A North Point Breeze natural and organic food market may expand into PPG Place, while the New York developer spurned in its bid to buy the August Wilson Center and top it with a hotel has its eye on another Downtown landmark Macys department store.

The East End Food Co-op has been talking to Highwoods Properties, owner of the PPG Place complex in Downtown, about putting a grocery in the food court space in the 2 PPG building, co-op general manager Justin Pizzella confirmed Wednesday.

In general, its no secret that were looking to expand our business. Were evaluating a lot of opportunities, and thats one of them, he said.

The members-owned co-op has been a staple in the East End since 1980, offering a selection of natural and organic foods, fresh meats, and locally grown produce long before Whole Foods Market moved in to the region.

With business brisk, the co-op is seeking to expand its reach. Mr. Pizzella noted that about 50 percent of its 11,000 members live 5 miles or more from the store.

Theres definitely a market and theres definitely a need to serve our members better, he said.

The co-op is early on in its talks with Highwoods, he added. It is looking at a 15,000- to 20,000-square-foot space in 2 PPG, more than triple the size of its 4,500-square-foot East End store, which would remain open.

At PPG, the co-op has hopes of taking the existing format to another level. It plans to emphasize fresh natural and organic foods and expand its prepared food selection, while also offering fresh meat and staples like milk, cheese, eggs and butter. As in the East End store, the PPG location would have a vegetarian cafe and coffee and juice bars. I think we can bring something pretty unique down there, Mr. Pizzella said.

The co-op is probably months away from a decision, he said. Highwoods has been considering a grocery for the food court space for the past two years. It now is seeking a $3 million state redevelopment capital assistance grant to help bring those plans to fruition.

Success in securing the funding is going to be a big part of the decision making regarding a possible expansion to PPG, Mr. Pizzella said.

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Development could be in store for Downtown Pittsburgh landmarks

The American Soybean Association wants to see the GMO labeling debate move towards a certification model that has worked in areas such as organic food.

Wade Cowan, president of ASA and a farmer from Brownfield, Texas, told reporters at Commodity Classic in Phoenix that ASA is going to couch all of its arguments in a positive light. He said this will be apparent in ASA's new stance on biotech labeling.

"For too long organizations in ag have said 'Don't do this. Don't do this.' Now we would like to present the consumer community with a positive outreach," Cowan said.

ASA wants to change the dialogue on GMO labeling by supporting a voluntary certified non-GMO label through USDA. The group argues it would be easier to label food that does not have ingredients from products containing ingredients from biotech crops than labeling all of the products that do have ingredients from GMOs. That's particularly true given the volume of food products that contain ingredients derived from soybeans, corn or sugar beets, all of which high percentages of biotech acreages.

"What's more effective is that we have a positive outlook and that we have a GMO label that is certified by USDA as non-GMO," Cowan said. "Those people and those companies in the food chain that want to go into that market have the ability to label theirs as such," Cowan said.

Cowan added that it lets people know whatever is labeled is certified by USDA. That's the most efficient and effective way to inform consumers, he said. "It's a good message to the consumer and I hope it goes forward," he said.

Such a label would piggyback on similar programs under USDA for organic certification.

Cowan said biotech supporters can't continue spending money battling labeling efforts, though it doesn't make sense to have a potential hodge-podge of labels if some states demand GMO labeling and others do not. "It's a losing argument when you say consumers don't have a right to know what's in their food," Cowan said. "What we want them to know is what they want to know if they have the opportunity to buy food that is non-GMO."

Cowan said the idea of non-GMO certification has been looked at by the Grocery Manufacturers Association for the new Congress and a possible reintroduction of a bill championed in the last Congress by Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan.

Cowan added, "Hopefully this is a message that catches fire and goes forward in the U.S. and we can put this issue behind us."

Original post:
ASA Seeks to Change Dialogue on GMO Labeling Debate

Tuesday 24 February 2015 17:17

Organic food and drink is showing signs of recovery, as consumers spending power recovers following the recession. These five key points summarise the markets current position.

Between 2008 and 2011 sales fell by almost a quarter,dropping from a peak of 2.1bn to 1.6bn.

Since then, there has been steady recovery, with two successive years of growth. Sales climbed 4% in 2014, according to the Soil Associations latest market report. This was set against a decline in the overall food and drink market of 1.1%.

The drivers of this growth are online and so-called box schemes, such as that run by Abel & Cole. It is being bought about by a young demographic thats web-savvy, health conscious and concerned about the provenance of food.

See also:Organic conversion if the price is right

Dairy is the overall top performer, accounting for 27.9% of total organic sales. Branding and increased availability were cited as reasons for its success. It grew some 6.8% in 2014.

It is also a success story in the catering sector. This was worth around 55m in sales in 2014, and milk accounted for about half of that. Headline buyers include McDonalds and coffee chain Pret A Manger.

Eggs also saw strong sales growth, topping almost 16%. This is a sector which many thought had been killed off during the recession, with all but a hard core of consumers switching out of organic into free range.

Poultrymeat was also noted as an area of strong growth. A representative from Waitrose said it was the top-performing category for organic poultry, with sales increasing 19% last year.

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Key market facts for anyone considering organic farming

In 1750, the avocado was introduced to Indonesia, in 1833 Florida, in 1908 Israel. It reached Australia in the late 1800s.

Floridas avocado industry is focused on varieties like Choquette, Hall and Lulu large, smooth-skinned fruits with juicy, sweet flesh popular among the salad eaters of the south Florida areas. Florida avocado lovers dislike the California-grown varieties like Haas. They are more oily than juicy and Haas varieties are very small relative to the Florida grown cousins.

There are many diverse ranges for growing avocados in the USA. Florida is the best growing reagion for the varieties listed below. To find out more about avocado growing ranges, refer to the avocado growing map here.

Commercially grown avocados are easy to find in stores, supermarkets and grocers. But, some of the Florida grown varieties are select and harder to find.

Here is a chart showng the different growing regions for avocados in California and Florida.

Shepard. This small avocado, an important commercial variety in Australia, has delicate smooth skin and a pointed, acorn-shaped pit embedded in rich, sticky flesh. A relative of the Hass, it has its obvious similarities in texture, but with a thicker almost gluey consistency. It was a top contender in our lineup. Season*: August through October.

Originally posted here:
My Organic Food Club - America's Favorite Organic Food ...

The mega trend towards organic food continuesunabated. "More and more people choose organic products and also attachgrowing importance to their origins. Because organic does not necessarilymean regional," said Siegfried Hofreiter, CEO of KTG Agrar SE SE (ISIN:DE000A0DN1J4) after the BioFach 2015 fair. "BioFach has shown that our'from field to plate' strategy is hitting a nerve. Our unique sellingproposition of being able to offer products from the field to thesupermarket shelf from a single source will now be highlighted morestrongly also in the organic segment." At the world's leading organic foodfair, Bio-Zentrale Naturprodukte, a KTG subsidiary, presented its currentproduct range including the new "Hofliebe" product line. The latter offersa diverse range of products from soy oil to grains and flakes to muesligrown organically by KTG and bearing a clear seal of origin. "This uniquecombination of organic cultivation and regionality is what we callorganic+". Thanks to the high demand for GM-free soy, KTG Agrar also signedframework agreements worth EUR 12 million at the BioFach fair.On the occasion of the trade fair, Bund kologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft(BLW - association of organic food producers) again reported strong marketgrowth for 2014, when sales of organic food and drinks totalled EUR 7.91billion, 4.8% more than in 2013. According to BLW, the sales potential inEurope's largest organic market (approx. 30% market share) is far frombeing exploited in full. The limited regional supply is putting a damper ongrowth. At 2.7%, Germany's organically cultivated land again grew lessstrongly than the market as a whole. Being one of Germany's organicpioneers, KTG relies heavily on organic cultivation and can produce largequantities of organic food from the field of the plate.The scarce supply of GM-free organic soy was one of the most discussedtopics at this year's BioFach fair. Thanks to their high protein content,soybeans are popular not only as type of fodder but also as a foodstuff forhuman consumption - e.g. as a substitute for cow's milk and meat. Asconsumers reject genetically modified (GM) soy, the large producingcountries outside Europe do not qualify as suppliers. This benefits KTG,which has built up a unique market position as a producer of GM-free soyover the past years and will harvest soybeans on more than 8,000 hectaresin east Germany, Lithuania and Romania in 2015. A major portion of thesoybean harvest is processed into 100% GM-free soy oil by KTG Agrar's ownoil mill in Anklam. Going forward, the company intends to extend its valuechain in the soy segment.The above shows that the framework conditions for KTG Agrar, an organicfood pioneer and leading producer in the heart of Europe, remain excellent.For over 20 years, KTG Agrar has specialised in organic and GM-freeconventional farming. Increasingly often, the company processes its producesuch as grain, maize, soybeans, potatoes and vegetables internally. Toachieve this, KTG Agrar has invested in the extension of the value chainsince 2011 under the "from field to plate" strategy. Today, the companyprocesses 50% of its organic harvest internally. One third of the remaining50% has been sold at good prices.The positive start to the season was also highlighted by the company'ssuccessful participation in FRUIT LOGISTICA and the promising presentationof the "Die Landwirte" brand at this industry event. KTG Agrar is confidentthat it will be able to continue its growth in the food sector, withexports expected to make a bigger contribution going forward. "Havingsupplied the first products to China in 2014, we see great potential in thecountry for the coming years," said Reinhard Meiner, CEO of KTG Foods SE."Healthy nutrition is playing an increasingly important role for the fastgrowing middle class. BioFach has also shown that interest is high-qualityGerman food is growing strongly in China." 2014 saw KTG Foods almost doubleits sales revenues to EUR 100 million. This dynamic growth is to becontinued in 2015.About KTG Agrar SEWith cultivable land of approx. 45,000 hectares, KTG Agrar SE (ISIN:DE000A0DN1J4) is one of the leading producers of agricultural commoditiesin Europe. As an integrated supplier, the company produces agriculturalcommodities and renewable energy and food. The Hamburg-based company's corearea of expertise is the organic and traditional cultivation of marketproducts such as cereals, potatoes, soy and rapeseed. For organic marketproducts KTG Agrar is the European market leader. The company mainlyproduces in Germany but has also operated production in the EU member stateof Lithuania since 2005. As a result of the takeover of FrenzelTiefkhlkost and Biozentrale Naturprodukte, KTG has expanded the valuechain by the production of food since 2011. In the year 2013, KTG achieveda total output of EUR 205.3 million and EBIT of EUR 23.9 million. SinceNovember 2007 the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and had775 employees at year end 2013. Further information can be found atwww.ktg-agrar.deContactInvestor Relations / PressFabian LorenzIR.on AG Phone: +49 221 914097 - 6E-mail: fabian.lorenz@ir-on.com---------------------------------23.02.2015 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - aservice of EQS Group AG.The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements,Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.Media archive at http://www.dgap-medientreff.de and http://www.dgap.de---------------------------------Language: English Company: KTG Agrar SE Ferdinandstr. 12 20095 Hamburg Germany Phone: +49 (0)40-303 76-47 Fax: +49 (0)40-303 76-799 E-mail: presse@ktg-agrar.de Internet: http://www.ktg-agrar.de ISIN: DE000A0DN1J4, DE000A1H3VN9, DE000A1ELQU9, DE000A11QGQ1, WKN: A0DN1J , A1H3VN, A1ELQU, A11QGQ Indices: HASPAX Listed: Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Munich (m:access), Stuttgart; Open Market (Entry Standard) in Frankfurt End of News DGAP News-Service --------------------------------- 326005 23.02.2015

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See the article here:
KTG Agrar SE continues to benefit from trend towards organic and regional products

PRESS RELEASE: KTG Agrar SE continues to benefit from trend towards organic and regional products

DGAP-News: KTG Agrar SE / Key word(s): Miscellaneous KTG Agrar SE continues to benefit from trend towards organic and regional products

2015-02-23 / 13:14

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KTG Agrar SE continues to benefit from trend towards organic and regional products

- Demand for organic products growing faster than land under organic cultivation - Deliveries of GM-free soy worth EUR 12 million agreed - New "Hofliebe" product line combines mega trends of organic cultivation and regionality - China showing great interest in food "made in Germany"

Hamburg, 23 February 2015. The mega trend towards organic food continues unabated. "More and more people choose organic products and also attach growing importance to their origins. Because organic does not necessarily mean regional," said Siegfried Hofreiter, CEO of KTG Agrar SE SE (ISIN: DE000A0DN1J4) after the BioFach 2015 fair. "BioFach has shown that our 'from field to plate' strategy is hitting a nerve. Our unique selling proposition of being able to offer products from the field to the supermarket shelf from a single source will now be highlighted more strongly also in the organic segment." At the world's leading organic food fair, Bio-Zentrale Naturprodukte, a KTG subsidiary, presented its current product range including the new "Hofliebe" product line. The latter offers a diverse range of products from soy oil to grains and flakes to muesli grown organically by KTG and bearing a clear seal of origin. "This unique combination of organic cultivation and regionality is what we call organic+". Thanks to the high demand for GM-free soy, KTG Agrar also signed framework agreements worth EUR 12 million at the BioFach fair.

On the occasion of the trade fair, Bund kologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft (BLW - association of organic food producers) again reported strong market growth for 2014, when sales of organic food and drinks totalled EUR 7.91 billion, 4.8% more than in 2013. According to BLW, the sales potential in Europe's largest organic market (approx. 30% market share) is far from being exploited in full. The limited regional supply is putting a damper on growth. At 2.7%, Germany's organically cultivated land again grew less strongly than the market as a whole. Being one of Germany's organic pioneers, KTG relies heavily on organic cultivation and can produce large quantities of organic food from the field of the plate.

The scarce supply of GM-free organic soy was one of the most discussed topics at this year's BioFach fair. Thanks to their high protein content, soybeans are popular not only as type of fodder but also as a foodstuff for human consumption - e.g. as a substitute for cow's milk and meat. As consumers reject genetically modified (GM) soy, the large producing countries outside Europe do not qualify as suppliers. This benefits KTG, which has built up a unique market position as a producer of GM-free soy over the past years and will harvest soybeans on more than 8,000 hectares in east Germany, Lithuania and Romania in 2015. A major portion of the soybean harvest is processed into 100% GM-free soy oil by KTG Agrar's own oil mill in Anklam. Going forward, the company intends to extend its value chain in the soy segment.

The above shows that the framework conditions for KTG Agrar, an organic food pioneer and leading producer in the heart of Europe, remain excellent. For over 20 years, KTG Agrar has specialised in organic and GM-free conventional farming. Increasingly often, the company processes its produce such as grain, maize, soybeans, potatoes and vegetables internally. To achieve this, KTG Agrar has invested in the extension of the value chain since 2011 under the "from field to plate" strategy. Today, the company processes 50% of its organic harvest internally. One third of the remaining 50% has been sold at good prices.

Link:
PRESS RELEASE: KTG Agrar SE continues to benefit from trend towards organic and regional products

23.02.2015 / 13:14

---------------------------------------------------------------------

KTG Agrar SE continues to benefit from trend towards organic and regional products

- Demand for organic products growing faster than land under organic cultivation - Deliveries of GM-free soy worth EUR 12 million agreed - New "Hofliebe" product line combines mega trends of organic cultivation and regionality - China showing great interest in food "made in Germany"

Hamburg, 23 February 2015. The mega trend towards organic food continues unabated. "More and more people choose organic products and also attach growing importance to their origins. Because organic does not necessarily mean regional," said Siegfried Hofreiter, CEO of KTG Agrar SE SE (ISIN: DE000A0DN1J4) after the BioFach 2015 fair. "BioFach has shown that our 'from field to plate' strategy is hitting a nerve. Our unique selling proposition of being able to offer products from the field to the supermarket shelf from a single source will now be highlighted more strongly also in the organic segment." At the world's leading organic food fair, Bio-Zentrale Naturprodukte, a KTG subsidiary, presented its current product range including the new "Hofliebe" product line. The latter offers a diverse range of products from soy oil to grains and flakes to muesli grown organically by KTG and bearing a clear seal of origin. "This unique combination of organic cultivation and regionality is what we call organic+". Thanks to the high demand for GM-free soy, KTG Agrar also signed framework agreements worth EUR 12 million at the BioFach fair.

On the occasion of the trade fair, Bund kologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft (BLW - association of organic food producers) again reported strong market growth for 2014, when sales of organic food and drinks totalled EUR 7.91 billion, 4.8% more than in 2013. According to BLW, the sales potential in Europe's largest organic market (approx. 30% market share) is far from being exploited in full. The limited regional supply is putting a damper on growth. At 2.7%, Germany's organically cultivated land again grew less strongly than the market as a whole. Being one of Germany's organic pioneers, KTG relies heavily on organic cultivation and can produce large quantities of organic food from the field of the plate.

The scarce supply of GM-free organic soy was one of the most discussed topics at this year's BioFach fair. Thanks to their high protein content, soybeans are popular not only as type of fodder but also as a foodstuff for human consumption - e.g. as a substitute for cow's milk and meat. As consumers reject genetically modified (GM) soy, the large producing countries outside Europe do not qualify as suppliers. This benefits KTG, which has built up a unique market position as a producer of GM-free soy over the past years and will harvest soybeans on more than 8,000 hectares in east Germany, Lithuania and Romania in 2015. A major portion of the soybean harvest is processed into 100% GM-free soy oil by KTG Agrar's own oil mill in Anklam. Going forward, the company intends to extend its value chain in the soy segment.

The above shows that the framework conditions for KTG Agrar, an organic food pioneer and leading producer in the heart of Europe, remain excellent. For over 20 years, KTG Agrar has specialised in organic and GM-free conventional farming. Increasingly often, the company processes its produce such as grain, maize, soybeans, potatoes and vegetables internally. To achieve this, KTG Agrar has invested in the extension of the value chain since 2011 under the "from field to plate" strategy. Today, the company processes 50% of its organic harvest internally. One third of the remaining 50% has been sold at good prices.

The positive start to the season was also highlighted by the company's successful participation in FRUIT LOGISTICA and the promising presentation of the "Die Landwirte" brand at this industry event. KTG Agrar is confident that it will be able to continue its growth in the food sector, with exports expected to make a bigger contribution going forward. "Having supplied the first products to China in 2014, we see great potential in the country for the coming years," said Reinhard Meiner, CEO of KTG Foods SE. "Healthy nutrition is playing an increasingly important role for the fast growing middle class. BioFach has also shown that interest is high-quality German food is growing strongly in China." 2014 saw KTG Foods almost double its sales revenues to EUR 100 million. This dynamic growth is to be continued in 2015.

About KTG Agrar SE With cultivable land of approx. 45,000 hectares, KTG Agrar SE (ISIN: DE000A0DN1J4) is one of the leading producers of agricultural commodities in Europe. As an integrated supplier, the company produces agricultural commodities and renewable energy and food. The Hamburg-based company's core area of expertise is the organic and traditional cultivation of market products such as cereals, potatoes, soy and rapeseed. For organic market products KTG Agrar is the European market leader. The company mainly produces in Germany but has also operated production in the EU member state of Lithuania since 2005. As a result of the takeover of Frenzel Tiefkhlkost and Biozentrale Naturprodukte, KTG has expanded the value chain by the production of food since 2011. In the year 2013, KTG achieved a total output of EUR 205.3 million and EBIT of EUR 23.9 million. Since November 2007 the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and had 775 employees at year end 2013. Further information can be found at http://www.ktg-agrar.de

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DGAP-News: KTG Agrar SE continues to benefit from trend towards organic and regional products