1. Eat Fresh-FC Helps Fresh-Cut Melon and Pineapple Last 21 Days per 3rd-Party Lab Test

Restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, and food service companies looking to offer fresh cut fruit that lasts up to 500 times longer now have an organic solution with eatFresh-FC, a blend of organic certified minerals, fruit acids, and vitamins that prevent oxidation while controlling the growth of yeast, mold, and coliform bacteria that can result from aging food, keeping fresh cut fruit delicious and safe to eat.    Read More

2. Publix Opens New GreenWise Market Store in Tampa, Florida

Publix is continuing to set its focus on fresh, natural, and organic products as it expands its innovative new store format in the Florida market. The retailer recently announced the opening of the newest Publix GreenWise Market in the Water Street neighborhood of Tampa, Florida.   Read More

3. Rodale Institute and Kutztown University Sign Academic Research Agreement

Kutztown University and Rodale Institute in Kutztown, PA, signed a five-year agreement of academic cooperation Monday, establishing a research affiliation for the mutual benefit of both institutions. Rodale Institute is a nonprofit research and education institution founded in 1947 by organic pioneer J.I. Rodale to study the link between healthy soil, healthy food, and healthy people through regenerative organic agriculture.   Read More

4. OFRF Tours USDA Agricultural Research Service with US Rep. Panetta's Staff

Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) hosted Representative Jimmy Panetta’s (D-CA, 20th) congressional staffers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Salinas, CA last week. The site visit focused on the importance of increased investment in organic research and was instrumental in Rep. Panetta’s decision to co-sponsor H.R.2803, the Agricultural Resilience Act (ARA).   Read More

5. Proposed Changes to the National List for Organic Crops, Livestock, and Handling

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) reviews each substance on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) every five years as part of a process called sunset review. Established in the Organic Foods Production Act, sunset review requires the NOSB to reconsider any new and existing information about each substance to determine if it continues to meet requirements to remain on the National List. If the NOSB determines a substance no longer meets the required criteria, and two thirds of the Board votes to recommend its removal, the USDA may initiate rulemaking to remove the substance from the National List.   Read More