Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS SEPTEMBER 2014 www.gourmetnews.com GENERAL NEWS 1 2 Denver to Become 'One Big Farmers Market' with Recent City Council Approval of New Urban Farming Law The City of Denver could become one big farmers market after the City Council re- cently approved a new law that allows Den- ver residents to sell from their homes fresh produce they have grown themselves and cottage foods such as jams and honey they have made themselves in their home kitchens. "Denver has always been known as a city that appreciates 'farm-to-table' and using fresh produce and locally sourced foods, but this new law creates a whole new level of urban farming that will allow the city to become one big farmers market," said Richard Scharf, President and CEO of Visit Denver. Under the new law, which took effect in July, Denver residents will have to purchase a permit, but then will be able to sell from their home raw and uncut fresh fruits, veg- etables and herbs that were grown by the seller either on-site or in a community gar- den. They will also be able to sell whole eggs produced by chickens or ducks kept by the seller at home or "cot- tage foods," which are low- risk, unrefriger- ated food products made on-site such as spices, teas, honey, jams and certain baked goods. People can sell from inside or out- side their home from 8 a.m. to dusk and can sell up to $5,000 of goods a year. "Denver has become a leader in urban farming," said Scharf, noting that two years ago, the Col- orado Conven- tion Center opened the Blue Bear Farm on the grounds of the massive c o n v e n t i o n center and is now growing 5,000 pounds of fresh fruits, vegetables and spices, which are used in the convention center's kitchens. "Many city restaurants have al- ready put in their own gardens and farms, and now they will be able to buy vegeta- bles, eggs, jams and fruits grown right in the neighborhood." "Eating locally sourced food has al- ways been an important part of a vaca- tion to Europe or into the countryside, but now it is being extended into an urban environment and will give visitors a new way to explore – and taste – Den- ver," added Scharf. For more information, including how to secure a permit, a list of permissible cottage foods and tips for your home garden, visit www.denvergov.org/homebusiness. Addi- tional resources are also available at the Colorado State University Denver Exten- sion Office, which provides resources on soil testing as well as classes on urban farm- ing, cottage foods and food safety. Visit www.denverext.colostate.edu for more in- formation. GN American Appetite for Organic Products Breaks through $35 Billion Mark, up 11 Percent over Previous Year American consumers have not yet had their fill of organic products. In fact, sales of or- ganic products in the United States jumped to $35.1 billion in 2013, up 11.5 percent from the previous year's $31.5 billion and the fastest growth rate in five years. This is according to the latest survey on the or- ganic industry from the Organic Trade As- sociation. Americans' hunger for organic products is not expected to ease any time soon. The OTA survey projects that growth rates over the next two years will at least keep pace with the 2013 clip and even slightly exceed it. "The U.S. organic market is experiencing strong expansion, with organic food and farming continuing to gain in popularity," said Laura Batcha, Executive Director and CEO of OTA. "Consumers are making the correlation between what we eat and our health, and that knowledge is spurring heightened consumer interest in organic products." According to the survey, organic food sales in 2013, at $32.3 billion, ac- counted for roughly 92 percent of over- all organic sales. Non-food organic products, including flowers, fiber, household products and pet food, are currently a very small part of the total organic market, but are making quick in-roads. Sales of non-food organic products – at almost $2.8 billion – have jumped nearly eight-fold since 2002 and have almost doubled in market share. A niche industry in the huge food sec- tor just a decade ago, consumer purchases of organic food first broke through the $30 billion mark in 2012 and now ac- count for more than 4 percent of the $760 billion annual food sales in the United States. More telling, the growth rate of or- ganic food sales, which has averaged al- most 10 percent every year since 2010, has dwarfed the average annual growth of just over 3 percent in total food sales dur- ing that same period. A product breakdown of the organic food sector shows that the fruit and vegetable category continues to lead the sector with $11.6 billion in sales, up 15 percent. With more than 10 percent of the fruits and veg- etables sold in the United States now or- ganic, the $1.5 billion in new sales of organic fruits and vegetable represented 46 percent of the organic sector's $3.3 billion in new dollars. The relatively small organic condi- ments category posted the strongest growth, at 17 percent, to reach sales of $830 million. Also showing double-digit growth were the organic snack food sec- tor (up 15 percent to $1.7 billion), or- ganic bread and grains (up 12 percent to $3.8 billion), organic meat, poultry and fish (up 11 percent to $675 million) and the rapidly expanding organic packaged and prepared food sector (up 10 percent to $4.8 billion). Just two categories of the organic food sector showed single-digit growth rates. The $4.9 billion dairy sector grew by 8 percent, and sales of organic beverages slowed to a 5 percent growth rate to around $4 billion. GN Diet-Conscious Groups Cheer as Government of Canada Proposes Changes to Nutrition Information on Food Labels In July, the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Canadian Minister of Health, launched a series of online public consultations on proposed changes that the Canadian gov- ernment hopes will improve the way nutri- tion information is presented on food labels. The proposed changes are to the for- mat of the Nutrition Facts table, the list of ingredients, the list of nutrients that must appear in the table, and to the recom- mended daily values. "Earlier this year, our government con- sulted with parents and consumers on ways to improve the way information is pre- sented on food labels," said Ambrose. "We are proposing changes to the nutrition in- formation on food labels, based on what we heard. These changes will make it easier to read and understand labels and help Cana- dians make healthy food choices for them- selves and their families." Included among the changes currently being considered by the Canadian govern- ment is the possibility of changing how in- gredients are listed on food labels, including grouping sugars together so that consumers have a clearer picture of how much sugar is added to the foods they are eating. Another key proposal is to provide guidelines to the food industry itself, which would make the serving sizes displayed in the Nutrition Facts table more consistent among similar products. "Dietitians of Canada is pleased Health Canada is planning to make improvements to the nutrition label," said Janice Macdon- ald, Director of Communications for Dieti- tians of Canada. "We will gladly take this opportunity to engage dietitians in the con- sultation process. Using consistent serving sizes on the food label and updating the percent daily value to reflect current dietary reference intakes are two changes that will support dietitians as they educate Canadi- ans to make informed food choices." "The Canadian Diabetes Association is pleased to hear about the consultations re- garding proposed nutrition labeling changes," said Richard Blickstead, Presi- dent and Chief Executive Officer for the Canadian Diabetes Association. "Easy to understand nutrition labels help people make informed choices about the foods they eat that are vital for preventing type 2 diabetes, managing diabetes and preventing complications. We look forward to partici- pating in these consultations that can help all Canadians make healthier food choices." Canada is a world leader in the field of nutrition labeling and was one of the first countries to require mandatory nu- trition labeling on pre-packaged foods. The overall goal of the proposed changes is to provide Canadian consumers with the nutrition information they need to make informed decisions about the foods they buy and prepare for themselves and their families. The ongoing consultations are part of a broader commitment made by the govern- ment of Canada to consult with Canadian citizens on how to improve the way nutri- tion information is presented on food la- bels. The results of this current series of consultations will help inform the deci- sions about changes to nutrition labeling. The consultations will run through Sep- tember 11, 2014. GN

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