In the decade before Michigan and its largest city became the latest hot spot for the deadly coronavirus , officials were steadily, and at times dramatically, cutting back on their first line of defense against pandemics and other public health emergencies.

Approaching bankruptcy, Detroit disbanded most of its public health department and handed its responsibilities to a private nonprofit. When the department reopened in 2014 in the back of the municipal parking office, its per capita budget was a fraction of other big cities, to serve a needier population.

In Ingham County, home to the capital city of Lansing, then-Public Health Director Renee Branch Canady sat down at budget time every year for seven straight years to figure out what more to cut.

It was just chop, chop, chop, Canady said. By the time she left in 2014, all the health educators, who teach people how to prevent disease, were gone.

What happened in Michigan also played out across the country and at the federal level after the 2008 recession, which caused serious budget problems for governments. But as the economy recovered, public health funding did not, a review of budget figures and interviews with health experts and officials shows.

A shortfall persisted despite several alarming outbreaks, from H1N1 to Ebola, and has left the U.S. more vulnerable now to COVID-19, experts say. In normal times, public health workers are in the community, immunizing children, checking on newborns and performing other tasks. In a health emergency, theyre tracing outbreaks, conducting testing and serving as first responders when people fall sick efforts that are lagging in many states as the coronavirus spreads.

Our funding decisions tied their hands, said Brian Castrucci, who worked with health departments in Philadelphia, Texas and Georgia and is now president of the de Beaumont Foundation, a health advocacy organization.

The cuts came under both Democratic and Republican administrations. While there is no single number that reflects all federal, state and local spending, the budget for the federal Centers for Disease Control, the core agency for public health, fell by 10 percent between fiscal year 2010 and 2019 after adjusting for inflation, according to an analysis by the Trust for Americas Health, a public health research and advocacy organization. The group found that federal funding to help state and local officials prepare for emergencies such as the coronavirus outbreak has also fallen from about $1 billion after 9/11 to under $650 million last year.

Between 2008 and 2017, state and local health departments lost more than 55,000 jobs one-fifth of their workforce, a major factor as cities struggle to respond to COVID-19.

It definitely has made a difference, said John Auerbach, Trust for Americas Health CEO and a former public health director in Massachusetts.

New York has seen the most COVID-19 cases in the U.S., but numbers are surging in places such as Detroit, where those testing positive nearly tripled in the week between March 28 and Saturday, when officials said the city was approaching 4,000 cases, with 129 deaths. A more robust health system could have done more earlier to track down and isolate people who were exposed, said the citys former health director, Abdul El-Sayed.

State spending on public health in Michigan dropped 16% from an inflation-adjusted high point of $300 million in 2004, according to a 2018 study.

Some of the funding problems, Canady and other public health advocates believe, stem from a fundamental belief in smaller government among Republican governors, including former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, who called for shared sacrifice after the states auto-dependent economy was battered by the recession.

In Kansas, then-Gov. Sam Brownback ran what he called a red-state experiment to cut taxes. State spending on its Public Health Division, outside of federal funds, dropped 28% between 2008 and 2016.

The cuts meant a shifting of responsibility for services from the state level to the county level, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said in an interview. And we saw that in public health.

In Maine, then-Gov. Paul Le Pages administration stopped replacing public health nurses who were dealing with families in the opioid crisis. The number of nurses fell from around 60 to the low 20s before the Legislature tried to reverse the action.

Although agencies often receive emergency funding when a crisis strikes, the infusion is temporary.

Decisions are made politically to support something when it becomes an epidemic, said Derrick Neal, a public health official in Abilene when Ebola surfaced in Texas. And then as time passes, the funding shrinks.

In Oklahoma, state funding for the Department of Health still hasnt returned to its levels of 2014, when a combination of slumping oil prices, tax cuts and corporate breaks punched a giant hole in the states budget. When state revenues later improved, the money went to other priorities.

Its much easier to cut funding for public health than it is to start taking away benefits from people or access to care for people, said former state Rep. Doug Cox, an emergency room doctor.

Castrucci said the problem with providing more money only at times of emergency is it doesnt allow time to recruit and train new workers.

We waited until the house was on fire before we started interviewing firefighters, he said.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

___

Associated Press reporters David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan, Paul Weber in Austin, Texas, John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

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In years before outbreak, investment in public health fell - The Associated Press

Wednesday, April 15 at 8 am Pacific

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Join host John Cumbers for the latest developments from the synthetic biology industry, and these in-depth conversations:

As biotech founders attempt to inoculate their teams against the economic and social upheaval of SARS-CoV-2, what is the investment community doing? As the world turns attention toward biotech companies to solve this pandemic, does the synthetic biology industry represent an even richer opportunity? Or will the funding frenzy cool off? SynBioBeta founder John Cumbers talks with four investors at the forefront of synthetic biology:

The brain is central to our humanity, but when problems arise, we dont have good tools to work with it. Brain-computer interfaces represent a new class of digital therapeutics, allowing access to the brain in areas like sensory and motor prosthetics, monitoring neuropsychiatric conditions, and smart pharmaceutical delivery. Join SynBioBeta founder John Cumbers for a conversation with Matt Angle, CEO of Paradromics, who will share his companys technology for helping as many as 10 million paralysis patients in the US alone. Well be joined by Dr. Loretta Bruening of the Inner Mammal Institute, who will describe the neurochemical basis for happiness, and how each of us can more efficiently interact with our deeper mammalian brain to guide our neurochemistry toward more pleasurable states. We will also be joined by Mark Bunger, Lab Agent at Innovation Labs, who will discuss the neurotech entrepreneurial ecosystem and provide context for the interplay of neurotech, synthetic biology, and other deep tech fields.

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SynBioBeta Live: Investing in times of turmoil, neurotech and happiness - SynBioBeta

These are uncertain times we're experiencing, and nearly everyone has had their lives disrupted in some way as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 90% of Americans are worried about the effectCOVID-19 will have on the U.S. economy, according to research from SurveyMonkey, with millions of workers watching their retirement savings plummet.

When the market is in a free fall, it can be tempting to pull all your cash out of your retirement fund in an attempt to salvage whatever money you have left. However, right now it may be a smart move to do the opposite and actually invest more in the stock market.

Of course, not everyone can afford to invest right now. If you've lost your source of income and are simply trying to keep your head above water, it might be better to focus on paying the bills and establishing an emergency fund. But if you have cash to spare, investing it may be a wise move for these three reasons.

Image source: Getty Images.

When the market falls, so do stock prices. That means that by investing during a market downturn, you can get more for your money because stock prices are at rock bottom. You've probably heard about the concept of buying low and selling high, and right now is the perfect opportunity to buy low.

It may take a while before the stock market fully recovers, but it should bounce back eventually. The economy will always experience ups and downs (some worse than others), but if history shows us anything, it's that the market will recover given enough time.

By investing now when prices are low, you'll be setting your savings up for significant gains when the stock market does eventually recover. And hopefully by the time you're ready to retire and withdraw your cash from your retirement account, your investments will be worth much more than they are now. In other words, buy low now so you can sell high later.

One of the most challenging aspects of investing is sitting on the sidelines watching your savings take a nosedive and knowing there's nothing you can do about it. It's human nature to want to do something to help your investments, but unfortunately, sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing.

If you let your emotions fuel your decisions, there's a chance that could end up doing more harm than good. You might choose to withdraw your savings from your retirement fund or quit investing altogether because it feels less risky than continuing to invest, but in reality, those could be costly mistakes.

Instead, convince yourself to keep investing consistently no matter what the market does. Delete your retirement account app from your phone or log out of the website to avoid feeling disheartened about your account balance, and keep reminding yourself that although things may not look pretty now, they will get better.

As you get closer to retirement age, you should be adjusting your asset allocation to ensure your investments align with your risk tolerance. Older workers should be investing more heavily in conservative investments like bonds rather than riskier assets such as stocks, because you never know when a recession will strike, and you want your savings to be protected before the stock market crashes.

But what should you do when the market has already crashed and you're realizing you haven't been conservative enough with your investments? For right now, the best option may be to simply stay the course. Adjusting your portfolio to ultra-conservative investments now would potentially leave you never seeing your savings bounce back from its losses. Once the market does start to recover, though, it's better to start investing more conservatively than to stop investing altogether. That way, your money will be as protected as possible against future market downturns, but you'll still be building wealth.

Keep in mind, though, that even older investors should usually invest at least some money in stocks. Even if you're in your 60s, you'll still want your investments to continue growing for at least a couple more decades throughout retirement. While it may be ideal to have most of your money in more conservative investments, it's wise to avoid giving up stocks altogether if you want to continue seeing long-term growth.

If you're feeling worried about your retirement investments, that's perfectly normal. But remember that historically, the market has always bounced back after even the worst recessions. It will recover this time too. And by continuing to invest now, you'll reap the rewards later.

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3 Reasons to Keep Investing Even When the Market Crashes - The Motley Fool

Quantum computers pose an "urgent but manageable" threat to the security of modern communications systems, according to a report published Thursday by influential US RAND Corporation.

The non-profit think tank's report, "Securing Communications in the Quantum Computing Age: Managing the Risks to Encryption," urges the US government to act quickly because quantum code-breaking could be a thing in, say, 12-15 years.

If adequate implementation of new security measures has not taken place by the time capable quantum computers are developed, it may become impossible to ensure secure authentication and communication privacy without major, disruptive changes, said Michael Vermeer, a RAND scientist and lead author of the report in a statement.

Experts in the field of quantum computing like University of Texas at Austin computer scientist Scott Aaronson have proposed an even hazier timeline.

Noting that the quantum computers built by Google and IBM have been in the neighborhood of 50 to 100 quantum bits (qubits) and that running Shor's algorithm to break public key RSA cryptosystems would probably take several thousand logical qubits meaning millions of physical qubits due to error correction Aaronson recently opined, "I dont think anyone is close to that, and we have no idea how long it will take."

But other boffins, like University of Chicago computer science professor Diana Franklin, have suggested Shor's algorithm might be a possibility in a decade and a half.

So even though quantum computing poses a theoretical threat to most current public-key cryptography and less risk for lattice-based, symmetric, privacy key, post-quantum, and quantum cryptography there's not much consensus about how and when this threat might manifest itself.

Nonetheless, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the US government agency overseeing tech standards, has been pushing the development of quantum-resistant cryptography since at least 2016. Last year it winnowed a list of proposed post-quantum crypto (PQC) algorithms down to a field of 26 contenders.

The RAND report anticipates quantum computers capable of crypto-cracking will be functional by 2033, with the caveat that experts propose dates both before and after that. PQC algorithm standards should gel within the next five years, with adoption not expected until the mid-to-late 2030s, or later.

But the amount of time required for the US and the rest of the world to fully implement those protocols to mitigate the risk of quantum crypto cracking may take longer still. Note that the US government is still running COBOL applications on ancient mainframes.

"If adequate implementation of PQC has not taken place by the time capable quantum computers are developed, it may become impossible to ensure secure authentication and communication privacy without major, disruptive changes to our infrastructure," the report says.

RAND's report further notes that consumer lack of awareness and indifference to the issue means there will be no civic demand for change.

Hence, the report urges federal leadership to protect consumers, perhaps unaware that Congress is considering the EARN-IT Act, which critics characterize as an "all-out assault on encryption."

"If we act in time with appropriate policies, risk reduction measures, and a collective urgency to prepare for the threat, then we have an opportunity for a future communications infrastructure that is as safe as or more safe than the current status quo, despite overlapping cyber threats from conventional and quantum computers," the report concludes.

It's worth recalling that a 2017 National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report, "Global Health and the Future Role of the United States," urged the US to maintain its focus on global health security and to prepare for infection disease threats.

That was the same year nonprofit PATH issued a pandemic prevention report urging the US government to "maintain its leadership position backed up by the necessary resources to ensure continued vigilance against emerging pandemic threats, both at home and abroad."

The federal government's reaction to COVID-19 is a testament to the impact of reports from external organizations. We can only hope that the threat of crypto-cracking quantum computers elicits a response that's at least as vigorous.

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RAND report finds that, like fusion power and Half Life 3, quantum computing is still 15 years away - The Register

Microsoft has been working on quantum computers for several years now. Last year, Microsoft announced Azure Quantum, a full-stack, open cloud ecosystem that will bring the benefits of quantum computing organizations.Microsoft launched Quantum Network, a global community of individuals and organizations working together to advance quantum computing. The Microsoft Quantum Network members will work with Microsoft to learn about, research, and launch quantum computing applications and hardware supported with access to the Quantum Development Kit, vital research and experts, exclusive access to Azure services, and workshops on quantum programming and algorithm development.

Yesterday, Telegraph reported that Microsofts venture capital arm M12 invested in PsiQuantum, a startup with the goal to build the worlds first useful quantum computer out of conventional silicon chips that process information using individual photons as well as electronics. This means that every single component of the quantum computer is made by the same factories and assembled on the same production lines as your laptop or smartphone. PsiQuantum have assembled a team of more than 100 engineers with expertise across all aspects of silicon manufacturing and error corrected quantum computing.

Its worth noting that PsiQuantums approach is different from Microsofts efforts in topological qubits (Microsofts approach would enable error correction in hardware via topological protection from local noise). PsiQuantum and Microsoft have different sets of engineering challenges to address with their distinct approaches, but the companies share the vision for a scalable, fault tolerant quantum computer, said Samir Kumar from M12.

Source: PsiQuantum

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Microsoft invests in PsiQuantum, a startup which is building the worlds first useful quantum computer - MSPoweruser - MSPoweruser

Article By : Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio

Quantum computers will make security mechanisms vulnerable to new types of cyberattacks a problem for both chip cards and complex technological systems...

Quantum computers will make current security mechanisms vulnerable to new types of cyberattacks a real problem for both chip cards and complex technological systems such as networked vehicles or industrial control systems. They have the potential to break the cryptographic patterns widely used in internet of things data communication systems.

With the advent of quantum computers, modern encryption algorithms are undergoing an evolution that will significantly change their current use. In order to support the security of the internet and other cryptographic-based technologies, it is necessary to increase mathematical research to build the cryptography of tomorrow, which is resistant to quantum attacks and will become known as post-quantum or quantum-resistant cryptography.

A quantum computer that could break cryptography would be a powerful tool for attackers, said Dr. Thomas Poeppelmann, senior staff engineer, Infineon Technologies.

According to the latest Thales Data Threat Report, 72 percent of the security experts surveyed worldwide believe that quantum computing power will affect data security technologies within the next five years. Robust and future-proof security solutions are therefore necessary. The potential threats are widespread, everything from the cars of the future to industrial robots.

IoT security

The modern use of cryptography aims to help ensure the confidentiality, authenticity, and integrity of the multiple data traveling in the IoT ecosystem, both the consumer and industrial one.

Security requirements of IoT devices can be very complex, said Poeppelmann. As a result, security cannot be achieved by a single technology or method. For example, a vendor has to consider aspects like secured software development, protected patch management, supply chain security, protection against physical attacks, trust and identity management, and secured communication.

Many companies, such as Infineon, are developing chip-based quantum security mechanisms. In particular, the applicability and practical implementation of quantum security cryptographic methods for embedded systems will be highlighted.

An IoT device has to check that a software update is really from the vendor and that it was not created by an attacker, said Poeppelmann. If the cryptographic methods used in an IoT device can be broken by an attacker, this would expose it to a lot of vulnerabilities. With quantum-safe cryptography, we want to provide our customers with cryptographic methods that are even protected against attacks using quantum computers. With our post-quantum technology, we aim to provide security in the long term and against very powerful attackers.

A classic computer attacker can use all the necessary means, such as artificial intelligence and increasingly powerful computers, to defeat security barriers.

Depending on the results and tasks, an attacker may be willing to spend several months of work to break a cryptographic pattern. Developers must provide maximum security that is accessible and easy-to-integrate solutions.

The security industry is developing cryptography that can be executed on cost-efficient classical computers or even tiny smart card chips while being guarded against even the most powerful attackers, said Poeppelmann.

He added, This situation is also applicable to the development of post-quantum cryptography that should withstand quantum computing power. The defender could still be implementing cryptography on classical computers and machines, while the attacker may use a quantum computer in the near future. Current approaches for so-called quantum-key distribution [QKD], where quantum technology is used to achieve confidentiality, are currently too expensive or too constraining, whereas current assessments of post-quantum cryptography prove that it could be quantum-safe as well as affordable. This is why we at Infineon focus on the development of post-quantum cryptography [PQC].

Security for IoT (Image: Infineon Technologies)

Large-scale QKD technology has already been tested in several countries to provide secure quantum protection to critical infrastructures.

Today, cryptography is used in many applications in automobiles and industrial control equipment. This aims to prevent the transfer of malware that could disrupt security systems and seriously endanger independent driving and production equipment.

Conventional encryption tools such as elliptical curve encryption are indestructible for todays computers. However, with constant progress in the development of quantum computers, many encryption algorithms may become ineffective in the near future.

Projects

The project Aquorypt will investigate the applicability and practical implementation of quantum-safe cryptographic methods for embedded systems. The project team evaluates procedures that have an adequate security level and implements them efficiently in hardware and software. The results could be used to protect industrial control systems with a long service life.

In the Aquorypt research project, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) will collaborate with researchers and industrial partners to develop new protection measures for the quantum computing era.

The project will first assess several new protocols and check if the new protocols are suitable for the use cases; i.e. industrial control and chip cards, said Poeppelmann. The best way to build a secured system is always a combination of appropriate software and hardware methods. However, some security goals cannot be achieved if the underlying hardware is not secured. Some bugs cannot be fixed by software alone.

Another project, PQC4MED, is focused on embedded systems in medical products. The associated hardware and software must allow the exchange of cryptographic procedures to counteract external threats. The solution will be tested in a use case in the field of medical technology.

In health-care applications, data privacy and data security are of particular importance, said Poeppelmann. Moreover, these devices have been in the field for a very long time so that software needs to be updated to comply with the latest regulations. As a consequence, it is important to first understand how suppliers of health-care devices could handle the threats caused by attacks using quantum computers. And secondly, [it is important] to research how they can implement software updates and software management mechanisms that allow [protection of] a device over its life cycle of more than 20 years. If the security of the update mechanism is low, an attacker will always take the path of least resistance and attack this component.

Infineon is working in this field for the development and standardization of New Hope and SPHINCS+ quantum security cryptographic schemes. New Hope is a key exchange protocol based on the Ring-Learning-with-Errors (Ring-LWE, or RLWE) problem.

Ring-LWE has been designed to protect against cryptoanalysis of quantum computers and also to provide the basis for homomorphic encryption. A key advantage of RLWE-based cryptography is in the size of the public and private keys.

SPHINCS+ is a stateless hash-based signature scheme based on conservative security assumptions.

Googles quantum computer

Conclusion

Cyberattacks on industrial plants could lead to the theft of knowledge about production processes or to tampering plants with a loss of production efficiency. Over time, electronic systems will become increasingly more networked and information security will play a key role.

As for security, post-quantum cryptography now mainly needs standards and awareness, said Poeppelmann. The standards are required to grant interoperability of different systems; e.g., an IoT device communicating with a cloud system. Device manufacturers, on the other hand, should be aware that quantum computers can become a real threat to their solutions security. They should assess future risks as properly [as possible] and implement appropriate security as early as possible.

In addition to security, a second factor in determining whether a cryptographic algorithm can be used in a given application environment is its efficiency. The performance takes into account not only processing speed but also memory requirements: key size, data expansion speed, signature size, etc. For example, schemes based on more structured mathematical problems tend to have reduced keys.

Quantum technology such as quantum computers or quantum sensors have different requirements for market adoption, said Poeppelmann. For the adoption of quantum computers, we need a computer that is really able to prove a benefit for real-world tasks (e.g., chemical analysis, AI, etc.) over currently used cloud methods. In general, it is important to raise awareness to foster market adoption of quantum-resistant cryptography. The threat is real, but with PQC, we have a migration path available.

Improving the strength of encryption remains a goal for many IT security experts. As computers become smarter and faster and codes become easier to decode, a more advanced encryption mechanism is more urgently needed.

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Securing IoT in the Quantum Age - Eetasia.com

More free, discounted tech for governments responding to COVID-19

Cloud contributions

Splunk is offering a free program, Remote Work Insights, to help new and existing federal, state and local government agency customers manage applications, monitor business performance and secure networks from remote locations. RWI provides real-time visibility across multiple disparate systems, such as VPN and Microsoft 365, alongside executive-level dashboards to boost productivity of mission-critical activities. RWI can be used as a standalone dashboard and platform for best practices or as an add-on for current Splunk customers. Read more here.

Digital Ocean, a cloud infrastructure provider, is donating $100,000 in infrastructure credits as well as promotion and publicity for new, not-for-profit projects related to COVID-19. Examples of potential projects include applications or online resources designed toeducate, coordinate help ortrack the virus; hackathonsor virtual challenges; tools that support online education; or projects that help small businesses impacted by the virus. More here.

Researchers working on COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments and vaccines can apply for a free license to Lifebit Biotechs Lifebit CloudOS, an end-to-end fully federated cloud operating system specifically engineered for life sciences data access, collaboration, and analysis.

Other free cloud resources for COVID-19 applications can be found here.

Security

Identity, an intelligent identity solutionprovider for the enterprise, is offering new customers six months of free cloud single sign-on and multi-factor authentication services for unlimited applications. More info here.

BlackBerry will be offering a range of its secure communication solutions, including SecuSUITE for Government, free of charge for a 60-day period to help organizations manage and secure remote employees.Read more here.

Transit infrastructure

To support cities and businesses that deliver transportation services, Ford Mobility subsidiaries TransLoc, Ride Systems and DoubleMap are offering transit agencies free consulting and demand-response software to help them quickly deploy a responsive service to support evolving rider needs and adhere to quickly-changing health guidelines.Apply here.

Traffic analytics company StreetLight Data is offering free access to its new Vehicles Miles Traveled application to help transportation planners measure the transportation-related impact of the pandemic on communities that depend on gas taxes for revenue. StreetLight worked with Cuebiq, a location intelligence firm to transform GPS data into contextualized, aggregated and normalized travel patterns and build deep repositories of historical VMT data. The map and data will be accessible for free to all planners, researchers and engineers, as well as the general public and StreetLight's current customers.

Communications and outreach

Email solutions provider Validity announced Validity for Good, a free crisis communications program for government agencies and organizations that send critical emails, such as those related to the coronavirus pandemic. With Validity for Good, agencies and organizations are temporarily granted access to the companys email delivery certification offeringthat gives email campaigns trusted treatment to help ensure that critical emails related to public safety and COVID-19 arrive in inboxes, not spam folders.

Aisera, an AI-enabled customer experience company, announced that it is offering its remote working virtual assistant and collaboration app free for 60 days to help health care organizations, government agencies and businesses provide customer service during the global pandemic. More here.

Granicus, a provider of cloud-based citizen engagement services for the public sector, announced a new set of easily embeddable web tools that aggregate, curate and present COVID-19 content from trusted government sources for widespread community access. These FedRAMP authorized tools are free for a limited time and are available to any local, state or federal government organization to use on their website for COVID-19 related communications. More info.

High performance help

D-Wave Systems, a manufacturer of quantum computers, is offering free access to its Leap 2 hybrid quantum cloud service to anyone whos working on responses to the coronavirus outbreak in the 35 countries across North America, Europe, and Asia where access is available. Leap 2 includes the hybrid solver service designed to bring both classical and quantum resources to quickly and precisely solve highly complex problems with up to 10,000 fully connected variables.

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More free, discounted tech for governments responding to COVID-19 - GCN.com

HTF Market Intelligence added research publication document on Global Organic Food Market breaking major business segments and highlighting wider level geographies to get deep dive analysis on market data. The study is a perfect balance bridging bothqualitative and quantitative information of Organic Food market. The study provides valuable market size data for historical (Volume** & Value) from 2014 to 2018 which is estimated and forecasted till 2026*. Some are the key & emerging players that are part of coverage and have being profiled are Aldi Einkauf GmbH & Co oHG, AlnaturaProduktions- und Handels GmbH, Amy?s Kitchen, Aurora Organic Dairy, Clif Bar & Company, EDEKA Handelsgesellschaft Nord mbH, Eden Foods, Inc., General Mills Inc., Hain Celestial Group Inc., Harmony Organic, Hipp GmbH & Co Vertrieb KG, Natures Path Foods, Inc., Newman?s Own, Organic Valley, REWE Markt GmbH, SFM, LLC., Stonyfield Farm, Inc., SunOpta Inc., The WhiteWave Foods Company & United Natural Foods INC..

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1. Growth & Margins

Players that are having stellar growth track record is a must see view in the study that Analyst have covered. From 2014 to 2018, some of the company have shown enormous sales figures, with net income going doubled in that period with operating as well as gross margins constantly expanding. The rise of gross margins over past few years directs strong pricing power of the competitive companies in the industry for its products or offering, over and above the increase in the cost of goods sold.

2. Industry growth prospects and market share

According to HTF MI, major business segments sales figure will cross the $$ mark in 2020. Unlike classified segments popular in the industry i.e. by Type (, Organic Meat, Poultry and Dairy, Organic Fruits and Vegetables, Organic Processed Food & Others), by End-Users/Application (Children & Adults), the latest 2020 version is further broken down / narrowed to highlight new emerging twist of the industry. Global Organic Food market will grow from $XX million in 2018 to reach $YY million by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of xx%. The strongest growth is expected in some Asian countries opening new doors of opportunities, where CAGR is expected to be in double digits ##% from 2019 to 2026. This forecast of industry players hints good potential that will continue growth along with the industrys projected growth.

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3. Ambitious growth plans & rising competition?

Industry players are planning to introduce new products launch into various markets around the globe considering applications / end use such as Children & Adults. Examining some latest innovative products that are vital and may be introduced in EMEA markets in last quarter 2019 and 2020. Considering all round development activities of Aldi Einkauf GmbH & Co oHG, AlnaturaProduktions- und Handels GmbH, Amy?s Kitchen, Aurora Organic Dairy, Clif Bar & Company, EDEKA Handelsgesellschaft Nord mbH, Eden Foods, Inc., General Mills Inc., Hain Celestial Group Inc., Harmony Organic, Hipp GmbH & Co Vertrieb KG, Natures Path Foods, Inc., Newman?s Own, Organic Valley, REWE Markt GmbH, SFM, LLC., Stonyfield Farm, Inc., SunOpta Inc., The WhiteWave Foods Company & United Natural Foods INC., some players profiles are worth attention seeking.

4. Where the Organic Food Industry is today

Though latest year might not be that encouraging as market segments especially , Organic Meat, Poultry and Dairy, Organic Fruits and Vegetables, Organic Processed Food & Others have shown modest gains, growth scenario could have been changed if Aldi Einkauf GmbH & Co oHG, AlnaturaProduktions- und Handels GmbH, Amy?s Kitchen, Aurora Organic Dairy, Clif Bar & Company, EDEKA Handelsgesellschaft Nord mbH, Eden Foods, Inc., General Mills Inc., Hain Celestial Group Inc., Harmony Organic, Hipp GmbH & Co Vertrieb KG, Natures Path Foods, Inc., Newman?s Own, Organic Valley, REWE Markt GmbH, SFM, LLC., Stonyfield Farm, Inc., SunOpta Inc., The WhiteWave Foods Company & United Natural Foods INC. would have plan ambitious move earlier. Unlike past, but decent valuation and emerging investment cycle to progress in the United States, China, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia & India., many growth opportunities ahead for the companies in 2020, it looks descent today but stronger returns would be expected beyond.

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Insights that Study is offering :

Market Revenue splits by most promising business segments. [By Type (, Organic Meat, Poultry and Dairy, Organic Fruits and Vegetables, Organic Processed Food & Others), By Application (Children & Adults) and any other business Segment if applicable within scope of report] Market Share & Sales Revenue by Key Players & Local Emerging Regional Players. [Some of the players covered in the study are Aldi Einkauf GmbH & Co oHG, AlnaturaProduktions- und Handels GmbH, Amy?s Kitchen, Aurora Organic Dairy, Clif Bar & Company, EDEKA Handelsgesellschaft Nord mbH, Eden Foods, Inc., General Mills Inc., Hain Celestial Group Inc., Harmony Organic, Hipp GmbH & Co Vertrieb KG, Natures Path Foods, Inc., Newman?s Own, Organic Valley, REWE Markt GmbH, SFM, LLC., Stonyfield Farm, Inc., SunOpta Inc., The WhiteWave Foods Company & United Natural Foods INC.] A separate section on Entropy to gain useful insights on leaders aggressiveness towards market [Merger & Acquisition / Recent Investment and Key Development Activity Including seed funding] Competitive Analysis: Company profile of listed players with separate SWOT Analysis, Overview, Product/Services Specification, Headquarter, Downstream Buyers and Upstream Suppliers. Gap Analysis by Region. Country break-up will help you dig out Trends and opportunity lying in specific territory of your business interest.

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Thanks for showing your interest; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like ASEAN, GCC, LATAM, Western / Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia.

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Organic Food Market to Develop New Growth Story: Emerging Segments is the Key - Science In Me

Its August and 38C outside a greenhouse on a fruit farm in suburban Nanjing, China. Inside the farmhouse, customers sample organic grapes and peaches.

Ms. Wang, who owns the farm, carefully lifts the cover off a large bin of earthworms. She is raising thousands of them to produce organic fertilizer for her farm.

Wang is one of an increasing number farmers in China who are cutting back on fertilizer and pesticide use, and tapping into consumer demand for organic and sustainably grown food.

Chinas total grain output has almost quadrupled since 1961, when the great famine ended. But its success has come at a heavy environmental cost: China uses four times more fertilizer per unit area than the global average and accounts for half the worlds total pesticide consumption. Overall, chemical use on Chinese farms is 2.5 times the global average per acre of land.

The overuse of synthetic fertilizer and pesticides has led to soil contamination, algae blooms and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Beyond the ecological consequences of the rapid rise in crop yields, Chinese consumers as well as farmers and farm workers have faced health problems. Over-application of fertilizers has led to chemical residues in food and nitrogen infiltration into groundwater.

Read more: Organic agriculture is going mainstream, but not the way you think it is

But sustainable agriculture practices and organic food production are on the upswing in China. The total area of certified organic agriculture cultivation increased more than five-fold between 2005 and 2018, to 3.1 million hectares, according to a 2019 government report. China ranked third in certified organic area in 2017, after Australia and Argentina. Total organic sales in China ranked fourth globally, after the United States, Germany and France. Uncertified organic production is also widespread.

This shift is seeding a transformation towards a more sustainable food system within China and around the world, given the US$65 billion of agri-food commodities exported from China each year. This transformation provides lessons for the rest of world, in terms of efforts at both ends of the food supply chain to shift away from chemical-intensive agriculture towards a healthier system for people and the planet.

Chinese farmers are ditching chemical agriculture for reasons of personal health, ecological protection and economic motives, propped up by a range of state supports. Chinese consumers are keen to sink their teeth into chemical-free food, primarily for health reasons.

Demand for organic and so-called green foods is growing rapidly, especially among the middle and upper classes. Japan, Europe and the U.S. are the biggest markets for Chinese organic food exports according to the Chinese Report on Organic Agriculture Certification and Industry Development in 2019.

Sustainable agriculture practices in China such as using compost and animal manure instead of chemical fertilizer, cover crops, crop rotations and intercropping (growing different varieties of crops on one field) are contributing to healthier soils. Ecological farms also avoid the use of antibiotics and hormones in livestock.

Organic social movements and organic markets have often emerged in countries with private land ownership, declining numbers of small farms and growing consolidation of food supply chains. Chinas organic and ecological food sector is emerging amidst a different set of social, economic, cultural and environmental conditions.

This distinctive context in China has led to the development of a formal organic sector, created by top-down government standards and regulations. Alongside this, an informal organic sector has taken shape through bottom-up grassroots struggles for safe, healthy and sustainable food.

Through these top-down and bottom-up efforts, China is emerging as a global leader in developing sustainable food systems. A protracted food safety crisis was a driving force for shifting to more sustainable food production and for creating a domestic market for organic and ecologically grown food.

In response to food safety concerns, plus Chinas ecological crisis, various levels of government in China now provide a wide range of supports to organic farms. These measures are unparalleled around the world. They range from covering the cost of organic certification, to finding land, funding on-farm infrastructure and organic fertilizers, to training and marketing assistance.

Read more: Lessons from China: Ensuring no one goes hungry during coronavirus lockdowns

Alongside these state supports, bottom-up, civil society-driven efforts have also helped. A group of passionate food activists has introduced community supported agriculture farms, farmers markets and buying clubs. This has contributed to a revolution in ecological food and ethical eating in Chinas cities.

As our research shows, people have enthusiastically embraced these new community-based initiatives. They cherish the opportunity to access safe and healthy food, even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online sales, including of ecological and organic foods, are booming, particularly among the middle and upper classes.

Despite these positive developments, Chinas organic agriculture sector faces some critical challenges. For example, small-scale farmers cannot generally afford the paperwork for organic certification.

Fake organic certification labels have tested public trust of organic products and the prices for organic foods can be five to 10 times greater than other food. And state officials are wary of promoting the model more widely as they remain skeptical that the yields are large enough to feed Chinas huge population.

Some of these issues could be addressed by investing in more research, and having organic sector support organizations provide training and information sharing. China also has few environmental NGOs to provide public education and connect farmers with one another for mutual support.

The world often views Chinas environmental record in a negative light. But much can be learned from both policy and grassroots efforts in this country. Farms like Ms. Wangs fruit farm are taking root to reconnect farmers and eaters. And the national sustainable agriculture plan and policies to curb agrochemical use shed light on the prospects for sustainable agriculture in China.

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Why China is emerging as a leader in sustainable and organic agriculture - The Conversation CA

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CNET TAKE: Green Chef is a healthy organic meal-kit delivery service that will tailor your plan to maintain a paleo, keto, vegetarian (plant-powered) or just a steady balanced diet. Roughly 90% of the ingredients included in Green Chefs meal kits are certified organic and meats are sustainably fished, farmed and raised without hormones or antibiotics.

Like Blue Apron or Sun Basket, Green Chef provides all the organic ingredients needed to cook a fairly simple meal generally in less than 30 minutes and thoughtful recipe cards with photos make following instructions easy like with the simple teriyaki pork meatballs.

Pricing and subscription: Green Chefs organic meals start at around $8 per serving and allow you to customize or skip weeks when traveling, etc.

Green Chef is a healthy organic meal-kit delivery service that will tailor your plan to maintain a paleo, keto, vegetarian (plant-powered) or just a steady balanced diet. (Green Chef/CNET/TNS)

The following CNET staff contributed to this story: Chowhound editor and CNET contributor David Watsky, Copy editor Jim Hoffman and Senior Editor Laura K. Cucullu. For more reviews of personal technology products, please visit http://www.cnet.com.

2020 CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Original post:

Best healthy organic meal kit: Green Chef - The Southern