Every Tuesday at 8pm EST, we host an organic-related conversation on Clubhouse (be sure to follow @organicinsider and @gregfleishman). In last night’s room, New Hope’s Carlotta Mast and Elliot Howell took questions and gave us some information about this year’s Expo West Virtual Week and Expo East in Philadelphia. Below are the highlights from the discussion. EXPO WEST VIRTUAL WEEK, MAY 24-27 Expo West Virtual Week will be focused on product discovery and fostering connection between the exhibiting brands, retail buyers and the press and influencers. One-on-one networking, community breakout ..read more

Dr. Bronner’s, the beloved soap brand that donates 8.6% of its revenues to social and environmental causes, has released a limited-edition, cannabis-scented fragrance of its classic bar soap to support a new consumer education and crowdfunding campaign for Sun+Earth Certified. Founded by the International Cannabis Farmers Association, Cannabis Conservancy and Certified Kind, along with deep support from Dr. Bronner’s, Sun+Earth is a program inspired by and aligned with the Regenerative Organic Certification standard but tailored to the way cannabis is grown and produced. It is based ..read more

In the organic ingredient world, a significant transaction was announced this morning. SunOpta, a global company focused on plant-based foods and beverages, sold its organic ingredient sourcing and production business, Tradin Organic, to Amsterdam Commodities N.V. (Acomo) in a debt and cash-free transaction worth €330 million. For both parties — and the organic industry as a whole — it is a win-win deal. “This transaction further solidifies SunOpta’s future direction as a high-growth, plant-based company focused on providing value-added products in competitively advantaged categories,” said J ..read more

This post originally appeared in Organic Insider. If you would like to receive Organic Insider each Wednesday, you can sign up for it HERE. — If consumers are seeking fair and balanced information about GMOs, they certainly will not find it on the new FDA/USDA/EPA website called Feed Your Mind. This site is part of the Agricultural Biotechnology Education and Outreach Initiative, which was funded by Congress, and is intended “to share science-based information that educates, informs and broadens understanding about agricultural biotechnology for consumers.” Not surprisingly, it presents a ver ..read more

If we want to improve the way children eat, using capitalism as a tool to create this change is certainly one powerful way to do it. That is precisely what motivated the Whole Kids Foundation to launch its new #WholeKidsBiz sweepstakes, which is giving away $5,000 to student entrepreneurs. From March 18-25, students ages 11-18 can enter for a chance to win by submitting an under-three-minute video describing how their business or entrepreneurial school program is helping kids eat healthier in one of three areas: gardening, plant-forward cooking or nutrition education. Not only are children an ..read more

The reality is that the older we get, the more responsible we become about decreasing our sugar intake. And while reducing the amount of sugar we consume may be the smart thing to do for our health, it is not always the easiest habit to embrace. Luckily, there are companies such as Foodstirs — a brand that completely understands the needs of the modern consumer. We want super-clean, organic ingredients that are sustainably-sourced but a product that does not force us to sacrifice taste. The latest offering from Foodstirs — a keto chocolate chip cookie mix — encompasses all of that and an incr ..read more

If you are a consumer or participant in the organic industry, something new is set to hit the marketplace that you absolutely want to know about, and it is called the Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC). Started by three organizations — Patagonia, Dr. Bronner’s and Rodale Institute — the certification aims to raise the bar for what organic represents. But contrary to what one might believe, it is not a substitution for the USDA organic seal. Instead, it adds onto the USDA organic seal and is referred to as an “add-on” label. The USDA organic seal is a requirement, or a baseline, in order ..read more

With more than 80% of U.S. consumers purchasing organic food on a regular basis, the industry continues to surge in popularity, and there are more organic brands – and choices – than ever. Yet, when one takes a deeper look at what is happening behind the scenes, the picture is rather unsettling. Most notably, the farmers are suffering beyond imagination. According to the USDA, projected 2019 median farm income was expected to be -$1,636, and a majority of farmers are forced to earn off-farm income to feed their families and keep their farms afloat. Canada-based Farmer Direct Organic, a certif ..read more

Everywhere you turn these days, you’ll find news and stories about the ketogenic diet. This low-carb, high-fat, high-protein diet is helping people lose weight and giving them much needed mental clarity. However, one of the misconceptions of the keto diet is that animal products are an essential component of it. And for people who only eat plant-based, this can be quite disconcerting. Along with her co-author Nicole Derseweh, my good friend Whitney Lauritsen — also widely known as the EcoVegan Gal — has just come out with a fantastic book called The Vegan Ketogenic Diet Cookbook, and it is a ..read more

(Photo courtesy of Green America) For many of us when we eat a piece of chocolate, our biggest concern is how many grams of sugar we are consuming. Yet, how often do we ask ourselves — was this chocolate bar made with the help of child labor? Or, was the cocoa produced in a way that resulted in deforestation to the environment? The truth about cocoa – the main ingredient in chocolate – is quite grim. According to the US Department of Labor, more than 2 million children in Ghana and the Ivory Coast work in hazardous conditions growing cocoa. And while some companies have begun tracing their sup ..read more