Industry News
April 13, 2010
“We are delighted that so many NPA members and others in the industry took time out from their stores and companies to come to Washington, DC, to educate their elected officials,” said NPA Executive Director and CEO John Gay. “Coupled with NPA’s lobbying and grassroots efforts, Natural Products Day helps us educate a new Congress, in which about one in five legislators are new to the job.”
During their meetings, lawmakers were educated on the extensive regulatory structure governing dietary supplements, and on the health and economic benefits of the industry. They also learned about the NPA’s growing Natural Seal certification program, which now covers more than 600 health and beauty and homecare products and ingredients.
On the legislative front, attendees asked Congress to support the Tax Equity for Meal Replacements and Supplements Act, which would allow Flexible Spending Account (FSA) dollars to be used for supplements and meal replacements that are permitted to make health claims. In addition, lawmakers were asked to oppose the Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Abuse Reduction Act, which would needlessly place DHEA behind the counter, providing no benefit to consumers.
For more information, visit www.npainfo.org.
The “How Does Poo Move You?” Sweepstakes will run from April 2-June 1, 2011 and will award four prizes for the most imaginative videos. The grand prize winner will receive $3,000 in cash and $1,000 in ReNew Life products, while first, second and third runners up will also win cash and ReNew Life products. Video submissions will be judged based on overall artistry and humor, but judges will also take into account video votes, video comments and video sharing on the contest site, so contestants are encouraged to promote their video and solicit votes through social media outlets.
Participants in the sweepstakes should be aware of the contest rules (available on the website) and be sure that their submission is appropriate for a broad audience. “We’re looking for clever, sensational and conversation-starting videos. Funny is good,” said Brenda Watson, ReNew Life founder, formulator and president. “But be sure to keep the content clean and focus on the benefits of healthy elimination.”
In addition to encouraging digestive health conversations, the ReNew Life sweepstakes will also take aim at the global water crisis. ReNew Life will match all cash prizes with a charitable donation to Water.org, a non-profit organization that helps provide safe drinking water and sanitation to people in developing countries.
For more information, visit www.howdoespoomoveyou.com.
“Organic producers are very entrepreneurial in nature. They’re in a position to create value-added products that provide a wealth of opportunities in rural America,” said Vilsack.
Organized by OTA and supported by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) under the theme “Advance Organic Together,” the conference focuses on the value of organic agriculture in providing jobs, supporting rural livelihoods and advancing an entrepreneurial spirit.
OTA released data onsite from OTA’s 2011 Organic Industry Survey that revealed the industry has grown from $3.6 billion in 1997 to $29 billion in 2010. Despite the nation’s worst economic downturn in 80 years, the organic industry has come out of the recession hiring employees, adding farms and increasing revenue.
“The USDA is creating financial assistance for organic because we recognize organic as a part of the strategy to rebuild rural America,” said Vilsack. “A lot of folks in rural America need help. One very good strategy is organic.”
For more information, visit www.ota.com.
Hirshberg’s “Just Eat Organic” rap video tells the story of America’s switch from family farms to modern agriculture, which let “big agriculture” profit while consumers got addicted to convenient foods that are bad for their health.
Stonyfield is collaborating with Honest Tea (Bethesda, MD), which produced a similar music video called “Just Drink Organic,” on a contest in honor of Earth Month. Site visitors can create a video for an opportunity to win $1,000 and a month’s supply of Stonyfield yogurt and Honest Tea. The deadline is April 30, 2011.
Stonyfield is also rolling out a new visual and interactive digital platform called “The Organic Moment,” featuring stories from individuals, groups, families and companies. The stories highlight what inspired them to start eating organic, how organic changed their lives and why organic is important.
Site visitors are invited to send in their stories as texts, photos or videos. All storytellers will be entered to win one year’s worth of organic groceries from Stonyfield and other leading organic brands.
For more information, visit www.stonyfield.com, www.justeatorganic.com, www.justdrinkorganic.com, or www.yourorganicmoment.com.
The solar generation facility will be situated on a four-acre parcel site on Maxco’s property. The PV modules are non-reflective and convert sunlight into direct current electricity, consuming no fossil fuels and emitting no pollutants during operations. The project will produce approximately 1,684,070 kWh AC per year, which is the equivalent offset of about 1,209 metric tons of CO2. In addition, the project is completely sound free, so it will have no impact on the neighborhood.
“We’re very excited about implementing Maxco’s Solar City, as it speaks directly to our mission of providing truly sustainable products to our customers,” said Mark Flaming, Maxco’s vice president of sales and operations. “It’s good for the community, it’s good for the environment, and it’s good for Maxco, which makes it a win/win for everyone!”
Maxco’s new solar system will be specially developed, engineered and constructed by Cenergy Power, and will include a fixed ground mount design.
For more information, visit www.maxcopackaging.com.
While the organic food industry is undergoing exponential growth—estimated at $75 billion in food and beverage sales in the U.S. alone—there is increased pressure for companies to comply with production and safety standards under the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP).
OES, under the strategic partnership, will develop training programs that are designed to ensure the integrity of organic products, improve employee awareness and performance, and help companies meet and maintain NOP certification requirements. Silliker served as the sole and exclusive sponsor of the recently released training program, “Keep It Organic: Best Practices for Production Personnel” DVD.
Employing video clips, graphics and photographs, the bilingual training program introduces employees to organic food handling and production practices. Preventing commingling and contamination are among the many topics covered in the DVD, which is designed to help companies comply with NOP and Canadian Organic Product Regulations.
As part of the strategic partnership, Organic Concepts, an OES affiliate, will provide technical consulting services for Silliker clients who need to develop a certified organic program or update an existing program. Inspection and non-compliance remediation support are also included in the consulting services.
For more information, visit www.organicconcepts.info or www.silliker.com.