Organic, lower sugar and reduced carbohydrate foods that have seen growing interest in Western European and North American markets are likely to become importantly popular in markets like Japan in coming years, says research.
Mariann Fischer Boel, member of the European Commission responsible for Agriculture and Rural Development, said the organic food sector needs the support of good legislation, which would help build consumer awareness and trust.
The amount of land dedicated to organic produce is growing due to government backing and market forces, opening up opportunities particularly in developing countries, according to a new report.
This story has been updated from the original published at 1400 CET, which erroneously stated that compliance was needed on labelling aspects of the new regulation by January 2009. FoodNavigator.com apologises for the confusion.
Organic food was once seen as a niche market but now major multinationals are offering organic products. In fact it has been one of the biggest trends in the food sector in recent years but do organics have staying power, or will consumers lose interest...
The European Commission has launched a campaign to inform consumers of the benefits of organic food and support those involved in the ever-growing organic market.
The launch of the European Commission's organic logo, scheduled for
2009, has been delayed following complaints it was too similar to a
symbol used by German supermarket Aldi.
Organically grown tomatoes contain higher levels of beneficial
flavonoids, says a new study from the US that fans the flames of
the debate between conventional and organic foods.
The application of vinasse, a fermented waste product obtained from
sugar processing, could help the organic apple industry eradicate a
major source of disease.
A new report has found that funding designed to initiate and
promote organic certification amongst Bulgarian food processors and
producers is failing smaller domestic enterprises in the country.
A legal complaint filed against the nation's largest organic dairy
firm has rekindled an ongoing debate surrounding the integrity of
organic production.
Trade in organic products in France is now valued at almost $2
billion dollars and imports from non-EU countries continue to
increase, according to a USDA GAIN report.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) could more than double
funding for its organic research program next year, a move that
highlights the growing importance of the organic industry.
The European Commission has adopted a proposal for new regulations
for organic production and labelling, which makes the use of the EU
logo or wording obligatory for all organic food products sold in EU
member states.
An EU's law change and an exposé on fraud in the UK has led an
organic industry body to call on those storing ingredients for
processing to ensure their premises are inspected.
There are worries that a district court ruling in Maine banning all
synthetic ingredients in products labeled organic could
significantly slow the sector's growth, writes Anthony
Fletcher.
Food makers looking to sell organic products on a 'healthy' agenda
may face opposition from the authorities as the UK's Advertising
Standards Authority upholds two complaints against the country's
organic industry...
A new deal between organic food retailers and farmers may help to
bridge the gulf between low organic food consumption and rising
levels of organic farming in the Czech Republic and Poland,
writes Chris Mercer.
Czech shoppers are refusing to pay inflated prices for organic food
- something which may burst the bubble of the country's booming
organic farming industry, unless a sharp increase in government
subsidies can turn the situation...
Two years after the UK government launched an organic action plan
for the entire food supply chain, the country has seen a 46 per
cent rise in organic produce provided by UK farms.
A new Europe-wide project will devote a £12 million budget to
investigating the added-value that organic farming could bring to
food products. The qualitative approach will give a boost to an
industry starting to slow down in pace.
Europe's organic food and farming sector got a major boost this
week with the adoption by the European Commission of a new action
plan to promote the sector. The challenge will be to ensure, and
maintain, consumer trust in premium-priced...
The European Commission will pour millions of euros into a new
project to ensure safety and improve productivity in organic food
supply chains across Europe.
Knocked by the Nitrofen scandal in 2002, the boom for organic foods
in Germany has stepped down a gear with sales stagnating. But as
production continues to rise and producer margins continue to fall,
there is pressure to increase...
The International Sweets and Biscuits Fair (ISM) held last month in
Cologne, Germany, clearly illustrated the key confectionery trends,
write market analysts Euromonitor. Particularly evident, the
dichotomy between fun sugar confectionery...
Four European research institutes have joined forces to found a new
research association that aims to encourage, co-ordinate and
disseminate research in the field of organic food and health.
The amount of organic land in the UK has almost doubled in the last
year, and sales of organic food are the second highest in Europe,
according to new figures from the UK organic certification body,
the Soil Association.
Retailers and food manufacturers in the UK will be encouraged to
work more closely and extensively with organic producers under a
new 21-point action plan drawn up by the UK government.
Organic oranges are smaller than their counterparts grown by
traditional methods but that does not stop them from containing
nearly 30 per cent more vitamin C - or from being much more
expensive.
Although the yields from organic agriculture are lower than those
of conventional production, in the long term it is a much more
efficient method of farming, Swiss research has shown.
Organic farming could account for 3 per cent of all farmland in
Ireland by 2006, if the recommendations of a new report are
implemented quickly, said Noel Davern, the Irish junior agriculture
minister.
A trend away from pesticides and towards organic production could
be placing our health at risk, claim food scientists in the US this
week. The claim that fruit and vegetables grown on manure could be
harbouring unseen pathogens that...
