Organic Still Matters

Last week, I had the privilege of being able to attend the Organic Matters Summit in New York City. The purpose of this Summit was to keep spreading the word on why organic food is important and distinct from foods labeled “natural”.  The difference being that USDA certified organic foods are made without the use of fertilizers and pesticides, whereas there are no regulations around this for natural foods.

In order to make this Summit a reality, a group of independent, family-owned businesses, including  Amy’s Kitchen, Late July,  Lundberg Family Farms, Nature’s Path, and Organic Valley and came together to discuss why organic agriculture and food production still matters, especially in today’s economy.

For the first day of the Summit, I sat in while spokespeople from these diverse organizations shared ideas and insights on how they assist the organic movement. Through initiatives such as co-branded programs like the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA) “Organic, It’s Worth It!’ campaign (organicitsworthit.com) to Lundberg’s leadership in the Non-GMO’s Project (www.nongmoproject.org/) and Nature’s Path’s and Organic Valley’s  co-branded Organic Heroes Program that supports organic farmers (www.organicheroes.com), organic companies are working hard to explain how organic food helps people and the planet.

On the second day of the Summit, the companies, along with the OTA, met with editors and journalists to present as a collective voice. Much of the presentation showcased the OTA’s findings from its 2009 Organic Industry Survey. This survey measures the sales growth of organic products in the U.S. Some encouraging trends that Laura Batcha, Marketing & Communications Director, from the OTA, mentioned were:

·         Sales of organic food continued to grow at a strong 15.9% in 2008.

·         Non-food organic products were up 39.4%.

·         Even in this economy, many organic purchasers aren’t switching to conventional foods. In fact many would rather give up buying lattes and home decorations than stop buying organic!

One of the editors in attendance asked an interesting question to the group: “What mistakes have organic companies made?”. The general consensus was that in hindsight, the industry could have done a more effective job in simply stating what USDA organic certification meant for the consumer. One participant said that the message became convoluted, when it was actually as simple as, “Organic products equal food, non-organic products equal food with chemicals and pesticides sprayed on them”. 

After the presentation a delicious, organic lunch was served and the organizations were joined by Maria Rodale, a leader in the organic movement, who shared details on the new book she’s writing The Organic Manifesto (www.rodaleinstitute.org). Finally, everyone bid adieu and started their journeys home to their respective communities.

For me, it was exciting to be a part of something that seemed bigger than Nature’s Path or any company by itself. I got to see firsthand, how we fit into a bigger puzzle, a bigger story of how slowly but surely attitudes around food are shifting. As society begins to take a greater interest in food’s role in preventative healthcare, quantity is being replaced with quality, voracious consumption with mindful conservation.  Slowly but surely people are deciding they want to invest in organics because it means investing in better health, better communities and a better earth.

 Kylie McMullan is an Account Executive at Nature’s Path and a Panda Puffs addict.