LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the popularity of organic food continues to grow, so too will the challenges associated with maintaining organic food supply chains. Organic food supply chains are too often faced with heavy pressure to increase their output to keep up with consumer demand for organic food products, and supply chain management is becoming increasingly complicated.

This is according to SpendEdge, in their blog titled Challenges in Maintaining Organic Food Supply Chains.

A major hindrance to supply chains, says SpendEdge, is the complexity and risk that comes with organic farming. They say, In addition to the real physical risks posted by the increased threats of pests and other crop-destroying influences, its costly and time-consuming for farmers to convert to organic farming. In the US, land used for organic farming cannot have had prohibited substances, including many pesticides, used on it for a period of 36 months before produce grown on it can be sold as organic. There are less organic farmers than non-organic farmers, and that it is more of a challenge to find reliable and steady suppliers of truly organic produce that can meet industry demands.

SpendEdge continues, The seasonality of certain organic crops and the inability to grow sufficient amounts to meet customer demands in specific regions is also a challenge for the supply chain Often, businesses will have to use multiple suppliers in order to procure all of the ingredients, crops, or products that they need.

For more insights, get in touch with SpendEdge procurement market intelligence experts

Businesses must optimize their food supply chains and procurement strategies in order to remain successful and generate profits from organic food products.

Read the entire blog here: https://www.spendedge.com/blogs/challenges-maintaining-organic-food-supply-chains

More information on the latest procurement trends and how Fortune 500 companies are adopting procurement intelligence to their advantage can be found using resources from SpendEdge. These resources are compiled from SpendEdges team of 500+ procurement solutions experts.

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Our procurement market intelligence coverage extends across critical processes of sourcing strategy planning and helps clients achieve more than just monetary savings. Our procurement insights are well-defined to meet the information needs of procurement organizations, and are aimed at helping category managers extract hidden values out of sourcing teams, suppliers, contracts, and processes.

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Organic Food Supply Chain Management Becoming More Complex ... - Business Wire (press release)

The reply by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (Certificate required to prove food is organic; May 8) to the letter (Who checks on claims of foods being organic?; April 29) raises even more concerns and questions on the authenticity of food labelled and sold as organic in Singapore.

I have seen organic corn that is supposed to be grown locally, but there was no mention on the label as to who certified that farm to be organic.

A conventional farm needs to undergo three years of stringent and expensive checks by certifying bodies in order to be qualified as organic.

There are organic vegetables in our supermarkets that are imported from as far as Holland and Peru, aside from Australia, Malaysia and Thailand.

So my questions are:

Is it not possible for a certified organic farm to produce a small amount of organic food for show and authentication purposes, but then supply many tonnes more from an adjacent non-organic farm and lump them all together as organic?

Is it not possible for the suppliers to Singapore supermarkets to import a small amount of certified organic produce, and then mix this with non-organic produce and label all as organic? Who checks on this aspect and how is it done?

As an agronomist, I can safely say that it is technically and agronomically near-impossible to produce truly organic food consistently, season after season and year after year, and in large amounts.

This is especially true in the tropics where pressures from diseases and pests are extremely high, as there are no cold winters to break their life cycles. The limited arsenal of organic pesticides is not robust and efficacious enough.

The AVA says original organic certificates are needed for verification and even then, "when required".

This can certainly lead to fraudulent behaviour along the organic food supply chain.

The AVA needs to have a more drilled-down and robust system to ensure the organic food that consumers are paying for is indeed organic.

Liew Ching Seng

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More stringent checks needed on organic food - The Straits Times

Mindfulness and meditation are often used to mean the same thing, which can be confusing, while not many are clear on what mindfulness meditation is and how it differs from either of the above. So heres our version:

Mindfulness isnoticing and paying attention to thoughts, feelings, behavior, and everything else. Mindfulness can be practiced at any time, wherever we are, whoever we are with, and whatever we are doing, by showing up and being fully engaged in the here and now.

That means being free of both the past and futurethe what ifs and what maybesand free of judgment of right or wrongthe Im-the-best or Im-no-good scenariosso that we can be totally present without distraction.

Mindfulness is the awareness that arises when we non-judgmentally pay attention in the present moment. It cultivates access to core aspects of our own minds and bodies that our very sanity depends on, says Jon Kabat-Zinn, from The Unexpected Power of Mindfulness Meditation.Mindfulness, which includes tenderness and kindness toward ourselves, restores dimensions of our being. These have never actually been missing, just that we have been missing them, we have been absorbed elsewhere. When your mind clarifies and opens, your heart also clarifies and opens.

Mindfulness also releases happy chemicals in the brain; it lowers blood pressure, improves digestion, and relaxes tension around pain. It is simple to practice and wonderful in effect. When we do pay attention, then change becomes possible.

Einstein said that we cant solve our problems from the level of thinking that we were at when we created them, says Marianne Williamson. A different level of thinking doesnt mean just a different emphasis in our thinking, or a more loving kind of thinking. It means what he said, a different level of thinking, and, to me, that is what meditation is. Meditation changes us, as it returns us to our right mind.

Mindfulness and meditation are mirror-like reflections of each other: mindfulness supports and enriches meditation, while meditation nurtures and expands mindfulness. Where mindfulness can be applied to any situation throughout the day, meditation is usually practiced for a specific amount of time.

Mindfulness is the awareness of some-thing, while meditation is the awareness of no-thing.

There are many forms of meditation. Some are aimed at developing a clear and focused mind, known as Clear Mind meditations. Others are aimed at developing altruistic states, such as loving kindness, compassion or forgiveness, known as Open Heart meditations. Others use the body as a means to develop awareness, such as yoga or walking; others use sound, as in chanting or intoning sacred words.

I could never still my mind. And then, as I was approaching my seventieth birthday, I thought the time has come. Part of getting older is that as the externals begin to fray so you are beckoned inward. As my mind became quieter in meditation, I discovered this place that seemed to be suspended behind my forehead, like a chandelier hanging from the top of my skull. It was a place of complete stillness, says Jane FondainThe Unexpected Power of Mindfulness & Meditation.

Mindfulness Meditation is a form of Clear Mind meditation. Attention is paid to the natural rhythm of the breath while sitting, and to the rhythm of slow walking. This alone can have an enormous impact. Ultimately, the method is simply an aide; its not the experience itself. A hammer can help build a house but its not the house.

In the same way, meditation practice is not an end in itself. We may wander off and do all sorts of other things, but stillness will always be there. It is a companion to have throughout life, like an old friend we turn to when in need of direction, inspiration, and clarity. Theres no right or wrong way to practice, we all do it differently. Most important of all, meditation is to be enjoyed!

Extracted from The Unexpected Power of Mindfulness & Meditation.

***********

Ed & Deb are the authors of The Unexpected Power of Mindfulness & Meditation. Deb is the author of Your Body Speaks Your Mind, now in 19 languages. They have six meditation CDs. See more at EdandDebShapiro.com

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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Mindfulness & Meditation: What's the Difference? - Care2.com

Everyone had recently encountered a frightening example of road rage before the meditation class.

One person was driving and saw someone yelling at another driver. I had walked by two people arguing over no-parking signs. And the meditation teacher recounted that the day before, on her way to class, she saw a man stop his car, get out and walk menacingly toward another driver.

She wondered, she recalled, did he have a gun? Others shared similar anxieties and agreed that, overall, the level of anger among strangers seems to be high.

Chill, a meditation studio in River North that opened in April, wants to help calm those anxieties.

This year has offered a steady drumbeat of blaring headlines, from concern over North Korean missiles to this week's abrupt firing of FBI director James Comey. With headlines rotating so quickly, the studio hopes to bring relief to stressed-out Chicagoans.

"I notice a shift in my energy," said Susan Ifergan after taking Insight, Chill's advanced meditation class. She said she has taken four classes in a week, and they are helping her during a difficult time.

Thursday's class was nearly full, with a dozen people stopping in at lunchtime. Instructor Kimberly Dunn began by recounting the story of road rage and explained that the class would focus on compassion. She guided meditation by suggesting how to bring awareness to thoughts and telling the class to think of someone who needed compassion a friend or a person with whom we had a grievance.

When the 30-minute class ended, people languidly stood up from their cushions and slowly walked out, some saying they wanted to come more often.

The studio's River North location is intentional, says co-owner Laura Sage. She wants downtown cubicle dwellers to feel they can drop in before, during or after work.

"I am perpetually in a state of frenzy, which I'm not proud of," said Sage, who also founded the Lynn Sage Foundation, dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer. "I had always wanted to meditate and have a consistent practice, and I couldn't find a place in Chicago that made that convenient for me."

The rooms are softly lit with a variety of cushions and blankets, but not much else.

"We intentionally made Chill very minimalistic," Sage said.

Along with Insight, the studio offers a variety of classes including Breath, an introduction to meditation; Rest, a night class aimed at calming the body before bed; and a class that's a combination of yoga and meditation. Single sessions are $22, and an unlimited monthly membership is $150. The studio also offers massages.

Like many beginners, my mind wandered noticing an itchy eye, wondering whether my contact was the issue, pondering how strange it would be to remove a contact lens in the middle of a meditation class.

But Sage offers the comforting analogy that meditation is like running a marathon.

"You wouldn't assume you could run 26 miles day one. You would incrementally grow to that level," she said. "Meditation is exercising your brain. If you haven't done it before, give yourself a break."

abowen@chicagotribune.com

Twtiter @byalisonbowen

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Stressed by current events? Chicago meditation studio aims to help - Chicago Tribune

DEHRADUN: Chidanand Saraswati, head of the largest ashram in Rishikesh, Parmarth Niketan, has been appointed as a member of the board of India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians (IDF-OI) along with Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar by the Modi government. The mandate of the government body which is under the ministry of external affairs, is to facilitate contributions by overseas Indians for social and developmental projects in the country for which the seers are expected to play a key role. After attending the 8th annual board meeting of the foundation chaired by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in Delhi on Saturday, Saraswati, who is involved in a number of initiatives to clean the Ganga and promoting the use of toilets in rural communities, said that his role will be to motivate people to experience the joy of giving back to the country. Spirituality lays stress upon giving, since giving is living, he told TOI.

He added that in the board meeting, he had pointed out that people living abroad who are successful have an innate desire to give back to their motherland, but often dont know how to go about it. Our objective is to reach out to people and connect them with various development programmes that are being undertaken in the country for women empowerment, skill development, education and healthcare as well as the Namami Gange and Swachh Bharat initiatives. He added that all contributions will be deposited in the IDF-OI Fund. Often, people want to do something for their own village. They can accordingly sponsor construction of a school, toilet etc in their own village where the money given will be strictly utilised only for that.

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Head of largest ashram in Rishikesh appointed member of India ... - Times of India

CUTTACK: The district administration has chalked out steps to make Swaraj Ashram, the epicentre of freedom struggle in the state, an attractive tourist spot. About Rs 50 lakh has been allocated by the tourism department for the ashram's beautification. The money will be spent on construction of an audio-visual room, a cafeteria and a park on the ashram premises.

Mahatma Gandhi stayed at the ashram for two days during his first visit to Cuttack in March 1921. He addressed a public meeting on the banks of Kathajodi river on March 24, 1921. During his visit to Cuttack in December 1927, a spinning competition and a khadi exhibition was organized at the ashram.

Besides, authorities also have plans to construct a welcome arch at the entrance of the historic monument. "We have plans to showcase films and documentaries on our freedom fighters in the audio-visual room to make our youngsters aware of their heroism and contribution to the state," said district tourism officer Reena Rath.

She said after completion of the construction work steps will be taken to prepare some documentary films on noted freedom fighters of the state. Landscaping of the ashram will be done and beautiful lights used to illuminate the structure to make it a perfect hangout zone in the evening. Ornamental plants and flowers will be planted on the ashram premises.

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Cuttack: Rs 50 lakh for Swaraj Ashram's beautification - Times of India - Times of India

A government trust has inducted Art of Living foundation head Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Parmarth Niketan Ashram chief Swami Chidanand Saraswati on its board.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj welcomed the new board members and sought their support and guidance in encouraging and enabling overseas Indians to make contributions. Swaraj is the chairperson of the India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians (IDF-OI), a government-established body to facilitate contributions by overseas Indians for social projects in the country.

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The decision was taken at the eighth meeting of the trust in New Delhi on Friday. Senior officials from the ministries of home affairs, external affairs and finance were among the participants. The newly appointed members also include Indian-American Bharat Barai.

The board members discussed ways to ensure contributions by overseas Indians to implement the governments two flagship programmes Swachh Bharat Mission and Clean Ganga initiative, the foundation said, adding they also discussed strategy to enhance contributions.

The IDF-OI is currently implementing eight projects in Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim and Telangana, and has several projects available for funding across the identified sectors, said an official statement.

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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar And Parmarth Niketan Ashram Chief On Board ... - Outlook India

Hollywood vegetarians and vegans are starting to perk up and take notice of Cruciferous, a quiet newcomer to the massive strip mall at the corner of Fountain and Vine. The spare dining room is doing something you dont see often around town: finer dining vegan food, from housemade almond ricotta to an elegant pea risotto that has all the makings of a dish youd find at places like Kali, Crossroads, or Baroo and thats a very good thing.

Cruciferous is named for the brassica family of vegetables, including cauliflower, broccoli, and brussels sprouts. Indeed those ingredients play major parts in the trim menu, which runs a scant nine dishes and hovers at $14 for most plates, with nothing over $18.

The signature dish is likely to be the General Tsos brussels sprouts, a crunchy, saucy take on a familiar flavor profile. The casual dish actually won in the best savory category at this years Vegan Street Fair, and word from the waitstaff is that it gets dropped at just about every table, every night.

The rest of the shareable menu is mostly made up as slightly larger versions of what youd expect to see as side dishes in other restaurants: a Caesar salad from The Garden Of Farm, a bread and butter plate using house baked bread and almond ricotta. You can even sub in gluten-free bread for a couple bucks more.

A tableside smoked cauliflower comes with heavy swipes of cashew cream cheese

But there are a few decidedly surprising dishes, like a whole head of smoked cauliflower, carved tableside over a couple heavy swipes of cashew cream cheese and dashed with a bit of pistachio oil. Theres a touch of heat, smoke, and nuttiness, and the tableside prep is a nice touch for a strip mall place that serves shrubs and sodas from stemless wine glasses. The white tablecloths and candles are already here, the wine license is hopefully coming.

Cruciferous only soft opened last week for reservations, and started taking walk-ins on Wednesday night. The restaurant is the work of Marie Chia and partner Shane, who previously ran pop-ups under the names S+M Vegan and Blind Tiger Dining in and around San Francisco. Now theyve partnered up with Doomie (of Doomies Home Cookin next door) to offer a lighter alternative to the vegan big macs and other comfort fare hes most known for.

The kitchen is also an entirely collaborative one, much like Scratch Bar up in Encino. Prep and line cooks run dishes and bus plates, and theres a 20% equality charge added to every bill, with no option to tip further.

For now, Cruciferous runs Wednesday through Sunday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., though you may see those hours expand down the line. Much like previous strip mall hits such as Kato or Baroo, theres something surprising about the place something you, predictably, wouldnt expect just from glancing inside while walking past. With a lean on quality produce, relatively low prices, and tons of housemade vegan options, its easy to see Cruciferous growing into something even more special soon. And with Doomies next door and the new all-vegan Cocobella Creamery anchoring the end of the strip mall, Hollywoods got a secret new vegan restaurant row to explore.

Cruciferous 1253 Vine St. #8 Los Angeles, CA

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Find an Elevated Vegan Dining Experience at This Low-Key Hollywood Strip Mall - Eater LA

Were living in the future. Were rapidly approaching the historical moment where well be able to buy sustainable vegan meat grown in a lab. There are cars that can parallel park themselves(do kids who have these cars still have to complete the dreaded parallel park on theirdriving tests?). There is such a thing as 3D printed cauliflower crusts. And thanks to the rise in the popularity of takeout delivery services like Seamless, Postmates, and Grubhub, we can order our food delivered right to our door even if that restaurant doesnt have their own delivery service. We can literally order vegan pancakes on a Saturday morning without getting out of bed ortalking to another human being on the phone. Thank you, technology!

Our food habits are also evolving. Now more than ever, consumers are paying attention to whats in their food, where it comes from, and shopping with their values. Highly processed foods are falling out of favor and Americans, in general, are eating less meat and dairy. A recent report released by Grubhub that details the healthy eating habits of Americans in 2016 reflects these changes. According to the data, the company saw a 58 percent increase in the number of vegan food orders placed in just one year. While the vegan diet didnt top Grubhubs charts in terms of the most popular healthy food habits, it was preceded byjuice cleanses and the raw food diet both of which are typically vegan.

What does this data say? For starters, it reinforces that meat and dairy arefalling out of favor with consumers. One-third of Americans now identify as flexitarian, choosing to leave meat off their plate more frequently. Milk consumption has been steadily declining by 25 percent per capita since the mid-1970s. Meanwhile, the plant-based meat and plant-based milk markets continue togrow. The plant-based milk industryhas grown by 250 percent in just five years while the market for plant-based meat substitutesis estimated to grow to $5.2 billion by 2020. Not to mention, more restaurants are making it easier than ever to order plant-based.

Theres no denying that the future of food has arrived and its vegan. And with takeoutdelivery services like Grubhub, you dont even have to leave the house if you want to try to cut back on meat and dairy.

Theres no doubt that this is fantastic news but if you like to cook, check out the Food Monster App, which is available for bothAndroid and iPhone. With over 8,000 vegan recipes (and over 10 new recipes added daily), youre going to find something you love!

Image source: Grubhub

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This Stat From Grubhub Totally Disproves Eating Vegan is 'Hard' - One Green Planet

Judge John Hodgman on the Vegan Lunch Spot New York Times Dallas writes: My friend Andr and I are professors in Illinois. For the last three years, I have organized a teachers' discussion group that meets over lunch at a vegan cooperative. Andr does not like the food, but it is difficult to find a place ...

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Judge John Hodgman on the Vegan Lunch Spot - New York Times