Barely three weeks since spraying of the controversial insecticide DDT to control malaria started in Uganda, the dispute between the government and exporters of organic products is re-emerging, this time over “irregularities” in executing the exercise.

A consortium of exporters of organic products is preparing to file a lawsuit against the government, accusing it of non-adherence to World Health Organisation guidelines on indoor residual spraying in the endemic districts of Oyam and Moyo in the north.

The exporters contend that the manner in which the spraying is being done could contaminate the food chain, reviving fears that Uganda’s organic exports, worth about $500 million annually, will be rejected in American and European markets in their entirety if traces of DDT are found in any consignment.

Mango producers throughout Negros Island were urged to adopt the sustainable and environment-friendly organic farming technology to boos their harvest. The call was made by top officials of the Negros Island Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development (Nisard) during a three-day seminar on organic mango production technology, which was conducted by the same group recently.

In the past decade, organic food has moved into the mainstream, as more and more consumers have gotten creeped out by the use of growth hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, chemical fertilizers and all other sorts of unsavory, potentially carcinogenic things that go into conventional food products. The rising demand for organic food has even pushed Wal-Mart into the organics game; recently, the retail giant struck fear into the hearts of small organics suppliers by announcing a plan to fill its shelves with organic produce, meat, and dairy.

Our worries about rising food prices and global warming have taken us to a place that Lady Eve Balfour could never have imagined when she founded the Soil Association in 1946. She always promoted local food, but her argument was about freshness – the near to the point of production you eat it, the more good it will do you, says Patrick Holden, the associations director. She obviously wasnt thinking about carbon footprints, but I think intuitively she was on to the same thing.

That’s why this years Times/Soil Association Organic Food Awards, in association with Highland Spring, are so important. Next month, a panel of food experts will be sipping, slurping and munching their way through thousands of entries, but we would like you to recommend who you think should be rewarded as well, in our special Times reader award.

lthough shoppers have generally accepted that eating organic foods will be more costly, a recent and rapid rise in prices may force some consumers to alter their eating habits.

Food prices have been rising for several months now, and at first, organic prices stayed steady. But organic foods are catching up - and then some. A gallon of organic milk, for example, is now nearing $7.

College sophomore and president of FarmEcology, Maura Goldstein says she has not changed her buying habits when it comes to organic foods - which are produced without pesticides and chemical fertilizers - but eating out organically has become a concern.

“I try to cook at home more since rising food prices are magnified when you eat out,” she wrote in an e-mail.

High prices are likely to affect many, as 39 percent of the U.S. population consumes some form of organic food, according to the Organic Trade Association.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has renewed its approval for 46 non-organically produced substances to be used in foods and beverages that are labeled “organic.” At the same time, the agency withdrew its approval for a type of food coloring and a food additive.

Under the Organic Foods Production Act, the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board is required to renew approval every five years for any non-organic ingredients that are allowed into organic foods.

Naturally-grown fruits and vegetables are a rare commodity these days as most of the fruits and vegetables are cultivated using chemical fertilisers making them hazardous to the health of consumer. This fear has forced consumers to opt for organic foods which are cultivated using natural fertilisers.

There is one fruit that is never contaminated with chemicals and has remained an organic fruit for decades. Ice apple (taati munjelu) is the most sought-after fruit in the summer. It is not only an organic fruit but also keeps up the glucose levels and helps us withstand the heat wave. According to doctors, ice apple provides a balanced nutrition comprising glucose, minerals and other necessary energy for the consumers.

In reaction on the current rise in food prices and the crises in many developing countries following from that, some scientists claim that genetic engineering and genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) combined with Organic Agriculture would be the best way to grow food for a rising population. The organic agricultural movement and the standards and regulations on Organic Agriculture clearly reject genetic engineering as it is not compatible with its principles.

The 16th IFOAM Organic World Congress ‘Cultivate the Future’ will take place in less than two months time from June 18 – June 20 and is based on the Principles of Organic Agriculture – Health, Ecology, Fairness and Care.

The last day of the Organic World Congress, Friday June 20th, will deal with important subjects such as organic markets and GMOs.

The organic markets sessions (mainstream, certification, short supply chains and participatory guarantee) will start with a common plenary where the whole breadth of organic marketing will be covered. Farmer John Peterson, maker of the movie ‘The Real Dirt on Farmer John’, will share his experiences from his own farm, which is community supported. Wolfgang Sachs from the Wuppertal Institute will talk about slow trade and fair farming, whereas a representative Jan Kees Vis from Unilever will reveal the multinational’s stance towards organic. Participants can later on choose to attend a meeting on Short Supply Chains or rather get an overview of the work of the International Task Force on Harmonization and Equivalence in Organic Agriculture.

As the grassroots movement goes mainstream, eco-friendly local suppliers are giving way to international food chains and factory farms - and raising questions about safety and standards.

The recent discovery that some organic pear juice on store shelves in Canada contained arsenic is a telling sign of how the industry has changed in recent years in response to explosive consumer demand for organic food.

Loblaw Cos. Ltd. conducted a nationwide product recall in March and had to contact suppliers and producers in Turkey, New Jersey and North Carolina - which are all part of the production chain for the juice - to determine the source of the problem.

Global supply chains and reliance on industrial factories were once unthinkable for an industry that began as an environmentally conscious alternative to the traditional food market.

Celebrity Chef Bobby Flay kicked off the Organic Trade Association’s All Things Organic conference and trade show April 26-29 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Addressing current trends in foodservice, he spoke about how operators can best respond to customer needs and what lies ahead in foodservice.

Following his presentation, Chef Flay held a culinary demonstration and book signing. His presentation was deemed timely by the organic industry because the category continues to lag behind retail in organic product demand.

The OTA also used the show to introduce new officers. Julia Sabin of Smucker Quality Beverages, previously OTA’s vice president, has been selected as its president for the coming year. Matt McLean, president of Uncle Matt’s Organics, was named vice president for the United States, and Dag Falck of Nature’s Path is now vice president for Canada. Todd Linsky of Cal/Organic- Grimmway Farms will serve as secretary, and Chuck Marcy of Healthy Food Holdings LLC, is the incoming treasurer.

The GM Freeze campaign is supported by an alliance of national organizations in Great Britain who share the public’s deep concern over the speed at which genetic engineering is being introduced into food and farming. The alliance encompasses a wide range of interests including environmental campaigns, trade unions, charities and religious groups like Friends of the Earth, The Gaia Foundation, Greenpeace UK, Planet Organic, Pro-Natural Food Scotland, The Soil Association and Wild Oats Wholefoods, for example. They are united by a belief that there is a need to stop and think about the huge implications of GM technology and the questions that remain to be answered about its safety and impact.

Eating organic has a range of environmental benefits, including the fact that chemicals used in conventional farming techniques can leave the soil and groundwater contaminated.

“Over the years, these chemicals have leeched down into the groundwater tables, and it’s starting to affect other places,” says Brett Hawes, registered nutritional consultant practitioner and teacher at Toronto’s Institute of Holistic Nutrition.

In reaction on the current rise in food prices and the crises in many developing countries following from that, some scientists claim that genetic engineering and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) combined with Organic Agriculture would be the best way to grow food for a rising population.

The organic agricultural movement and the standards and regulations on Organic Agriculture clearly reject genetic engineering as it is not compatible with its principles.

Organic and GMO agriculture are based on different values and a different attitude towards nature. The current environmental crisis, leading to desertification, biodiversity loss and climate change, has shown that a controlling attitude of humans toward nature is counterproductive. Gene technology is not a value free technology but is an expression of a world view in which nature can and should be ruled and manipulated as much as possible to keep agriculture manageable in industrialized agriculture. In contrast, Organic Agriculture departs from a different attitude towards nature and aims at cooperating with nature in an ecological way supporting self regulation and biodiversity within the agro-ecosystem of a farm. In this way natural resources, the very base of agriculture can be sustainably maintained instead of getting destroyed and diminished.

The reasons why the organic sector rejects genetic engineering are not limited to the risk associated with its products, but also include concerns about the process itself. The current structure and products of the genetic engineering sector do not serve smallholders or the Organic Principles and humanities greatest needs. They serve mainly the interest of multinational corporations.

Watering tomatoes with diluted seawater can boost their content of disease-fighting antioxidants and may lead to healthier salads, appetizers, and other tomato-based foods, scientists in Italy report.

Besides their use in a variety of ethnic food dishes, tomatoes are one of the most commonly grown home garden vegetables, particularly cherry tomatoes. Scientists have linked tomatoes to several health benefits, including protection against prostate cancer and heart disease. Researchers have known for years that seawater does not stimulate the growth of tomatoes, but scientists know little about its effects on the nutritional content of the vegetables.

The ministry for food processing industries (MFPI) has proposed to set up organic food parks across the country. The minister for food processing industries, Subodh Kant Sahai announced, “The aim of my ministry is not limited to solely promoting organic production but also to encouraging value addition through processing, and this extends to organic products. There is also a proposal from the industry to set up organic food parks.”

Disclosing the magnitude of the investment, he said, “We plan to develop organic farming in the country with investments going up to 100 million euros in 23 states with partial support from the government.”

CCOF, one of the oldest and largest organic certification organizations in North America, announced a modified stance on the aerial spraying treatment program for the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM). CCOF’s new policy position revokes support of aerial application of the organically approved pheromones in lieu of diversified ground integrated pest management approaches. The new position statement approved by CCOF’s Board of Directors is as follows:

Organically grown foods generally hold more nutrition value than conventionally grown foods, according to a study co-authored by three WSU researchers.

According to the study, organic plant-based foods contain higher levels of eight of 11 nutrients studied, including significantly greater concentrations of the health-promoting polyphenols and antioxidants.

The study, co-authored by professor Neal Davies of the WSU College of Pharmacy, horticulture professor Preston Andrews and Jaime Yanez, Davies’ graduate student, is the first in-depth review of the published scientific literature on the nutritional benefits of organic food completed since 2003, Andrews said.

“Where there were overall combined results, there was a bigger difference more frequently in favor of organic foods,” Andrews said.

In 2007, Dutch consumers spent 13.3 percent more on organic produce than the year before. To satisfy the increasing demand, the number of certified organic farms and market gardening companies is continuing to grow, with 2.5 percent of Dutch agricultural land given over to organic farming at present. Simone van den Ham, author of Desire and Reality, has researched the issue.

Organic shopping”In 2007, 2.5 percent of Dutch farming land was organic. That’s not much when you consider that the, albeit optimistic, target is 10 percent by 2010. That 10 percent should give us a reasonably buoyant sector.” The Netherlands started to use artificial fertilizers around 1900 in order to increase production, rather early compared to neighbouring countries. This followed a crisis in the agrarian sector. Pesticides were introduced after the Second World War. People were determined never again to go hungry and were intent on bumping up production still further.

“The Best Lady Bug House” product for the natural organic do-it-yourself gardener or farmer. Naturalist, artist and designer, Pavon has introduced the new product to the public through his unique arts and crafts online art gallery through Yessy.

The Best Lady Bug House measures 5 inches wide, 7 inches tall and 3 inches deep. Painted white and constructed out of wood, the product is weather resistant and features a piano hinge roof for easy spring cleaning and for easy access to check out your favorite herd of lady bugs. Its unique design takes in consideration of their basic needs: location, food, shelter, protection, and a nourishing environment.