Top 5 - Organic News to Help You Grow #345

1. Whole Foods Market: 20 Years of Organic Certification in Their Stores

Twenty years ago, one year after the USDA National Organic Standards went into effect, CCOF member Whole Foods Market became the first certified organic national retailer. This made Whole Foods a trailblazer in organic retail, setting the stage for other retailers—large and small—to follow.  Read More

2. Organic Lemon Growers in Mexico Are Struggling

Organic lemon production in North America’s key fall supplying regions, Mexico and California, is down this year. “Mexico is suffering from financing issues as well as water problems, causing supplies to drop,” says Gene Loudon with Dovex. A lot of growers in the Tamaulipas region have been in a drought situation for the past 18–24 months and are running out of water. Read More

3. USDA Adds Import Function to Organic Integrity Database

The USDA National Organic Program has expanded the functionality of its Organic Integrity Database, adding an import certificate module. The new module augments the Trade Partner module, launched in May. Together, they make up a system called the Global Organic Integrity Database (Global Integrity). Read More

4. Activists Gather in Watsonville to Demand California Reduce Pesticide Use and Boost Organic Farming
Dozens of students, farmworkers, and health care professionals gathered in Watsonville on Monday to make a range of demands, including that the state immediately restrict the use of harmful pesticides and require agricultural operations adopt organic farming practices. Read More

5. "Organic Ag Must Be Mainstreamed," Says Soil Association Group

The Soil Association Group used its annual trade conference last week (2 November) to share its vision for ‘Organic For All’—an ambitious new approach for scaling organic production and consumption in the UK. Read More