Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Organic food suppliers scrambling
America's appetite for organic food is so strong that supply just can't keep up with demand. Organic means food is grown without pesticides, fertilizer, hormones, antibiotics or biotechnology.
''We're doing a lot of scrambling,'' said Sheryl O'Loughlin, CEO of Clif Bar Inc. ``We have gotten to the point now where we know we can get a call for any ingredient.''
Organic products still have only a tiny slice, about 2.5 percent, of the nation's food market. But the slice is expanding at a feverish pace. Growth in sales of organic food has been 15 percent to 21 percent each year, compared with 2 percent to 4 percent for total food sales.
The number of organic farms -- an estimated 10,000 -- is also increasing, but not fast enough. As a result, organic manufacturers are looking for ingredients outside the United States in places like Europe, Bolivia, Venezuela and South Africa.
That is no surprise, said Barbara Robinson, head of the Agriculture Department's National Organic Program. The program provides the green ''USDA Organic'' seal for certified products.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/14981821.htm
''We're doing a lot of scrambling,'' said Sheryl O'Loughlin, CEO of Clif Bar Inc. ``We have gotten to the point now where we know we can get a call for any ingredient.''
Organic products still have only a tiny slice, about 2.5 percent, of the nation's food market. But the slice is expanding at a feverish pace. Growth in sales of organic food has been 15 percent to 21 percent each year, compared with 2 percent to 4 percent for total food sales.
The number of organic farms -- an estimated 10,000 -- is also increasing, but not fast enough. As a result, organic manufacturers are looking for ingredients outside the United States in places like Europe, Bolivia, Venezuela and South Africa.
That is no surprise, said Barbara Robinson, head of the Agriculture Department's National Organic Program. The program provides the green ''USDA Organic'' seal for certified products.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/14981821.htm
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