News

2014-09-13 | permalink

USA: Bring the highest quality organic, natural and GMO-free products to Boulder County

Mark Retzloff, a natural foods veteran who twice co-founded Alfalfa’s Market, has stepped down as the company’s CEO and chairman, Alfalfa’s said Monday.
James Searcy, a board member for the Boulder, Colo.-based natural foods chain, will take over as CEO and chairman on an interim basis. Retzloff will remain involved with Alfalfa’s as a member of the company’s board of directors and shareholder, the company said.
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“We appreciate all that Mark has contributed in his leadership of Alfalfa’s, and are pleased to have his continued oversight and guidance as a board member,” Searcy said in a statement. “We have a strong management team in place, with a great depth of natural and organic retail experience. This group is committed to do what is best for our customers and our community, and to bring the highest quality organic, natural and GMO-free products to Boulder County.”

2014-09-11 | permalink

SA: Woolworths to halve GM-labelled products by 2015

Following questions raised over just how organic some of their free-range products actually are, local retail giant Woolworths is embarking on a campaign to reduce the number of genetically modified (GM) labelled products on their shelves by half next year

Three months ago travel journalist Caroline Hurry set the cat among the pigeons with an open letter penned to the retailer challenging the authenticity of its organic egg range.

She made two significant claims: firstly, that no genetically modified organism (GMO)-free hen food was available for purchase in the country and secondly, that SA doesn’t have an organic regulation, begging the question: how can the retail giant justify its labelling of products as organic.

Responding to Hurry’s allegations at the time, Woolworths MD of Food Zyda Rylands said Woolworths had launched their GMO policy in 1999 and followed it up by labelling products that may contain GM ingredients in 2000 to give its animal- and health-conscious customers the information they need to make the “right choice for themselves”.
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“Currently only 5,3% percent of Woolworths’ private label foods contain ingredients from potential GM crop sources. That should drop to less than 2,7% within 12 months,” Rylands said in a statement.

“Many of our customers have told us that they would prefer not to buy products that may contain ingredients from GM crop sources and we respect their wishes. In addition to our commitment to remove GMOs where possible, we will continue to offer alternatives, such as our certified organic products, which are guaranteed free of GMOs,” she said.

2014-09-09 | permalink

Consumers ask Starbucks to stop sourcing milk from cows fed with GMO

Starbucks customers and activists came out to participate in a demonstration calling on the company to stop sourcing milk from cows fed genetically modified crops. GMO Inside, a campaign led by Green America, a national consumer advocacy group, held this demonstration as part of a national campaign to increase awareness and visibility around the issue of genetically modified crops used for animal feed. “Starbucks is a global company that purchases a substantial amount of milk each year and is in a position to trigger shifts in the dairy supply chain,” said Green America Food Campaigns Director Nicole McCann. “By supporting conventional dairy operations, Starbucks is lending power to a destructive food system fueled by GMOs, factory farms, and pesticides that are devastating for human, animal, pollinator, and environmental health. We know Starbucks can do better, and their customers want this.”

2014-09-08 | permalink

CBD: Civil society organizations in Japan are calling for strong measures against GM crops contamination

Japanese consumers´ groups meet the Japanese government to discuss the upcoming UN conference about biological diversity. Consumers Union of Japan and the many groups and networks that follow these issues will ask questions to the government and elected representatives in the Parliament (Diet) that also care strongly about these issues. The goups will participate the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) conference in South Korea this fall. Leading up to that conference, they hope this event will be a fruitful discussion about Japan’s lack of progress to ratify the Nagoya Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol, that was agreed upon in Nagoya fours years ago at the UN CBD conference held in that city (after very successful negotiations held in Kuala Lumpur, thus the joint name). The aim of the protocol is to aid countries in the case of disputes when there is a need to assess the liability and redress, if genetically modified organisms cause harm to the natural environment or human health. Japan has also made little progress to address the problems with wild-growing genetically modified canola near harbours and food oil factories over the past 10 years. These GM crops pose a real risk to local biological diversity as a number of related food crops may be contaminated with GMOs. Meanwhile, Japanese farmers have completely rejected genetically modified organisms. There is no cultivation of GMOs in Japan for commercial purposes.

2014-09-04 | permalink

Last chance to register for the 8th European Organic Congress

8th European Organic Congress

Haven’t registered for the 8th European Organic Congress yet? Remember to do so before registration closes on 7 September! Register now!

The Congress will focus on new Rural Development Programmes under the new CAP in 2015, the European Innovation Partnership for Agriculture and the Organic Regulation review.

Check out the final programme:
organic-congress-ifoameu.org

Don’t miss out on high-profile speakers:

Maurizio Martina, Italian Minister of Agriculture: opening plenary ‘Towards ecological and innovative solutions under the new CAP’
Martin Häusling, Member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, European Parliament: thematic session ‘Organic regulation review’
Sjoerd Wartena, Terre de Liens, thematic session ‘Rural development: opportunities for organic farming and agricultural approaches – practical examples’
João Onofre, Head of the Organic Farming Unit, DG Agriculture and Rural Development: closing panel ‘Promoting practical implementation of innovative ecological solutions’
Remember to register here before 7 September to join us in Bari