way to help consumers make healthier choices. Strict new guidelines on reducing fat, lowering sodium also disallow several categories of desserts including pudding and snack foods. Food companies pay fees to participate in the non-profi t Health Check program. Money after expenses is reinvested in health and nutrition research and education. - By Holly Case Smart Choices  Suspension Biotech Crops Increase Pesticide Use INDUSTRY NEWS 6 Natural Food Network