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It’s possible that the supermarket concept evolved during the Great Depression. “Pile high, sell low” was the strategy of King Kullen, a famous New York grocer during the 1930s. Since that time, supermarkets have merged within our contemporary economy where they have been been both popularised and demonised. From the perspective of many consumers, supermarkets provide an essential vehicle for reliable convenience and access to organic groceries and fresh produce. Alternatively, there are traditionalists who fear the influence of large organisations and the pressures of economic rationalisation which may be exerted within the general agricultural and organic agricultural sectors. A fundamental complaint against established...

You know it kind of makes me a little angry that the candidates can play to the image while doing as little as possible to support the cause. Probably unknown to them, the ‘Organic Food Bar’ is the only consumer brand name product that is available at both the Democrat and Republican conventions. Obviously this is a huge scoop for the makers of Organic Food Bar – and I congratulate them on that. It’s important that organic food reaches a wider consumer base, which will ultimately make access easier and cheaper for all of us. But as for policies that support organic consumers and industry… well hold back – both parties have little or none! What I am really worried about is that the next administration will inevitably have to make...

One of the great unifying events for the global organic movement, the Sixteenth IFOAM Organic World Congress, will be held in Modena from 16th to 20th June. Evo Morales, Vandana Shiva, Serge Latouche, Carlo Petrini and Wolfgang Sachs are among the delegates to have confirmed their attendance. Over 750 papers have been sent in from all over the world. Registration opens on 20th February. If names and numbers are anything to go by, the Sixteenth IFOAM Organic World Congress promises to be one of the most noteworthy and top level organic sector conferences ever. This June, Modena will play host not just to the Indian Vandana Shiva and the Ethiopian scientist Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher, both winners of the Right Livelihood Award but also to...

So far this year, I have purchased approximately nine dozen bottles of organic wine. The number of those secured with traditional cork stoppers amount to only seven. That’s less than five percent, with the remainder sealed beneath screw cap devices. The move away from cork has caused some consternation among organic consumers who tend to prefer natural materials as opposed to plastic and manufactured components. On the other hand, there are experts who believe that new sealing technologies provide a safer and more dependable option for consumers. Despite careful selection and quality controls, natural cork is associated with the risk of structural weakness and mould contamination. Most wine consumers appreciate that cork stoppered bottles...

The unfortunate reality of food price inflation, as pointed out in a recent article appearing in The Independent, is that those on fixed incomes – the unemployed, disability beneficiaries, and retirees – tend to be the hardest hit. At least that’s the case in most developed nations. But as the latest report from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) points out, high grain prices are hitting, and will continue to hit, developing countries the hardest. In some countries, such as in Mexico, Morocco, Yemen and Senegal, rioting has erupted due to the rising price of cereal based food staples. According to The Independent’s Michael Savage, there are essentially three factors underpinning spiralling global food costs. These...