Shankara Chef Wendy Landiak invites fans of herBethlehem restaurant to ring in the New Year with kombucha, yoga and a raw, vegan feast in Lansdale.

The party starts at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 31 and runs until 1 a.m. at Arnold's Way & The Center for Longevity, 319 W. Main St., Dresher Arcade in Lansdale. Landiak will be partnered with Chef Michelle Schulman, of Arnold's Way, a fellow vegan chef.

Festivities include a kombucha mocktail hour, butlered hors d' oeuvres, a buffet dinner and desserts, according to a newsletter. An optional New Year's yoga/meditation/sound therapy program will precede the event at 5:30 p.m.

The party also includes karaoke, DJ Shamrock, dancing, raffles and a sparkling cider toast.

The cost is $45 per person and RSVPs are due by Dec. 25.

Information: 484-330-6405 or balasia.net. If the pre-event yoga is something you're interested in, ask about it when signing up for the dinner.

Kelly Huth may be reached at khuth@express-times.com. Follow her on twitter @LVLfood. Find Lehigh Valley Food on Facebook.

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Shankara to ring in 2015 with a raw vegan New Year's Eve celebration

A bid by the WA government to allow a certain amount of GM material in organic food has failed.

A bid by the West Australian government to allow a certain amount of genetically modified material in certified organic food has failed.

The WA Department of Agriculture and Food made a submission to the Organic Industry Standards and Certification Council in June, seeking a 0.9 per cent GM tolerance level.

But Australia's zero tolerance remains after the council rejected the application last week.

"The committee felt it was not consistent with the Codex Alimentarius (Commission) food standards code guidelines for organic production, which specifically prohibits any GM content in organic products," a council spokeswoman told AAP on Tuesday.

"The WA government had made mention of the US and the EU allowing a tolerance.

"The EU actually doesn't allow it in organic standards by default in its overall conventions and the US standards for organic regulation prohibits GMO."

She said anti-GM group FoodWatch had sent a petition signed by about 3000 people who objected to the WA government's submission.

"Just as the WA government is tenacious, they really mobilised themselves," she said.

Meanwhile, supporters of Kojonup organic famer Steve Marsh have raised more than $40,000 to help pay a potential court costs bill after he lost a landmark GM battle.

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WA government's GM food bid fails

A bid by the WA government to allow a certain amount of GM material in organic food has failed.

A bid by the West Australian government to allow a certain amount of genetically modified material in certified organic food has failed.

The WA Department of Agriculture and Food made a submission to the Organic Industry Standards and Certification Council in June, seeking a 0.9 per cent GM tolerance level.

But Australia's zero tolerance remains after the council rejected the application last week.

"The committee felt it was not consistent with the Codex Alimentarius (Commission) food standards code guidelines for organic production, which specifically prohibits any GM content in organic products," a council spokeswoman told AAP on Tuesday.

"The WA government had made mention of the US and the EU allowing a tolerance.

"The EU actually doesn't allow it in organic standards by default in its overall conventions and the US standards for organic regulation prohibits GMO."

She said anti-GM group FoodWatch had sent a petition signed by about 3000 people who objected to the WA government's submission.

"Just as the WA government is tenacious, they really mobilised themselves," she said.

Meanwhile, supporters of Kojonup organic famer Steve Marsh have raised more than $40,000 to help pay a potential court costs bill after he lost a landmark GM battle.

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Government's GM food bid fails

Natural and organic food offerings have become very important since people have become health conscious. They now want a healthy lifestyle and food safety when it comes to choosing food. Thus, demand for organic products is on an uptrend. Further, the organic food retailers have gained importance.

Companies such as United Natural Foods (UNFI) are witnessing higher demand for its products and continue to register great numbers. Its first quarter results were impressive as the reported numbers were way ahead of the Streets estimates. This helped its shares to move north.

The blockbuster quarter

Revenue for the quarter surged 24.4%, to $1.99 billion, over last year. This was higher than the estimate of $1.95 billion and was driven by higher demand for the companys natural and organic food. Another key driver of growth was the number of acquisitions made by the company in fiscal 2014. Even if we exclude the benefits of the buyout, sales grew by 10.2% during the quarter.

The gross margin of the company declined 92 basis points to 16%. Margins were affected by a shift in customer mix, unfavorable currency fluctuations and lower margins of Tonys Fine Foods, which was acquired last year.

Further, the bottom line was also impressive. Earnings jumped to $0.66 per share from $0.56 per share in the previous year. The analysts were expecting a bottom line of $0.63 per share. Earnings surged due to growth in revenue and the recently made acquisitions.

By the segments

Sales in the Supermarket segment rose 31% over last year and that of the Supernatural channel climbed 16.5%. These two segments together make the most of the retailers revenue. Therefore, growth in these segments drove the top line higher.

Revenue from the Independent channel was also up 23.8% and that of Food Service segment surged 60.4%. Although Food Service segment makes a small part of the total revenue, growth in this segment was remarkable.

The two new acquisitions

Continued here:
What Makes This Organic Food Retailer A Desirable Pick

North America (PRWEB) December 16, 2014

Imagine growing, fresh, organic food, just steps from your kitchen. StartGrowingFood.com, makes that possible with the use of new interactive smart technology designed to help people grow food at home.

Even if users dont have a backyard, or any gardening experience, StartGrowingFood.com's special formula is designed to turn even a little 6-square-foot balcony into over 50 lbs of food. Thats $400 worth of fresh organic food, for only $8 worth of seeds. Its all about effective space and crop planning, says Dron, and StartGrowingFood.coms technology combines the precision of science with the resourcefulness of technology to create free customized growing plans. Plans are created using smart technology to optimize them for maximum food production and success in each users unique growing space.

We want to challenge the way we produce food in North America, while also re-connecting people to the food that nurtures them. Where some see buildings, we see vertically farms. Farms with food people love and trust, says Dron.

With increasing urban sprawl, society is experiencing a shift in the way people eat and live. The growing desire to eat local, organic food is increasingly challenging to meet considering the reduction of available agricultural land and increased use chemicals and genetic modification in commercial food production.

This innovative technology creates for visitors a free optimized plan designed for their personal space. It then remembers each users plan to future support them year with optional coaching tips and reminders tailored to them, and sent right to their phone. Tips like: Hey, were expecting a cold front, cover your basil or Hi, its time to thin your carrots. Click here for a quick how-to video

Margaret is turning to crowd sourcing site Indiagogo, to develop a user friendly version of the technology to make it easy and fun for everyone. As she explains, It feels right. We truly believe in the power of people coming together to help build something meaningful and thats why were turning to the community to be a part of creating StartGrowingFood.com. Supporters will have direct contact to feature discussions so their needs can be heard. Our community is a vital part of the process and plays a huge role in building something designed to by the community, to feed the community.

To learn more, visit http://www.StartGrowingFood.com

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About Margaret Dron: After spending a decade working for a variety of technology companies, Margaret decided to pursue her lifelong dream of entrepreneurship by launching a successful series of food and health expos while supporting communities that connect with over 220,000 fans.

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A New Technology is Challenging How and Where We Grow Food