TAIPEI - The Taipei City Government published the results of inspections on organic food products yesterday, saying that of a total of 997 products, 27 items failed to pass tests.

Fines and recall orders have already been issued to the companies involved, authorities reported.

After national food scandals were uncovered one after another in recent months, local governments have been strengthening food inspections.

The Taipei City Government said it has already issued fines to companies in Taipei that were responsible for seven products that were discovered to be mislabeled and failed to meet national organic standards. The total fine reached NT$300,000 (S$12,650), said officials.

Authorities transferred the 20 other cases to the relevant local governments in other cities and counties.

Kao Chen-yuan, an official from the Taipei Department of Economic Development, said the rate of acceptability in this inspection was 97.29 percent.

Of the problematic products, 22 were imported and five were local. If the same violation is discovered in these products in the future, the fine will be 150 percent higher than that issued this time, said Kao.

Kao also reminded food companies that for any products labelled organic, whether imported or locally produced, they should apply for legal certification from the Council of Agriculture and mark the certification number on their products.

Problematic Pesticide Discovered in Pingtung

Pingtung County Field Office of Investigation yesterday announced that it had uncovered 1,176 kilograms of a pesticide that is thought to contain illegal drugs after a report from a local farmer.

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27 organic food products fail to pass health probe: Taipei City Government

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"Organic Food Experts" Blind Taste-Test McDonald #39;s and Love it - TLDR: The Internet Digest (audio)
(Podcast) Some Dutch fellows went to an organic food expo and gave people samples of Big Macs and whatnot (without telling them) and they loved it! We talked...

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"Organic Food Experts" Blind Taste-Test McDonald's and Love it - TLDR: The Internet Digest (audio) - Video

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ECO FAIR ON LA PALMA: BANANAS AND SOLAR PANELS
La Palma, one of the islands in the Canary Island chain off the coast off Marocco is a great place for organic food! We were at the recent ecological fair in Los Llanos, one of the cities on...

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ECO FAIR ON LA PALMA: BANANAS AND SOLAR PANELS - Video

Among the many competitors trying to get close to America's biggest organic food retailer, Whole Foods Market , the most formidable is Wal-Mart . The world's largest retailer plans to go full throttle into the organic retail market and drive down prices significantly to create a huge customer base. And this isn't the first time Wal-Mart's made such a move. Should this get Whole Foods worried?

Chocolates stacked on shelves of a Whole Foods outlet. Source: Motley Fool

Wal-Mart aggressively expanding the organic food arena In April, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart renewed its terms of partnership with Wild Oats, a leading provider of organic food items, to offer 100 or so organic food items for around 25% less than similar offerings. These 100 will add to the roughly 1,600 organic items that Wal-Mart already sells.

Wild Oats was Whole Foods' main competitor at one time. Whole Foods even acquired the company in 2007, only to forgo its stake because of antitrust issues in 2009. Through its Wild Oats tie-up, Wal-Mart is trying to change the traditional notion that organic food is expensive. According to Jack Sinclair, Wal-Mart Executive VP, "We are ... creating a new price position for organic groceries that increases access. This is part of our ongoing effort to use our scale to deliver quality, affordable groceries to our customers."

This isn't the first time If we go back a few years, 2006 will give us a strong sense of de ja vu. In that year, Wal-Mart had expanded its organic offerings, and said it wanted to widen the category's reach by lowering prices. The media rhetoric back then was quite similar to what we are seeing now.

If the year is not mentioned, it would be hard to tell the following two statements were made eight years apart:

2006: "I don't see Wal-Mart as a great threat to Whole Foods right now. There's a lot of market share up for grabs in organics. The disparity of their customer base is too great." Customer Growth Partners' Craig Johnson said in a CNN Money article.

2014: " ... Wal-Mart's competitive threat, while formidable, will take some time to affect Whole Foods' business significantly, and there are many caveats along the way."fellow Fool Asit Sharma wrote in June.

In the years between those statements, Whole Foods has grown its revenue by a staggering 132% -- from $5.6 billion in fiscal year 2006 to $13 billion in fiscal year 2013. During the period, Whole Foods' store count went from 186 to 362. There are now 403 Whole Foods stores and the company is looking to increase its number of stores and enter new markets. In fiscal year 2014, it opened a record 38 new stores and plans to cross the 500-store mark in fiscal year 2017.

Things that shield Whole Foods The Wild Oats items available at thousands of Wal-Mart stores, as well as on its website, consist of canned and packaged foods, a category in which it's comparatively easier to reduce prices as cost is lower compared with perishables. For Wal-Mart to reduce organic food prices beyond these packaged goods and include vegetables, meat, and fish, would mean bringing in economies of scale.

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Wal-Mart's Organic Push Shouldn't Worry Whole Foods

Soil Associations critics say it has abandoned organic to reach a wider audience. Photograph: Soil Association

The UKs biggest organic lobbying group has disowned its philosophical roots, is failing to support homeopathy for animals and has developed a dull and insipid image, say four trustees who have resigned over the Soil Associations future direction.

In a scathing letter the trustees say the 68-year old charity, which certifies four-fifths of organic produce and campaigns for organic farming, has abandoned its focus on organics in an attempt to reach a wider audience.

The Soil Association strongly refutes the charges, saying organic food and farming is still at the heart of it mission and that its views on homeopathy have not changed.

Pat Thomas, a journalist and one of the four trustees who signed the letter, said on her website that the decision was not taken lightly. However, I remain resolute in my belief that the organisation has lost its way, has lost its unique voice in the food and farming landscape and has largely abandoned organic in both the philosophical and practical sense of the word, in order to be part of an already overcrowded field of healthy-eating charities.

She said that the social media reaction to the resignation letter by critics of homeopathy was silly virtual group masturbation and confirmed her suspicions about one of the remaining trustees. It made her wonder whether trolls and sceptics were now running the Soil Association, she added.

The other trustees who resigned from the 17-strong board of trustees on 18 November include author Joanna Blythman, co-founder of the Real Bread Campaign and baker Andrew Whitley and food writer Lynda Brown.

Whitley said the Soil Association was drifting into irrelevance. He told the Guardian: Im afraid the Soil Association has succumbed to a sickness that affects some organisations as they mature. Its slowly gravitated to the corporate mindset. Quite a lot of the people involved at a senior level both on council and in the directorate, have got a corporate mindset if not background [such as ex-chair, Lady Adair Turner]. You get very few organic farmers or indeed any people making organic products.

He said that the charity had been co-opted by the power structures of big farming and the supermarkets. They [the directorate] do not understand the difference between dialogue and appeasement.

Blythman told the Guardian: Im mainly concerned about the Soil Association turning from a charity into a corporate thing, and this makes them risk averse. She added the resigning trustees had raised their concerns but just came up against a wall.

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Soil Association has disowned 'O word', say resigning trustees

Portland's first food co-op has opened its doors at 290 Congress Street.

It's a member-owned market which offers mostly organic foods supplied by Maine farmers and producers.

The 5,000 square-foot grocery store has just three checkout lanes and six aisles stocked with locally grown items.

More than 2,000 people paid $100 to become owners.

"Well first of all I try to eat only organic food, and there is no other store in the entire area that sells a majority of organic food or even a large percentage of organic food. That is the number-one most important thing to me," said shopper Shambhavi Sarasvati.

People do not need to be a member-owner to shop at the store.

"Food co-ops are popular in other cities and it's only fitting that Maine's foodiest town has its own,",said Mary Alice Scott, education and outreach coordinator.

The food co-op is being well-received during its soft opening.

"It just feels good shopping here because I know where the food is coming from," said shopper Jordon Mcleod.

A grand opening is scheduled for Dec. 10.

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Portland's first food co-op opens doors

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organic food company
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Organic Food is NOT HEALTHY!
Subscribe for more nutrition and fitness information! Nate #39;s other channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1kz-EExGVIxceVMMyjYJwQ Nate #39;s Blog: lowbudgetno...

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CTVNews.ca Staff Published Saturday, November 29, 2014 10:33PM EST Last Updated Saturday, November 29, 2014 11:39PM EST

A Quebec town known for producing food is now working to convert organic food waste into natural gas on a large scale.

Ste-Hyacinthe, Que., located about 60 kilometres northeast of Montreal, has set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 15,000 tonnes a year through its conversion of waste to gas.

In order to produce the gas, organic waste from local cheese and yogurt factories is collected, and the gas is extracted from the waste. The biogas is used to fuel up a fleet of city cars and heat city buildings, while the leftover organic waste is composted and used to beautify the city's parks and gardens.

While the process to extract biogas from organic waste was developed years ago, the scale of the conversion in Ste-Hyacinthe is new. The city wants to use 100,000 tonnes of organic matter that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

Quebec's Environment Minister David Heurtel said the process is an example of the new "circular" economy.

"It's new. It's bold, it's innovative and it's creative," he told CTV Montreal. "You're talking about a fundamental change in the way we use what otherwise was treated previously years before as garbage."

Any surplus biogas will be sold gas produced in Ste-Hyacinthe will be sold.

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Trash to cash: Quebec town aims to turn food waste into gas, profits

CHARLOTTE -- Organic foods are becoming more available as the healthy option grows in popularity. The USDA says organic foods account for more than four percent of all U.S. food sales.

Julia Simon takes pride in every meal she prepares. She started Nourish three years ago because she wanted to bring healthy, organic food to others.

"During the busy working week is probably when it's hardest to hold down your dietary requirements, trying to eat healthy but really busy, said founder and executive chef, Julia Simon. So what we're trying to do is get between you and the microwave burrito."

The organic, vegan delivery service will bring weekly meals directly to your doorstep. Simon says she buys as much local produce as possible, helping other small business owners.

"Not only can we get a little personalization with the produce we use, but we get to know who's growing it, said Simon. We know their standards are as high as ours. If we have trouble, they're right there.

The USDA says the demand for organic food continues to increase and is estimated to reach $35 billion in sales in 2014. Simon is trying to keep up with that demand, expanding her delivery service to across North Carolina.

"It took a few trials, but well worth it, said Nourish Fulfillment manager Erik Berns. And definitely essential. The last thing we want is a customer getting something unsatisfactory."

The company faced challenges with shipping the meals in a way that keeps them fresh and safe to eat. Simon admits eating organic, and having it delivered to your door will cost more, but she says using local companies to help with the process can help keep the cost down.

There are several organic food delivery services in North Carolina. Nourish Delivered will begin accepting statewide orders on Cyber Monday.

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Charlotte Organic Food Delivery Service Expands Across NC