Despite the rapid growth of the organic food industry, U.S. production lags significantly behind consumer demand. A new report from the Environmental Working Group shows that with modest reforms to existing programs, Congress could help growers transition away from farming that relies on chemical pesticides and expand the acreage dedicated to organic agriculture.

Between 1997 and 2015, sales in the organic sector soared from $3.7 billion to more than $43 billion. This double-digit growth nearly every year makes the organic sector one of the fastest growing segments of the food industry. Major retailers such as Costco report that they can't get enough organic food to meet customer demand.

Yet the gap between supply and demand means many American organic food companies have to rely on foreign suppliers for staples like soybeans, corn and ricedemand that could be met by domestic producers.

"Driven in large part by the multiple environmental and health benefits, Americans' appetites for organic food is seemingly insatiable," said Colin O'Neil, Environmental Working Group's agriculture policy director and author of the report. "The current organic trade deficit presents Congress with a unique chance to expand market opportunities for U.S. producers, while also benefitting consumers, food companies and the environment. With modest reforms to current programs in the next farm bill, Congress can reduce barriers to farmers who want to transition organic methods at no additional cost."

John Paneno, vice president of sourcing for Amy's Kitchen Inc. of Petaluma, California, said increasing the U.S. supply of organic food is essential.

"Amy's continues to see strong consumer growth for our organic products," said Paneno. "We need more programs that help our farmers transition into organic farming so that we can source the ingredients we need domestically and create new jobs for our rural communities."

The Environmental Working Group's report details how Congress can play a role in better positioning American farmers to meet the demand for organics, by increasing the number of organic farms and the amount of organic acreage. Congress has already begun discussing the 2018 Farm Bill, which O'Neil said should include the following modest changes:

"The organic food industry is now one of the fastest growing, most dynamic parts of the food sector, creating tens of thousands of jobs and producing in-demand foods for millions of Americans" said O'Neil. "Members of Congress should take any simple steps they can to reduce barriers to transition and help expand the organic farm footprint here in the U.S."

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How to Meet the Soaring Demand for Organic Food - EcoWatch

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By Sam Bess

As a professionally trained media spokesperson, I am able to translate the latest nutrition research into simple messages that consumers can understand. So says Kim Larson in a March 4 column in The Herald.

What are her media trained credentials? What is it about nutrition research that needs translation? Lets take a look at this article. The headline begins on a negative note followed by another negative comment that there are slight differences in nutrition not enough to support a purchasing decision in favor of organics. Strike two against organics. Who wouldnt prefer as she later points out food produced without synthetic pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, irradiation and genetically engineered methods. Not to mention food with systemically invasive herbicides and pesticides.

Dairy products are also suspect because of the use of antibiotics. This subject would lead one into the deceptive marketing practices by corporations wanting to make their foods look and sound like they are better than they are. Our government regulations are at fault for this problem.

Next the article enjoins us to believe that Choosing organic or conventionally grown foods is a personal choice. Just what are conventionally grown foods? Are they the ones labeled or marketed as natural? The article doesnt translate that nor simplify the information.

Current levels of pesticide residue are safe and far below what is deemed hazardous for environmental or human health. Really? How many years of residue ingestion are needed before hazardous buildup should be expected? Were pesticides systemic or topically applied?

The same can be asked about herbicides. Some herbicides are systemic and continue killing and pesticides, too, well into the growing and fruiting period. Simple washing will not remove those.

Although the author appears not to be opposed to organics, there seems to be no emphasis upon the real benefits of the extra dollar spent to avoid contaminants, and in support of the organics industry mission to feed us with safety assured.

Sam Bess lives in Stanwood.

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Column played down importance of organic food - The Daily Herald

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY JEAN LIOU Tubi Moloi (R) sellls organic vegetables at the Arts on Main Market on January 25, 2015 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Arts on Main goods market is part of a new trend focusing on urban rejuvination in inner-city Johannesburg, South Africa. AFP PHOTO/STEFAN HEUNIS (Photo credit should read STEFAN HEUNIS/AFP/Getty Images)STEFAN HEUNIS AFP/Getty Images

The organic industry has an army of powerful, diverse microphones. Food blogs , celebrities, and nutritionists all routinely extol the benefits of eating organic fruits and vegetables.

But a new study published in Science Advances paints a more complicated picture. While organic produce is likely marginally healthier to eat and, in some ways, more sustainable to grow, there are also downsides.

For starters, organic fruits and vegetables typically cost more than their conventional equivalents. To be certified as organic, a distinction set by the United States Department of Agriculture, farmers must meet specific criteria, including growing produce without the use of genetic engineering and chemical inputs. Without these methods, the growing process typically requires more manual labor, time, and money, a cost that is passed down to consumers.

And while its true that in many ways, organic is more sustainable than conventional farmingstudies have shown organic farms support more biodiversity and, because they dont use pesticides, are safer places to work for farm handswhen it comes to environmental concerns such as greenhouse gas emissions and water nitrogen loss, the comparison gets murkier. Organic farms produce less emissions per acreage. However, because they are barred from using genetic engineering, pesticides, and other methods that increase efficiency, organic farms also produce an estimated 19% to 25% less yield than conventional farms. While there isnt a whole lot research on the topic, the few studies that do exist suggest green gas emissions and water loss might actually be higher on organic farms, on a per unit basis, says study author Verena Seurfert. If we examine conventional and organic farms and compare them in terms of units of food produced, than organic doesnt fare so well.

In addition, while organic produce is likely more nutritious than conventional fruit and vegetables, theres not a lot of evidence to support the claim that these often marginal discrepancies impact consumer health, Seurfert says. The same is true for pesticide residue: in developed countries, where pesticide use is tightly regulated, theres no scientific consensus on how these often marginal difference impact human health.

Still, Seurfert stresses that if you can afford to eat organic, you should do so. Organic farms provide safer work environments for workers, plus they support great biodiversity. The real takeaway from her study is not that organic is bad but that the practice needs more study to in order to increase yield without lowering sustainability.

But if you cant afford to buy organic produce, dont stress too much. Particularly from a nutritional perspective, the most important factor is that youre eating enough fruits and vegetablesorganic or not.

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Organic Farms Might Be Slightly Worse for Climate Change - Fortune

Is Organic Food Really Better?

A new report published in the journal Science Advances suggests that, while there certainly are some benefits to choosing organic foods, there are also some drawbacks.

Researchers evaluated existing information about organic farming for criteria such as crop yield, impact on climate change, farmer livelihood, and consumer health. They found that the environmental benefits of organic farming are offset by lower crop yields, which are typically 19 to 25 percent lower than those produced through conventional farming methods.

Organic foods are grown without pesticidesand thats a good thingbut organic farms use more landand thats harmful to the planet overall. According to researchers, land conversion for agriculture leads to habitat loss and contributes to climate change.

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A new arthritis treatmentsynthetic cartilage implantscould be life-changing for the growing number of people who suffer from joint pain and limited mobility. The implants, which are made from the same material as contact lenses, are already being used in some patients in Europe and the U.S.

Arthritis affects more than 54 million people in the United Statesmostly womenand synthetic cartilage could one day be a permanent solution, reducing the need for pain medication and other therapies that are ineffective for many patients.

So far, the implants have been used in knee and thumb joints in Europe, and big toe joints in the U.S. According to researchers, synthetic cartilage has been shown to reduce pain in 91 percent of patients and significantly improve mobility.

Image Credit: Thinkstock

Sourced from: NBC News

Beneficial bacteria may help reverse a cycle of inflammation found in certain inflammatory bowel diseases, researchers recently reported in the journal Nature Immunology. The most common types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are Crohns and ulcerative colitis.

According to researchers, inflammation in the GI tract develops when an inhibitor called NLRP12 is not present. This inflammation then upsets the balance of bacteria in the digestive system further, leading to an abundance of harmful bacteria and lower levels of beneficial bacteria and creating even more inflammation. Adding beneficial bacteria back to the digestive tract can help end this cycleperhaps leading to a new treatment for IBD.

Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis often have a negative impact on quality of life and can increase colorectal cancer risk. Symptoms include diarrhea, fatigue, and abdominal cramping. Inflammatory bowel diseases are caused by an abnormal immune system reaction to food, bacteria, and other substances found in the intestines.

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Sourced from: ScienceDaily

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Is Organic Food Really Better? - HealthCentral.com

EWG Report: How Congress Can Help Farmers Meet Soaring ... Environmental Working Group Despite the rapid growth of the organic food industry, U.S. production lags significantly behind consumer demand. A new report from EWG shows that with ... and more »

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EWG Report: How Congress Can Help Farmers Meet Soaring ... - Environmental Working Group

Dive Brief:

Natural Grocers is not the first retailer to try and create a niche in the grocery space by selling only organic produce. This new campaign could help the retailer broaden its shopper base by giving consumers a visual representation of what they are paying for.

Consumer demand for organically produced goods is increasing consistently, with double-digit growth over the last year, according to the Organic Trade Association.

Numerous studies in recent years have shown an increase in consumer interestin both natural and organically produced food because of concerns regarding health, the environment and animal welfare.

Still, many consumers still have no idea what "organic" actually means, and believe that organic products are simply healthier for them than traditional options. By making the differences between organic and non-organic foods abundantly clear to their shoppers, Natural Grocers hopes to convert consumers who may be hesitant to shell out extra money for more premium offerings. This also bolsters the grocer's image in the process, and could encourage brand loyalty and drive more traffic to its stores. Additionally, it provides a public service by doing much-needed education.

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Natural Grocers rolls out new pro-organic campaign - Food Dive

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Cat Food Brands: Grain Free, Organic Cat & Kitten Food ...

Sorry green-market-loving hipsters, but it turns out eating organic isnt always that great for the planet, and may only have a marginal effect on your health.

A new studypublished in the journal Science Advances reports that even though organic farms have the eco-friendly benefit of using fewer pesticides, they also use more land, which is harmful to the planet.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia analyzed organic crop farming across 17 criteria such as yield, impact on climate change, farmer livelihood and consumer health by looking at the existing scientific literature on its results.

For one, they found the environmental benefits of organic farming can be offset by the lower yields of such crops (typically 19 to 25 percent lower than conventional farming).

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While an organic farm may be better for things like biodiversity, farmers will need more land to grow the same amount of food, wrote Verena Seufert, the studys co-author. And land conversion for agriculture is the leading contributor to habitat loss and climate change.

The study also pointed out that reviews disagree on whether organic food offers a significant difference in nutrient content compared to conventional crops.

While one benefit was found to be unequivocal reduced contamination from pesticides the authors point out that this might not matter for consumers in high-income countries, where pesticide contamination on conventionally grown food is far below acceptable daily intake thresholds.

This article originally appeared on The New York Post.

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Organic food isn't all it's cracked up to be, study suggests - Fox News

Organic food is increasingly on the rise because people think it is better for themselves you are, after all, what you eat but also because they think it is better for the environment. A new study, however, has revealed that that may not be the case all of the time.

Published in Science Advances, the studyis the first to systematically review the scientific literature on theenvironmental and socioeconomic performance of organic farming. The researchers, led by the University of British Columbia (UBC), claim organic food is not the immediate fix for environmental agricultural issues and the future of food security.

"Organic is often proposed [as] a holy grail solution to current environmental and food scarcity problems, said Verena Seufert, study co-author and a researcher at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), in a statement. But we found that the costs and benefits will vary heavily depending on the context."

As the study explains, organic farming on the same scale as conventional farming produces a much smaller yield without the use of pesticides. It is approximately 19 to 25 percent less, and so it needs more land to be able to cultivate more crops.

While an organic farm may be better for things like biodiversity, farmers will need more land to grow the same amount of food, said Seufert. And land conversion for agriculture is the leading contributor to habitat loss and climate change.

It can mean that those with good intentions when buying organic food might not be being as environmentally friendly as they would hope.

Organic farming seems to make for some very happy farmers. Robert Kneschke/Shutterstock

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Organic Food Alone Cannot Provide A Sustainable Future - IFLScience

By Louis Gore-LangtonLouis Gore-Langton , 13-Mar-20172017-03-13T00:00:00Z Last updated on 13-Mar-2017 at 14:51 GMT2017-03-13T14:51:30Z

Organic may be less sustainable and less beneficial to consumer health than previously thought, according to new research.

Organic has been a growing trend throughout Europe, making a continued expansion since the 2008 recession in which sales dropped dramatically.

But is organic really the panacea for the food systems environmental and health related problems?

A review of scientific literature analysing organic farming with seventeen different criteria found that a number of factors, including crop yield and consumer health, do not show such glowing results.

The study shows that the costs and benefits of organic farms have often been analysed in comparison to conventional farms with the same land area which does not take into account crop yield.

When the efficiency of farms is measured by yield, organic methods have been shown in numerous studies to underperform by around 19 25%. For some crops this figure can rise to as high as 30 or 40%.

Although the need for increased food supply is still debated because of the inefficiencies and inequities in the current system, yields do matter not only for farmers whose incomes critically depend on the yield but also for many environmental outcomes. Even if food production does not need to increase, higher yields could still be environmentally beneficial because we could take land out of production and restore natural ecosystemsthe study notes.

This is not only a problem for increasing output and satisfying the worlds shortage of food, but also for environmental degradation.

Land conversion for agriculture is the worlds leading cause of habitat loss and climate change. The world wildlife fund (WWF) state that 38% of the worlds habitable land is currently used for agriculture and that a further 120 million hectares will need to be converted to intensive monoculture farms by 2050 to continue feeding the worlds population.

Despite organic farms requiring more land for production, biodiversity within that land usually increases greatly under organic methods.

Health concerns are the number one factor motivating consumers to opt for organic products.

However, the study shows that the potential harm caused by pesticides in food is highly context dependent and that consumers in economically developed countries would be far more at risk than those in developing countries:

The only entirely unequivocal benefit of organic foods is reduced contamination from pesticide residues although this might not matter for consumers in high-income countries, where pesticide contamination on conventionally grown food is far below acceptable daily intake thresholds it could provide an important health benefit for consumers elsewhere.

Hans Muillmen of the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) however, told FoodNavigator that this does not cover the whole picture.

Food from industrial agriculture contains numerous pesticide residues. Consumers eat dozens of pesticides on a daily basis and the combined effects of these pesticides are not accounted for in the regulations. Industrial food is not safe. Organic doesn't contain synthetic pesticide residues at all and is safe.

A recentPAN release reported on the cumulative effects of different types of pesticides, saying that whilst individual residues are minor, western consumers still take on dozens of different types per day, which can be toxic.

The researchers said the literature review showed ultimately that whilst organic has huge benefits and requires larger amounts of research and funding,organic agriculture cannot be the Holy Grail for our sustainable food security challenges.

Instead, more emphasis should be placed on finding and utilising the areas where organic works best, and this requires trade-offs for separate problems like output and biodiversity.

Source: ScienceAdvances

Published 2017; DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1602638

"Many shades of grayThe context-dependent performance of organic agriculture"

Authors:Verena Seufertl,Navin Ramankutty

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Organic is a single part of a sustainable food system, and only works in certain contexts: study - FoodNavigator.com