The price of organic food is an issue of debate.

The popularity of sales of organic food has been increasing. Given that, it should be assumed that the rice of organic food would go down. However, that may not be the case.

In the U.S., at least, it is usually cheaper to buy unhealthy food, then to buy environmentally-conscious, fresh food.  A study by researchers at the University of California- Davis reported that shoppers who consistently choose healthy foods spend about 20% more on groceries. Anyone who has ever shopped at a place like Whole Foods can attribute to this fact. I believe this is a big problem. In the U.S., and all over the world, we are in the midst of a health epidemic. The problem is that we are not healthy, and bluntly- are TOO FAT. Many people cannot afford luxuries of life, and while food is a necessity, the type of food consumed is not. Healthy food, and organic food should be accessible by all. Hopefully the continued mainstreaming of organic food will lower the prices.

If you want any tips for how to better afford organic and healthy food, go here.

Organic Style, a magazine that focused on sustainable living published it’s last issue in 2005, after only four years in print. The magazine was a mix between eco-living, healthy eating, and style.

Rodale, the original publisher sold the magazine to Prolman, the founder and CEO of Organic Bouquet Inc. The magazine has just been relaunched- solely online. The new publication is said to focus on living, gardening and travel tips, and will not feature ads until the second issue. The new online magazine will maintain an environmentally-friendly, organic perspective. The online format eliminates the need for paper, which is in accordance with the magazine’s values.

To read to new issue, or to subscribe, go here.

Also, as a side note- the new owners of Organic Style are the owners of Organic Bouquet, which offer environmentally friendly flowers and gifts. So if you’re going to buy flowers for Valentine’s Day, you might want to look there.

Coca-Cola has recently gained a 40% share of Honest Tea Inc. for $43 million dollars. After three years, Coke will have the right to purchase the company.

Honest Tea sells USDA certified organic bottled teas. The company has had a history of social responsibility and many of the teas have been linked to particular causes or non-profits (such as the Crow Indians and City Year), with a percentage of sales being donated. Sales of Honest Tea in 2007 were $23 million.

Honest Tea currently has limited distribution and is mostly in organic grocery stores. Coca-Cola will seek to expand Honest Tea’s distribution and make it more main stream- selling it in restaurants and in more grocery store chains.

With sales of soda and other sugary beverages declining due to health concerns, it is no surprise that Coke has decided to buy a major part of Honest Tea. Coca-cola purchased Glaceau (the makers of Vitamin Water) in 2007, and  owns brands such as Odwalla,  Minute Maid, and many others.

Personally, I feel very disappointed about this. I wish there was a readily available company that was selling accessible organic Ready to Drink Teas.  I always felt good when drank Honest Tea, and now I don’t think that will be the case. What was once a small company started out of Maryland will shortly become another name of Coca-Cola’s brand list. I was also disappointed when Coke bought Glaceau, another brand that I really liked. I feel that small brands are just getting gobbled up by the major players (namely: Pepsi Co, Coca-Cola, and Nestle.). I wish I knew how this worked, because oh how I am disappointed in them. Honest Tea’s creators see this as an opportunity to distribute the tea further, to more people. I’m not sure if I see it the same way. Maybe I’m just becoming disillusioned. That is just my opinion.

(to see the opinion of the creators of Honest Tea, view the Honest Tea blog and website for more information)

So apparently we will be seeing organic fast food restaurants in the U.S. shortly. Health Food Hut is set to open three locations in Florida and Los Vegas by April 1, 2008. The idea behind Health Food Hut is to offer food that is not only healthy, but also natural or organic “when available.” The website also mentions that they will be getting food “directly from the farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers of our produce, meat, seafood and other supplies.  Health Food Hut will have casual dining, drive through, and even plans to offer home delivery and online sales.

While it is currently in the beginning stages, Health Food Hut could potentially change the way we eat on the go, and offer affordable organics. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see (unless you live in the Florida neighborhood or Las Vegas)

One thing that I find interesting is the battle between “big business” and little business. Organic food is something that previously was not very popular with the main stream culture. If you decided to buy organic, you were likely to go to a small, local grocery store or perhaps a farmers market even. Maybe you were also interested in supporting small business and a sustainable environment.

What I find interesting is that now organic food is being offered in large supermarkets and big box stores such as Walmart and Target. Besides the few disputed cases, let us assume that the organic food sold at those stores is grown in a way that deserves the label organic. And due to the scale of these stores, the prices can be lower than those at your local organic food store. So what’s a person to do?

I think it is often difficult to make purchases with a conscious mind while we assume that they are inconsequential. Who we buy are products from does matter. The money we give to people will help them grow. If we don’t want that particular company or person to get bigger, we shouldn’t support them.

I am not meaning to indoctrinate anyone. If you know me, you would know that I am a consumer. However, it is important to reflect upon our values and what we want to see for the future. If we want to only see megastores, then we can keep shopping at Walmart. If we want to see a lot of divers small businesses, then we need to support them now. Just a thought.

Just a quick little tidbit, based upon this finding.
I guess I never imagined that presenting a “Hacker Safe” icon on a website would increase sales. I guess it worked quite well for Homegrown Naturals, Inc (Annie’s Natural, Fantastic foods…). It is very important to make sure that you are purchasing products online from a safe, reliable source. My only idea would be that organic food is seen as less reputable and more unstable? Either way, Homegrown Naturals did not actually alter their site at all, they merely were certified hacker proof. Just that simple measure raised the conversion rate by 7.53%

In the capitalist world, companies buy and sell one another. Ultimately, there is quite a small number of corporations that own the vast majority of any given industry. Interestingly enough, the organic food industry is no different.
I have already talked about the rising popularity of organic food. Some people buy these products because they are concerned with their own bodies, and how food is effecting them. Others are concerned with supporting sustainable and earth-friendly practices. These individuals may be in for a shock.

One common brand that I love and frequently purchase at the grocery store is Boca. I liked the brand because I was a herbivore living with omnivores. Boca was a way for me to eat “normal” food that gave me good nutrition. But- Boca was bought by Kraft foods in 2000. Kraft Foods is cited as being the U.S.’s largest food and beverage company. And, just a tidbit, Kraft is owned by the larger and, perhaps less favored, Philip Morris Company (which was renamed Altria Group).

The reason why this bothers me, and could potentially bother you, is that the companies that are really selling us our products are not always represented. It is important to realize what your money is supporting.

The organic food industry is quickly growing. One source sites that in 2004, US organic sales totaled $23 billion. In 2005, the figure had already jumped to $40 billion. The growth in the organic food industry is undeniable. With this growth there have been some interesting issues.
Some are worried that the increased demand on organic farms will lead to lower quality products.  Now that Walmart has added organic food offerings, other farmers feel that they might not be able to compete.
Additionally, there have recently been lawsuits over whether certain products being sold as organic really follow the organic standards. This comes as quite a surprise considering usually organic foods are sold at a price premium. The milk supplier in question, Aurora Organic, supplies milk to supermarkets such as Safeway, Target and Walmart- who then sell the milk under their own brands. Questions over the “organicness” or organic food could be detrimental to the organic food industry as a whole: which encompasses farmers, suppliers, grocery stores, and all the people who seek organic food and hope to see the industry grow.

Organic food is becoming more and more popular in the United States culture. It is now common to see many organic items in the grocery store, and there are now even chain markets that focus on providing environmentally friendly, organic food.

This blog will address the reasons for this trend. Why is it that people are now choosing organic foods? Is organic food better for us, and how is this change impacting businesses?