Organic porridge all the rage in Scotland

Long a favorite breakfast food, sales of organic porridge are skyrocketing. Industry analysts credit the Scottish public's desire for healthy, natural foods. The Scotsman reports that porridge is threatening to knock Weetabix off the shelves as Scotland's most popular cereal. One porridge manufacturer, The Pertwood Organic Cereal Company, reports that demand for its porridge has increased by about 25 percent over the last year.

Read more on this story at The Scotsman.

North Carolina company brings organic food to doorsteps

Raleigh, N.C.-based Harvest2Home is now delivering locally grown organic products to city homes, schools and businesses. Online customizable orders allow Raleigh businesses and residences to order fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables, flowers, freshly baked breads and even cheeses from local dairies, all for the price of the basket, plus tax and a $4.00 delivery fee on either Monday afternoons or Saturday mornings.

Read more at Harvest2Home.net

Tanzanian farmers urged to grow more organic coffee

Tanzanian officials are telling farmers in Kagera and Kilimanjaro that growing organic coffee is cost-effective, as the crop is grown with organic manure and that it claims higher prices that non-organically grown coffee. Tanzanian farmers began growing the crop about four years ago and have so far shipped out about 10 tons of the product, mainly to Germany and Japan.

Read more about the story at The East African.

German organic product manufacturer targets US

Chr. Hansen, the German manufacturer of organic colors, flavors, seasonings and dairy and probiotic cultures for the natural food industry, has announced a new portfolio of organic ingredients that it is first rolling out in the United States. The company says that it has "developed a range of hues that are acid, heat, and light stable in organic foods and beverages. Some of these colors also can be used as phytonutrients."

Read more about Chr. Hansen and its new product portfolio.

Dairy farmers fighting Big Agriculture over pasture issue

Organic dairy farmers recently gathered in Washington, D.C. for the semi-annual meeting of the USDA's National Organic Standards Board to press the department to enforce the requirement that organic dairy cows be pastured and receive most of their food through grazing. At issue is the practice by some factory farms of using confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) -- or penning of organic dairy cows -- in violation of the requirement. Some farmers at the meeting were angered at the USDA's National Organic Program Staff's refusal to adopt language drafted by the NOSB that would have curtailed the practice.

Read more about the proposed language at the Cornucopia Institute.

Cosmetics can carry the "USDA Organic" label

In a reversal of its decision in April, the US Department of Agriculture has decided that cosmetics manufacturers can use the "USDA Organic" label on their products. The USDA had argued that it cannot regulate cosmetics, and had notified manufacturers to stop using the label. But a lawsuit filed by Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap and the Organic Consumers Association prompted the department to reconsider its decision.

Read more from the Organic Consumers Association.