Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Discount retailer Target is entering the organic food market, in a bid to close the gap when Wal-Mart announce they were going to begin selling more than 400 organic items. The organic food will only be offer in the 162 Super Target under the brand Archer Farms.

This announcement will certainly give the nation’s number one retailer of organic food a run for its money.

Target and Wal-Mart are helping to boost sales of organic foods by offering them to discount shoppers. Wal-Mart plans to carry more than 400 organic items. Whole Foods Market Inc., the biggest U.S. natural-food grocer, has increased revenue an average of 21% the last five years.

Source: LA Times

The Observer:

A group of scientists is putting pressure on the government’s food watchdog to state that organic milk is healthier than the conventional pint, because of its high content of vitamins and essential fatty acids.

The scientists, backed by organic producers, will write to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) this week, asking them to recognise that organic milk is not only free of antibiotics , but is also much richer in essential fatty acids such as omega 3, said to help brain development in children.

Elizabeth Hurley has decided she’s going to take a break from acting and become an organic food farmer. Elizabeth will be developing her own line of organic food that’s grown from her own estate on the countryside of England. Elizabeth has the following to say about her new plans:

I’m a farmer because it’s a working farm. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s the only place I want to be.

When we get our organic status we’re going to farm properly and we’re going to have a herd of cows and proper sheep and proper chickens, and we’re going to have small amounts of Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs. I’ve joined the breeders’ club already and I’m quite excited about it.

I would like to go for some kind of organic food production and I plan to do it - maybe something Indian.

According to The Green Guide these are the top ten (actually eleven) K-12 schools in the US.

1. Punahou School (private), Honolulu, HI
2. The Willow School (private), Gladstone, NJ
3. Desert Edge High School (public), Goodyear, AZ
4. East Clayton Elementary (public), Clayton, NC
5. Conserve School (private), Land O’Lakes, WI
6. Ross School (private), East Hampton, New York
7. Michael E. Capuano Early Childhood Center (public), Somerville, MA
8. Clackamas High School (public), Clackamas, OR
8. Washburn Elementary School (public), Washburn, WI
10. One World Montessori (private), San Jose, CA
10. Sonoji Sakai Intermediate School (public), Bainbridge Island, Washington

IGD:

On 31st July 2006 Whole Foods Market, the largest natural and organic foods retailer in the US, announced its Q3 2006 results for the 12 weeks ending 2nd July 2006. Whole Foods Market reported an increase in sales from US$1.13bn in Q3 2005 to US$1.34bn for Q3 2006, an increase of 18%. Operating income increased from US$64.6m in Q3 2005 to US$84.3m for Q3 2006, an increase of 30%.

Orlando Sentinel:

Grocery shoppers across America have been witnessing a subtle but revolutionary change on store shelves. Organic products are popping up in the cereal aisle, amid rows of canned goods, and beside bottles of salad dressing. Though organic food has been around for decades, it used to be found mainly in specialty stores such as Whole Foods or confined to a tiny corner in the produce section.

Some food producers are even rolling out organic versions of existing products. You can now fill your cart with Ragu organic pasta sauce, Snyder’s organic pretzels, Orville Redenbacher’s organic butter popcorn, and later this summer, organic Kraft macaroni and cheese. “With Wal-Mart in the game and Safeway and just about everyone else, organic is at a tipping point,” says Samuel Fromartz, author of the new book Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew. “It’s really gone mainstream.”

Dallas Morning News:

Organic food is supposed to be free of most chemical pest killers, fertilizers, antibiotics, hormones and genetic engineering. Organic farmers and ranchers must enrich the soil and be kind to animals; chickens should strut outside and cows should regularly graze.

But a Dallas Morning News analysis has found that the United States Department of Agriculture does not know how often organic rules are broken and has not consistently taken action when potential violations were pointed out.

Arizona Daily Star:

Given that organic food often costs more, shoppers may want to prioritize their grocery lists, shelling out more only for higher-residue foods. Here’s the magazine’s “buy organic” list: apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, raspberries, spinach and strawberries.

Also recommended: meat, dairy and eggs, to avoid hormones and antibiotics given to non-organically raised animals, and the risk of mad cow disease from conventional feed that can contain protein from sick cows. Baby food is on the list too. As it is often concentrated, so are any pesticide residues, and young children are more vulnerable to small amounts of toxins.

Scott over at Bloganic.net has informed me of his upcoming series entitled ‘Before it Gets to Your Fridge.’ This series will report on the origin of our food and also the comparison between organic with non-organic food production. This sounds like a great series to keep your eyes on.

The series will include Beef, Chicken and Eggs, Pork, Dairy, and Crops. A series I would like to see is seafood. Not sure if that’s possible, due to the fact that there are no current standard in place for USDA certified organic seafood.