The Organic Consumers Association reports that the amount of fraud related to organic food certification is on the rise and is gathering signatures for a petition to the National Organic Program (NOP) to implement the Peer Review Panel.

USDA Admits Organic Fraud is Increasing

The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Organic Program (NOP) announced on August 5th that 15 of the 30 accredited organic certifiers they recently inspected failed the USDA audit and will have 12 months to make corrections or lose their accreditation with the NOP. It is clear that there are numerous violations of organic standards taking place in the U.S. and across the world. (Read the August 5 NOP Audit Report here)

Touted as the largest celebration of food in America. Slow Food USA's subsidiary Slow Food Nation, was created to organize the first-ever American collaborative gathering to unite the growing sustainable food movement and introduce thousands of people to food that is good, clean and fair.

The first annual event of Slow Food Nation takes place on Labor Day 2008 in San Francisco (August 29th - September 1st).

Slow Food Nation is dedicated to creating a framework for deeper environmental connection to our food and aims to inspire and empower Americans to build a food system that is sustainable, healthy and delicious.

Slow Food USA is a part of the International Slow Food Movement.

August 1, 2008 - Going organic: Movement taking root as prices, awareness rise

LaReeca Rucker
lrucker@jackson.gannett.com

He draws a picture of a bicycle and writes the words "Self-reliance is patriotic" every weekend on a large door at the Starkville Community Market where produce and fruit is sold.

Owners of the Lafayette Street business allow the public to paint messages on the door, and Mississippi State University student Ryan Storment, 23, is eager to share his ideas about environmental sustainability.

Storment has given up driving and now bikes everywhere he goes. He's also gone organic.

According to the Organic Trade Association, U.S. sales of organic foods and beverages grew from $1 billion in 1990 to an estimated $20 billion in 2007, and are projected to reach nearly $23 billion in 2008. Organic food sales are expected to increase an average of 18 percent each year from 2007 to 2010.

Florida Growers Want Compensation for Tomato Scare

The Associated Press - Florida tomato growers want the federal government to compensate them for millions of dollars in lost revenue when a nationwide salmonella outbreak occurred and the government first focused on raw tomatoes.

(July 23)[Notes: SHOTS OF FARMHAND PICKING TOMATOES] FLORIDA TOMATO GROWERS SAY THEY WANT COMPENSATION FROM WASHINGTON FOR THE MILLIONS IN LOSSES THEY SUFFERED DUE TO A SALMONELLA INVESTIGATION THAT ORIGINALLY FOCUSED ON RAW TOMATOES.

Most people will not be able to afford to pay someone to design, plant and develop a garden for them year round. I feel as though this is cheating somehow because when you think of a 'garden' or when I think of a garden, I imagine that it is maintained by the homeowner, that it is a personal connection between man and earth. But if you think about farms that sell their crops to stores or community supported agriculture, then this is not so far fetched. People who could afford it have always had personal gardeners.

July 22, 2008
A Locally Grown Diet With Fuss but No Muss
By KIM SEVERSON

Eating locally raised food is a growing trend. But who has time to get to the farmer’s market, let alone plant a garden?

That is where Trevor Paque comes in. For a fee, Mr. Paque, who lives in San Francisco, will build an organic garden in your backyard, weed it weekly and even harvest the bounty, gently placing a box of vegetables on the back porch when he leaves.