360PR Blog

The term "organic" has been the cause of some debate in the food industry lately. Organics were in the spotlight at last month’s Expo West , and recent high-profile news reports have discussed both safety considerations and the cost of organics.

Since the government began certifying food as organic six-and-a-half years ago, sales have at least doubled and 75 percent of the nation’s grocery stores now carry organic food. The New York Times recently published an interesting article asking if eating organic means eating well. The answer? According to Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food , Americans need to stick to real ingredients, specifically from the plant kingdom, in order to improve general health. Eating local, buying from sustainable farms and even growing your own fruits and veggies are key ways to do this.

Pollan claims that by eating sustainable foods, Americans can:

• Reduce the amount of land, water and chemicals used to produce the food we eat;
• Reduce the incidence of lifestyle diseases linked to unhealthy diets; and
• Reduce greenhouse gases from industrial meat production.

I recently spent a few days in New York on a whirlwind media tour with 360PR client Ball . The canning icon is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year and we met with editors to discuss how canning is just as relevant today as it was over a century ago. Home canning is taking off for a number of reasons, from the economy offering consumers a way to store food in bulk to a growing interest in eating sustainable foods.

With home canning, consumers can preserve sustainable fruits and veggies (either from their own garden or local farmer’s market) so they can be enjoyed all year long. Therefore, consumers don’t buy foods that are flown in from across the globe in the off-season creating a smaller carbon footprint.

And when an idea makes its way over to the White House lawn, you know its got legs. Just last week, Michelle Obama announced plans for a White House vegetable garden. According to Michelle, this project will serve as a point of education, to talk about health and how delicious it is to eat fresh food, and how you can take that food and make it part of a healthy diet.

Get out your shovels – gardening season is upon us!

Filed under: Food Industry |