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January-February, 2006 30th Annual Conference Heads to Hood River 30th Annual Conference Heads to Hood River Provender Alliance is holding its 30th Annual Educational Conference in October, 2006 and we have found a great conference site for it. Prepare yourselves to gather along the mighty Columbia River at the Best Western Hood River Inn in Hood River, Oregon. Barely an hour east of Portland, the facility is right on the river and has an outdoor space for croquet and/or volleyball and has a path that follows the river for about a mile. Sleeping rooms are spacious and comfortable and the hotel has ample meeting space for our needs. The drive to Hood River along the Columbia River is one of the most scenic in Oregon, passing the famous Multnomah Falls with numerous other waterfalls visible from the highway. You may also want to spend some extra time and travel along the old highway that sits higher up in the gorge and passes by numerous waterfalls, many with trails into the forest. Conference information will be mailed in early August. If you have any suggestions for speakers or topics to address, this is the time to notify us, either through one of your representatives (listed on page 25 of this Journal) or you can call or send an e-mail directly to the office. You can reach us by phone at 888.352.7431 or 503.859.3600 or at info@provender.org. Moving Organic Produce Closer to Sustainability —by Marnie McPhee An article in the May/June 2005 issue of the Provender Journal reported on an exciting “Sustainability Summit” for the West Coast’s organic produce trade, which was held in Portland on March 12, 2005. The summit was sponsored by Organically Grown Company (OGC) of Eugene. The 150 participants – OGC staff, retailers, organic growers, wholesalers, home delivery programs and community organizations from Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and Mexico – earnestly and enthusiastically explored how to make the industry more sustainable. They focused on three areas: transportation, packaging and labor. The Summit energized the industry; it’s been busy ever since. And OGC remains at the forefront of the action. OGC is attacking the issues on two fronts: within the company and within the industry. Inside OGC Guided by Bob Doppelt, University of Oregon (UO) adjunct associate professor, head of the Sustainability Leadership Academy, and author of the acclaimed Leading Change Toward Sustainability: A Change Management Guide for Business, Government, and Civil Society, OGC is analyzing everything they do, and how to do it more sustainably. First, they conducted a thorough sustainability audit, to examine OGC’s waste, energy, transportation, sourcing and governance. The audit helped quantify these areas, and to identify the areas they were not focusing on, but probably should be. They then used the results of the audit to take action. OGC has outfitted its Eugene facility with new lighting features that will save 26,000 kWh annually. They have ordered 100% wind-generated power for the Eugene facility, and 50% “clean wind” power for the Clackamas facility. OGC also has started using B20 grade bio-diesel in their trucks, and is encouraging trucking partners to do the same. At their fall annual planning report, they committed to integrating sustainability into OGC’s Strategic Plan for 2005-2008. They listed key sustainability performance goals, objectives and benchmarks. OGC has also revisited and rewritten the company’s mission to incorporate sustainability as a central focus. Finally, they’ve created internal “sustainability teams” to improve everyday operations. Specifically, they’re looking at office practices and internal communication. They report on their work and suggestions to the management team. For the Organic Produce Trade OGC also has committed resources to making the entire organic produce chain more sustainable. The first – and major – step was hosting the Sustainability Summit. OGC spent more than $50,000 on the event – an expenditure OGC Marketing Director David Lively calls “an investment in everyone’s future.” OGC has continued its commitment to systemic change in the industry, with gratifying support from many participants. First, they have hired Natalie Reitman-White, an intern from the UO to follow up with Summit participants, facilitate ongoing dialogue within the trade, and provide sustainability-related research to support ongoing efforts. In addition, OGC has helped form inter-industry Innovation Working Groups to tackle changes in the areas highlighted during the Summit: packaging, energy and transportation, and consumer education. In response to Summit participants’ requests, OGC also created and is implementing active online Sustainability Discussion Boards to facilitate dialogue between organic produce trade growers, distributors and retailers, and inviting them to share their current practices and challenges, and identify needed improvements. Visitors to the site have explored sustainability application issues such as how safe/compatible bio-diesel is with trucks, co-branding educational brochures, and the pros and cons of biodegradable packaging made from bio-engineered corn. Third, to focus the industry on a common purpose, OGC has drafted a “Declaration of Sustainability in the Organic Produce Trade.” This is a starting-point for a dynamic and participatory statement of the industry’s vision of and commitment to sustainability. To engage the industry and stimulate feedback, Lively and Reitman-White have presented the working draft of the “Declaration” at trade shows and conferences, including the Washington and Oregon Tilth annual meetings. The next stop will be the Eco-Farm conference, January 25-28 at Pacific Grove, California. OGC is inviting growers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and community organizations to get on board with this movement in a unified force. The organic produce trade has been on the leading edge of ecological practices. Yet, much more is needed to sustain economic, social and environmental wellbeing. The good news is that dozens of organizations already have laid the foundation of the sustainability movement, by crafting the basic principles and practices of sustainability. Rather than duplicate this work, OGC and others hope to build on it by identifying specific and practical ways to achieve true sustainability in every facet of the organic produce trade. For information about OGC’s internal sustainability efforts, and industry-wide activities, contact Natalie Reitman-White, OGC intern by phone at 541.461.6458 or by e-mail at nwhite@darkwing.uoregon.edu or David Lively, OGC’s Marketing Director, by phone at 541.689.5320 or e-mail at dlively@organicgrown.com. Congress Votes to Weaken Organic Standards —from Weekly Harvest Newsletter, weekly sustainable agriculture news and resources gleaned from the internet by NCAT staff for the ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service web site, http://attra.ncat.org In early November, Congress voted to allow numerous synthetic substances to be used in certified organic products and to weaken organic dairy standards. The Organic Trade Association (OTA) and various food processors encouraged Congress to adopt the provision as a rider to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual spending budget. The amendment overrides a recent federal court decision (Harvey v. Veneman) that ruled the Organic Food Production Act does not allow synthetic substances to be used in foods labeled “organic.” OTA applauded the decision, claiming the ruling will keep organic products on the shelves and organic growers and processors in business. The Organic Consumers Association, however, decried the decision, which, in addition to allowing the use of synthetic substances in organic processing: (1) allows dairy cows to be treated with antibiotics and fed genetically modified feed before being transitioned to organic production, and (2) contains loopholes under which non-organic ingredients could be substituted for organic ingredients based on “emergency decrees.” —from Vegetarians of Washington, www.vegofwa.org Vegetarians of Washington is happy to announce that the 5th Annual Vegfest will take place on March 11 and 12, 2006 from 10 AM to 6PM both days. A larger venue, the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, will be the location for this year’s event. Last year’s Vegfest was a resounding success with over 110 companies participating and over 207,000 samples of food served with almost 500 different kinds of food to try. There were 10 cooking demonstrations by chefs and cookbook authors and 8 talks on nutrition by doctors and dietitians. Vegfest has been growing steadily at a rate of 35% per year, receives media support from television, radio and newspapers and attracts a focused and motivated demographic of conscientious consumers. Many Provender members are represented at Vegfest each year. For more information on participating in Vegfest please e-mail Stewart Rose at Stewart@vegofwa.org or call 206.706.2635. For more information about Vegfest, visit www.vegofwa.org. I’d like to respond to part of Brad Averill’s letter in the Nov/Dec issue. But first I’d like to express my deep gratitude that we have an open and respectful forum to ask questions and think freely without fear of being stifled by political correctness. Brad questioned whether our election process is really an election, since there were four candidates for four seats and only the option of voting to accept or not accept. I won’t give a simple yes-or-no answer to that, but I’ll tell you why I like our process. I’ve served on the boards of both NNFA-Northwest and Provender, and my experience there and with other nonprofits as well tells me the following: It’s hard to find people to volunteer their time and emotional energy (and at times money). To recruit someone in this small an organization and then have the membership say, in effect, “We don’t want you, even as a volunteer,” is a waste of energy and an insult to the recruiters and the losing candidates. Without a significant campaign process, members tend to be pretty clueless about the candidates, especially if they’re nominated and elected on the floor at an annual meeting. A representative nominations committee tends to do a much better job of screening. I’ve seen at least one organization turn the corner in terms of board cohesiveness and effectiveness by using this system. Most of the time, organizations such as ours are not divided by hot issues, and a consensus-style selection works just fine. When there are hot issues, debate happens and candidates appear. When hot issues can’t be resolved, maybe the organization should go through an asexual reproductive process (splitting), rather than the other kind, where everyone ends up getting...you know. As far as I know, no one keeps anyone from running. So Brad, did I just hear a volunteer? Sincerely, Laughing Water Consumer Group Devoted to Protecting Food and Water —from Public Citizen, www.citizen.org Public Citizen is pleased to announce the launch of a new consumer advocacy organization from within its own ranks: Food and Water Watch, a nonprofit group dedicated to protecting food and water through research, education, lobbying, e-activism and media outreach. Wenonah Hauter, currently the director of the Critical Mass Energy Program, which houses the existing food and water programs, will be leaving Public Citizen to run this new organization. The employees who have helped develop these programs over the past eight years will accompany her. This move will allow these campaigns to expand with new resources to achieve the vital mission of protecting our food and water from increased corporate control, factory farming and privatization. Food and Water Watch will be devoted to maintaining the existing partnerships the staff has cultivated while at Public Citizen with other non-governmental organizations and citizens. On behalf of Public Citizen, we all wish Food and Water Watch the very best. Stay tuned to www.foodandwaterwatch.org for more details. Another OR Dairy Goes rBGH-Free —from Physicians for Social Responsibilty Oregon Chapter Office, www.oregonpsr.org Alpenrose Dairy announced in early November that it has now gone rBGH-free for all its products! The family-owned independent dairy, based in Portland, has been a highly respected fixture in the Northwest Oregon dairy scene since 1916. Alpenrose’s main product is fluid milk and it can be found in Albertson’s, Thriftway, New Seasons, QFC, Zupan’s and other markets. It also supplies milk to Baskin-Robbins ice cream franchises in the Pacific Northwest. Alpenrose is already running ads announcing it is rBGH-free and their labels will reflect this as soon as they go through their current packaging inventory. Our congratulations and sincere appreciation go out to the Cadonau family and all the employees of Alpenrose for taking this important step. Oregon PSR’s Campaign For Safe Food has been communicating with Alpenrose since May 2004, when the Project Director met with the president, Carl Cadonau, Jr., and showed him a Power Point presentation on rBGH. They had a cordial conversation and discussed the problems that rBGH presents. Since early 2004, Alpenrose, like all dairies in Oregon that still use rBGH, has received hundreds of consumer comments generated by Oregon PSR – post cards, e-mails, letters and phone calls – asking them to go rBGH-free. In addition, Oregon PSR has been contacting grocery stores and coffee shops regarding concerns about rBGH, and some of them have in turn relayed these concerns to Alpenrose, whose products they were carrying. In August this year, St. Mary of the Valley, a large parochial school in Beaverton, discontinued their milk contract with Alpenrose. This followed the PowerPoint presentation to the principal and food service director and expressions of concern led by a parent/PSR volunteer. In addition, PSR volunteers had made initial contacts with the Portland Public Schools, which serves Alpenrose milk, expressing their concern with rBGH. Thanks go out to all the volunteers who have led the efforts to educate consumers and who have had specific activities that included Alpenrose. Alpenrose now becomes the third Oregon-based dairy in 2005 to go rBGH-free. Tillamook announced that its cheese (not other products) would be rBGH-free as of April 1 and Eberhard announced it was going rBGH-free in June. For more information about the Campaign for Safe Food, please visit www.oregonpsr.org. —from Organic Bytes #70, November 30, 2005, www.organicconsumers.org Produce with the lowest pesticide levels: asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, kiwi, mangoes, onions, papaya, pineapples and sweet peas. Produce with the highest pesticide levels: apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach and strawberries. Pacific Foods Sponsors Promotion —from Pacific Natural Foods, www.pacificfoods.com Pacific Natural Foods, makers of the highest quality, all natural and organic soups, broths, stews, chili, rice dishes and non-dairy beverages, launches a Winter Warmer promotion in January 2006. Consumers will be warming up with Pacific Natural Foods’ family of soups this season. Winter Warmer ties in with the company’s top-selling creamy soups and the launch of Pacific’s new Hearty Soups: Hearty Chicken Noodle, Hearty Chicken Tortilla, Roasted Red Pepper & Corn Chowder and Hearty Beef Barley. The ready-to-eat soups are served in a convenient, airtight retort pouch. The gourmet-style soups feature all natural free-range chicken and grain-fed beef, and are hormone, antibiotic, preservative and additive free. One grand prizewinner will receive a getaway for four to Sundance Resort in Utah’s beautiful Wasatch Range. The trip includes travel, lodging, and a host of activities and amenities from skiing and fly-fishing to fine dining, spa treatments and art exhibits. The Sundance Resort web site at www.sundanceresort.com announces the 36-year-old resort is ranked sixth for top U.S. Resorts by Conde Nast Traveler’s 2005 Reader’s Choice Awards. The philosophy to preserve the purity of nature is in line with Pacific Natural Foods’ mission to make products that best represent The Delicious Taste of Nature. All of the company’s products are made with fresh, wholesome, all natural ingredients that are Certified to the Source™, ensuring that all ingredients meet the highest standards for safety, health and quality. The certification program guarantees these standards by working with suppliers to track ingredient sources and every detail of each ingredient. The Winter Warmer program runs from January through February. All entry forms, available at retail stores and at www.pacificfoods.com, must be postmarked by Feb. 28 and received by March 8. Winners will be notified by the end of March. There will be five first place winners who will receive a $500 shopping trip to REI, the ideal spot to gear up for all Winter Warmer activities. A second prize award will go to 200 recipients who will receive a premium quality stainless steel beverage thermos, complete with non-slip surface and two cap cups. This item is perfect for carrying your favorite hot beverage or one of four Pacific Natural Foods’ new Hearty Soups to the slopes or anywhere on the road. 2006 Non-GMO Sourcebook Available —from The Non-GMO Report, www.non-gmoreport.com The 2006 Non-GMO Sourcebook, the world’s only “farm to fork” directory of suppliers of non-genetically modified products, featuring more than 560 suppliers of non-GMO products and services, is now available. As genetically modified crops increase worldwide, food producers are concerned about the availability of non-GMO supplies to meet consumer demands. The Non-GMO Sourcebook responds to this need, providing the only global directory of suppliers of non-GMO seeds, grains, ingredients, food products, and related products and services. In its fifth year of publication, The Non-GMO Sourcebook has grown from 200 listings in 2001 to more than 560 this year, a growth of nearly 200%. The 2006 Non-GMO Sourcebook features comprehensive listings of suppliers and related products and services including non-GMO corn/maize, soy, and canola grains and processed ingredients, organic seeds, grains, and ingredients, minor ingredients, including lecithin, vitamins E and C, citric acid, and enzymes, non-GMO food products, including rBGH-free dairy products, experts in GMO testing, identity preservation, and organic certification and an easy-to-use index by product category. The 2006 Non-GMO Sourcebook also features a list of countries that require labeling of GM foods, as well as useful tips for GMO testing and for locating non-GMO and organic ingredients. The Non-GMO Sourcebook is published annually by Writing Solutions, Inc., publisher of The Non-GMO Report monthly newsletter. Subscribers to The Non-GMO Report newsletter receive The 2006 Non-GMO Sourcebook as a free bonus. Individuals can order The 2006 Non-GMO Sourcebook for US $24.95 by phone at 641.472.1491 or 800.854.0586 (US and Canada), or online at www.non-gmoreport.com Homegrown Naturals has purchased Annie’s Naturals. Annie’s, based in Vermont, manufactures 26 different salad dressings, nine condiments and four marinades that include mustards, ketchup and barbecue sauces. Their products are available all over the US as well as Canada and the UK. Homegrown Naturals brands include Annie’s Homegrown, makers of organic and natural pasta meals and healthy snacks; Fantastic Foods, pioneer of all-natural vegetarian convenience meals; and Consorzio, leading Napa Valley creator of marinades, barbecue sauces and flavored olive oils. —from Weekly Harvest Newsletter, weekly sustainable agriculture news and resources gleaned from the internet by NCAT staff for the ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service web site, http://attra.ncat.org USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) has released a report that documents growth in organic production from 1992-2003. The report illustrates the extent of growth in certified organic production with 57 tables showing the change in U.S. organic acreage and livestock numbers during the period. By 2003, farmers in 49 States dedicated 2.2 million acres of cropland and pasture to organic production systems. Nearly 1.5 million acres were used for growing crops, with California, North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin, Colorado and Iowa leading the list. Texas, Alaska and California had the largest amount of organic pasture and rangeland. The report notes that while adoption of organic farming systems showed strong gains between 1992 and 2003 and the adoption rate remains high, the overall adoption level is still low—only about 0.4 percent of all U.S. cropland and 0.1 percent of all U.S. pasture was certified organic in 2003. You can view this information by visiting www.ers.usda.gov/Data/Organic/index.htm. —from Natural Synergies, www.natural-synergies.com Natural Synergies (NS) is a neutral, comprehensive resource network to help independent natural food retailers overcome new competitive challenges and thrive in the marketplace. The company will be launching a suite of products and services for independent retailers at Expo West in March, 2006. Keeping natural products retailers independent is the key to the Natural Synergies mission. By negotiating collectively with vendors and by leveraging its collective bargaining power, NS provides a level playing field where the cost of goods for independents is closer to the prices that mass-market stores and big natural chains are able to negotiate. Indie retailers are finally given the voice that they deserve throughout the industry. Natural Synergies also offers an innovative array of services including operational support, marketing programs, employee benefits and private label development all designed to cultivate the success and growth of retailers in the many markets they serve. According to Stephen Trinkaus, Owner & General Manager of Terra Organica in Bellingham, Washington, “My personal goal is to offer a toolbox of solutions for independent retailers so they can thrive even if Whole Foods moves in next door. I can’t overestimate the importance of Natural Synergies to me, the business and the organic movement Without this, I’m not sure Terra Organica would be around in ten years.” For more information on Natural Synergies, please visit www.natural-synergies.com or call 310.229.5958. For information about vendor relations, contact Michael Iaslovits at Michael@natural-synergies.com. For membership information, contact Dean Yachison at dean@natural-synergies.com. For media inquiries, contact Kathy Kniss at BIG Imagination Group, kkniss@bigla.com or by phone at 310.204.6100 x21. West Coast Biocycle Conference Comes to Portland —from Biocycle, www.inbusiness.org The Biocycle West Coast Conference will be held in Portland, Oregon March 20 through 22, 2006 at the Portland Marriott Downtown. It is all about composting, organic reuse and renewable energy. The theme is Building Sustainable Cities and Communities. The conference will hold 50 technical sessions plus a field trip and exhibits. Highlights include: sustainable models in the Pacific Northwest; best methods for food residuals diversion and composting; running compost and mulch facilities under stricter air quality rules; latest trends in digester systems; economics and power utilization; why compost use on farms, vineyards and orchards reduces water use and increases yields; odor management tools that build confidence of local health officials and site neighbors; tackling tough issues—fertilizer regulations, nutrient claims and biomass reuse; what investors and regulators are looking for in new sites—profits from diversion and sales. There are too many workshops to list but categories include Key Composting Challenges, Producing Renewable Power, Sustainable Soils and Landscapes, Green Roofs Boost Compost Markets, Food Recovery Strategies, Water Capture, Reuse and Recycling, Biodegradable Plastics, and much more. Come to Portland and participate in three intensive days with leading professionals in the composting and organics recycling industry. Registration information can be found at www.jgpress.com.
Provender Alliance
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