U.S. Retail Sales of Herbal Supplements Grew 9.4% in 2018
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Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, October 2019
By Steven Hoffman
Driven by the growth of CBD, mushrooms and immune-enhancing products, sales of herbal supplements in the U.S. increased 9.4% in 2018, according to a new report published by the American Botanical Council (ABC) in collaboration with market research firm SPINS and Nutrition Business Journal. Consumers spent a total of $8.842 billion on herbal supplements across all market channels in 2018, an increase of approximately $757 million in sales over the previous year, marking the strongest year of U.S. sales growth of herbal supplements since 1998, according to the report, available for download here. In mainstream retail outlets, herbal supplements with horehound (Marrubium vulgare) listed as the primary ingredient, including natural cough drops and lozenges, grossed the highest sales in 2018. Goji berry (Lycium spp.) supplements, many of which are marketed for weight loss, experienced the strongest sales growth in this channel, with a 637% increase from 2017. Booming sales of products containing cannabidiol (CBD), a psychoactive but non-intoxicating constituent of Cannabis sativa, made it the top-selling ingredient with the highest percent sales growth (332.8%) in the 2018 natural channel, says ABC. “CBD and mushroom products dominated the 2018 herbal supplement scene, and sales growth remained strong for Ayurvedic herbs and adaptogens,” said Tyler Smith, Managing Editor of HerbalGram, who has co-authored the report since 2014. “There were also a few surprises in the data — sales of goji berry, for example, which had declined sharply in recent years, experienced a significant rebound in 2018,” he said. “This report strongly supports the continually rising consumer preference for natural, plant-based dietary supplements that can have a positive impact on their health,” said Mark Blumenthal, ABC founder and executive director, and editor-in-chief of HerbalGram. “For over 20 years we have been publishing information on the steady growth of the market for herbal dietary supplements in the United States; the market sales results demonstrate the confidence that consumers appear to have in herbal dietary supplements.”
SAFE Banking Act Clears House
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Originally Appeared in Let’s Talk Hemp Newsletter, October 2019
By Steven Hoffman
While the SAFE Banking Act has yet to pass in the U.S. Senate, last week’s convincing, bi-partisan 321 – 103 vote in favor of the bill by the U.S. House of Representatives has the hemp and cannabis industry feeling bullish that it may soon have access to full banking services.
Due to confusion over the legality of hemp, banks and credit card processors have been reluctant to provide services to “cannabusinesses,” and in some cases have cancelled banking and financial services for legitimate hemp businesses and related service companies, creating significant challenges for entrepreneurs, online retailers and established business alike. (See Let’s Talk Hemp article dated June 26, 2019: Hemp Harassment).
The Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act of 2019 (HR 1595), sponsored by Representatives Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) and Denny Heck (D-WA), and co-sponsored by Representatives Steve Stivers (R-OH) and Warren Davidson (R-OH), would allow marijuana-related businesses in states with some form of legalized marijuana and strict regulatory structures, as well as businesses selling hemp-derived products, to access the banking system. Today, according to Congressman Perlmutter, 47 states, four U.S. territories and the District of Colombia – representing 97.7% of the U.S. population – have legalized some form of recreational or medical cannabis, including CBD oil.
“Thousands of employees, businesses and communities across this country have been forced to deal in piles of cash because of the conflict between state and federal law. After six years of working on this bill, the SAFE Banking Act will go a long way in getting cash off our streets and providing certainty so financial institutions can work with cannabis businesses and employees,” Perlmutter said in a statement.
Under current law, financial institutions providing banking services to legitimate and licensed cannabis businesses under state laws are subject to criminal prosecution under several federal statutes such as “aiding and abetting” a federal crime and money laundering, Perlmutter explained. “Therefore, businesses which legally grow, market or sell cannabis in states that have legalized its sale are generally locked out of the banking system, making it difficult for them to maintain a checking account; access credit; accept credit and debit cards; meet payroll; or pay tax revenue. This has created a significant public safety risk, as these businesses are forced to operate as cash-only businesses in an industry with billions of dollars in transactions. These high-volume cash businesses are being targeted by violent criminals and putting our communities at risk,” the statement said.
“In response, the SAFE Banking Act seeks to harmonize federal and state law by prohibiting federal regulators from taking punitive measures against depository institutions that provide banking services to legitimate cannabis-related businesses and ancillary businesses (e.g. electricians, plumbers, landlords, etc.) that serve them. The bill establishes a safe harbor for any depository institution that chooses to provide banking services to a cannabis-related legitimate business which holds and maintains a license from a state or local government to engage in manufacturing, growing, or producing, as well as any business who handles, sells, transports, displays or distributes cannabis or cannabis products,” the statement added.
According to Perlmutter’s team, a U.S. Senate companion bill (S 1200) was introduced in April 2019 by Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). The Senate Banking Committee held a hearing on the issue in July, and Senate Banking Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-ID) recently announced plans to take up cannabis banking legislation this fall.
“Given the strong bipartisanship of the House vote, coupled with Senate Banking Chairman Mike Crapo’s recent pledge to hold a markup on this issue, we believe that Congress’ appetite to resolve this important issue has never been greater,” NORML’s Political Director Justin Strekal was quoted as saying in the Hemp Gazette.
While cannabis includes both hemp and marijuana, the 2018 Farm Bill defined hemp as separate from marijuana, removing hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. While the National Credit Union Administration last month stated that federally insured credit unions can provide some financial services to hemp-related businesses, in general, hemp entrepreneurs have faced difficulties in accessing financial products and services such as credit card processing. The SAFE Banking Act has a specific section (Section 11) that reaffirms the legal status of hemp for bank regulators that should remove any remaining barriers, according to Hemp Gazette.
Speaking to Marijuana Moment about the House’s passage of the SAFE Banking Act, Michael Liszewski, Senior Regulatory Affairs Counsel with 4Front Ventures, said, “The fact that (the House vote) got nearly 100% of Dems and pretty close to 50% of Republican demonstrates how mainstream cannabis reform has come. The fact that so many Republicans supported it shows that it can be successful in the Senate.”
“Despite the Farm Bill legalizing hemp, many hemp businesses continue to struggle gaining access to financial services — an issue we know Majority Leader McConnell is working to address,” Perlmutter told Westword. “By clarifying protections for the hemp industry in the SAFE Banking Act, we hope to help these businesses and look forward to working with the Senate as they address this issue by taking up the SAFE Banking Act or as they work to develop and pass similar legislation.”
According to Westword, the bill would allow banks and financial institutions to serve hemp businesses and marijuana businesses in states where they are legal without risking federal prosecution, “marking a landmark step toward marijuana reform.”
Natural Products Sales Outpace Conventional
Photo: SPINS
Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, October 2019
By Steven Hoffman
If you look at the state of the natural and organic products industry, says market research leader SPINS, one of the primary takeaways is this: “The 5% sales growth rate for natural food and beverages over the year ending May 19, 2019, was nearly three times greater than for the overall food and beverage industry—continuing a now-longstanding trend,” reported New Hope Network. “Natural products have been outpacing their conventional counterparts for some time in terms of dollar growth,” said Jessica Hochman, SPINS senior manager of natural insights and innovation research and the lead author of the State of the Natural Industry report in a webinar presenting results from the study. According to SPINS, natural and organic products sales totaled $47.2 billion over the 12-month period and accounted for 10.5% of the overall $448.2 billion food and beverage market. In addition, natural products sales accounted for 29.3% of all food and beverage industry sales growth, says SPINS. In the convenience store channel, while natural products accounted for only 4.6% of total C-store sales, growth of these products over the one-year period was 12.6%, due to rising consumer demand for convenience and natural snacking. The data, presented as part of the Good Food insights series in collaboration with FamilyFarmed’s Good Food Accelerator and Naturally Chicago, Esca Bona and SPINS, will be highlighted on October 7 at Naturally Chicago’s Quarterly Keynote Event in Chicago. Presence Marketing / Dynamic Presence is a Sponsoring supporter of Naturally Chicago.
Whole Foods Workers Demand Amazon Stop Working with ICE
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Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, September 2019
By Steven Hoffman
A group of current and former Whole Foods Market employees working under an anonymous group called Whole Worker published an open letter on August 12 demanding that Amazon cut ties with Palantir, a company that provides data to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE), “to show solidarity with our undocumented sisters, brothers, and siblings.” The letter takes issue specifically with Amazon providing its web services technology to Palantir, which sells data to ICE, and the sale of Amazon’s own facial-recognition software, Rekognition, to law enforcement. These services are often used to deport undocumented people and conduct raids like the one that occurred at a food processing plant in Mississippi this August, reported Eater. The letter expresses solidarity with undocumented people in America who “are fleeing from conditions created by destructive U.S. policies, making it the responsibility of the U.S. to welcome them.” The letter also points out that “Palantir, in 2011, was involved in a plan to spy on labor unions and activists.” The Whole Worker group demanded that Amazon “cease all business with Palantir and any other company involved in the continued oppression of marginalized groups.” In reference to Amazon, the letter further states, “We recognize that expecting a company built on the exploitation of marginalized people and the working class to cease its collaboration with ICE’s deportation machine by way of moral condemnations isn’t enough. Workers that control the levers inside Amazon must make this machine stop and turn in another direction.”
Plant-based Meat Market to Reach $2.5 Billion by 2023, But Whole Foods’ Mackey Says Today’s Most Popular Brands Are “Super, Highly Processed Foods”
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Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, September 2019
By Steven Hoffman
The plant-based meat market is expected to reach $2.5 billion in sales by 2023, and while Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey does believe that plant-based products are a more ethical choice and are better for the environment than conventionally produced meat, he questions the highly processed nature of some of these products. “The [brands] who are capturing the imagination of people – and I’m not going to name these brands because I’m afraid I will be associated with the critique of it – but some of these that are extremely popular now that are taking the world by storm, if you look at the ingredients, they are super, highly processed foods,” Mackey told CNBC Make It. “I don’t think eating highly processed foods is healthy. I think people thrive on eating whole foods,” said Mackey, who has been a vegan for more than 20 years. “As for health, I will not endorse that, and that is about as big of criticism that I will do in public. So the reason why these plant-based meats have taken the world by storm is that they taste very similar to regular meats, whereas if you get a [healthy] black bean burger with flax seeds and sweet potatoes in it, that’s going to taste great to me,” he said. Mackey added: “A lot of people say ... that [plant-based] meat is a transition food, meaning it’s a way for [people] to begin to reeducate [their] palates”; it’s a good first step in weaning people off of meat products,” he said.
Study Warns Climate Change Could Cost U.S. 10.5% of GDP by 2100
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Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, September 2019
By Steven Hoffman
While there may have been some hope that certain countries could escape the brunt of global warming, a new study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that “virtually all” nations will be negatively impacted by climate change by 2100. “Using a panel data set of 174 countries over the years 1960 to 2014, we find that per-capital real output growth is adversely affected by persistent changes in the temperature above or below its historical norm,” the study states. The study also suggests that, on average, richer colder countries would lose as much income to climate change as poorer, hotter nations. “Our counterfactual analysis suggests that a persistent increase in average global temperature by 0.04°C per year, in the absence of mitigation policies, reduces world real GDP per capita by 7.22% by 2100,” said the study’s authors. The impact on the U.S. — which accounted for much of the research’s focus to compare economic activity in hot or wet areas — would be even greater, a loss of 10.5% of its GDP by 2100, according to the study. In related news, the United Nations (UN) in August issued an intergovernmental panel report on climate change claiming that 23% of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to agricultural activities. In the report, the UN concluded that humans cannot mitigate the effects of climate change without making drastic changes to the ways we grow food and use land. Organizations such as the Rodale Institute are promoting regenerative agriculture as a solution to sequester carbon and reduce the effects of climate change through agriculture.
Organic Trade Association to Host Webinar Series on Key Issues in Organic
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Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, September 2019
By Steven Hoffman
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) will host a series offered free to OTA members and for a registration fee of $149 each for non-members. The webinars, scheduled between now and the end of the year, will focus on a number of issues impacting the organic products market, including: Retail Intel: Best Labeling Practices for Organic Non-food Products; Organic Fraud Prevention Solutions; NOSB Meeting Wrap-up; and Legislative Watch: A Recap of 2019 Achievements. In addition, The Organic Center will host a webinar on September 25 that is open to all with no fee. The Organic Center webinar will focus on The Biodiversity Calculator: A Simple Tool for Tracking and Managing Biodiversity for NOP Compliance. For more information visit https://ota.com/programs-events/upcoming-webinars.
Award-Winning Kalona® SuperNatural™ Organic Dairy Differentiates Itself in the Field with Grass-Fed and Regenerative #DairyProud Consumer Education Campaign
Nationally Recognized Certified Organic Dairy Stimulates Industry Growth and Positively Impacts Region with Support of Small-Scale Midwestern Amish and Mennonite Farms
Kalona, IA (September 20, 2019) – Award-winning organic dairy Kalona® SuperNatural™, based in its namesake town in southeastern Iowa, is launching a consumer education initiative to help celebrate September's National Organic Month. The company's #DairyProud initiative encourages consumers to select genuine, high-quality, Non-GMO, grass-fed, and certified organic dairy products, such as Kalona SuperNatural. Known for its cream top milk and 'old-school' approach to pasteurization, Kalona SuperNatural works with select midwestern Amish and Mennonite grass-fed family farms to supply the highest quality organic dairy products nationwide.
"Unlike large-scale conventional and organic dairies, we are invested in every farmer in our region. They have a name, a family, and goals. Our employees, from our farm liaison to our CEO, know these farmers and support their efforts to protect the land and create high-quality, grass-fed milk products for everyone to enjoy," says Phil Forbes, Kalona SuperNatural Farm Liaison. "A majority of the family farms we work with are multi-generational and have been in the same family for the past 150 years. That commitment says something about the positive economic and sustainable impact we're making together for the region and industry. At Kalona, we keep things simple, so our customers can, too."
Kalona SuperNatural is committed to educating consumers about the health and environmental benefits of organic, grass-fed dairy production. Click here for more information on Kalona SuperNatural's #DairyProud consumer education campaign that explores the environmental effects of dairy farms, including the vital role animals play in small-scale holistic and regenerative farming operations.
Grass-Fed Milk Power
Traditional cow-based milk products captured $12 billion in total year-to-year sales from 2018 to 2019, according to data presented by Supermarket News. Kalona SuperNatural is on track with industry data from a SPINS article that indicates strong growth in the grass-fed organic dairy category, which grew 56% in 2018, while sales declined overall for conventional and organic. Despite the 2% industry-wide sales dip, Nielsen predicts that dairy will remain a powerhouse as other milk alternatives enter the category.
"We understand the challenges consumers face today when selecting dairy products at the grocery store. At Kalona, our farmers’ legacies are the real stories behind our milk production. Once shoppers make that connection, they can taste the difference in our grass-fed milk, butter, yogurts, sour cream and cottage cheese dairy products. In fact, our entire line is certified organic and kept in the most natural state - just the way our grandparents once enjoyed," says Sara Rissi, Kalona SuperNatural Sales & Marketing Manager. "We do less, not more to the food we create, and that's why we are #DairyProud. It's vital to celebrate and honor the small-town farmer who diligently works the land to preserve the soil. Their cows roam freely and are grass-fed, which provides the most natural habitat."
Kalona SuperNatural products include:
Organic milk & cream
Organic kefir, winner of the Blue Ribbon at the 2019 Iowa State Fair
Organic cream top yogurt
Organic Greek yogurt
Organic cottage cheese
Organic sour cream
Organic butter
Organic eggnog
Fresh cheesemaking kits
Kalona SuperNatural products can be found at leading retailers in the western U.S., including Whole Foods Market, Natural Grocers, Sprouts Farmers Market, Earth Fare, Fresh Thyme, Lucky’s, Hy-Vee, and other independent natural food stores, co-ops and grocers. Visit kalonasupernatural.com/store-locator.
For wholesale inquiries, please contact Sara Rissi, Sales and Marketing Manager, sara.rissi@opengatesgroup.com.
About Kalona SuperNatural
Kalona SuperNatural is based in a thriving organic farming community in the heartland of America - Kalona, Iowa. They work with small, sustainable Amish and Mennonite family farms to produce delicious, minimally-processed organic dairy products from pasture-grazed cows. Kalona SuperNatural offers a full-line of certified organic dairy products. Learn more at kalonasupernatural.com.
Media Contact
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, tel 303.807.1042, steven@compassnaturalmarketing.com
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Target, Kroger Enjoying Growing Sales of Organic and Natural Foods
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Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, September 2019
By Steven Hoffman
Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT), based in Minneapolis, MN, on August 19 announced the launch of a new flagship private label brand, Good & Gather. The in-house brand will focus on four categories: organic; kids; seasonal; and premium products. More than 2,000 products including dairy, produce, ready-made pastas, meats, granola bars and sparkling water, are expected to roll out under the Good & Gather brand over the next 18 months. Good & Gather will become Target’s largest brand, replacing existing house brands Archer Farms and Simply Balanced and reducing the number of products under Target’s Market Pantry Brand, reports Sustainable Food News. In related news, Cincinnati, OH-based grocery giant Kroger (NYSE: KR) claims its Simple Truth brand now offers more Fair Trade Certified products than any other U.S. private label brand. The company reported on August 20 in its 2019 Sustainability Report that it sold $17.6 billion worth of natural and organic products in 2018. Kroger’s natural and organic private label brand, Simple Truth and Simple Truth Organic, achieved sales of $2.3 billion in 2018, making it the second largest brand sold in its stores, the company reported. Kroger said it purchased 17.2 million pounds of Fair Trade certified ingredients for its private label products, and also said it sold more than $1 billion worth of organic produce in 2018. Kroger operates 2,800 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 35 states. Each store carries on average 4,000 natural and organic items, reports Sustainable Food News.
USDA Draft Hemp Rules Await White House Approval
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Originally Appeared in Let’s Talk Hemp Newsletter, September 2019
By Steven Hoffman
While USDA has up to a year to finalize regulations governing hemp cultivation in the U.S., the agency submitted draft federal rules to the White House in mid-September to assure states and farmers they can participate in the 2020 growing season.
The hemp industry is anxiously awaiting federal rules for the cultivation of hemp in the United States, and it may soon get its wish. In mid-September, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) completed a draft of proposed rules for growing hemp and submitted the document to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval.
The new USDA regulations are expected to clarify changes that were included in the U.S. Farm Bill, which was passed into law in December 2018. Currently, most state hemp growing programs are operating under older rules included in the 2014 U.S. Farm Bill. The new USDA rules are expected to provide clarity on the legal definition of hemp and reinforce that hemp has been removed from the controlled substances list by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). According to UPI, the new rules also are expected to designate hemp as a commodity crop, simplify rules for interstate hemp commerce, and allow for tribal nations and U.S. territories to participate in hemp growing programs.
Originally scheduled for release on August 1 in advance of the 2020 growing season, William Richmond, USDA’S Director of the Specialty Crops Program in the Agriculture Marketing Service, informed attendees of the American Herbal Products Association’s Hemp and CBD Congress held in Denver in mid-August that the regulations were delayed in part because USDA is struggling with a requirement in the 2018 Farm Bill for a national THC testing protocol. “Our goal is to provide a consistent, easy-to-follow regulatory framework around hemp production,” Richmond said at the AHPA Congress.
Other issues impacting the rapidly emerging hemp industry include the availability of crop insurance and banking services for farmers, approval pesticides for use on hemp crops, and the import of hemp seeds, Geoff Whaling, Chair of the Washington, DC-based National Hemp Association, told UPI. Whaling predicted the USDA rules would be released “in a matter of weeks.”
According to Hemp Industry Daily, the USDA regulations will be temporary for the first year, allowing states and farmers around the country to participate in the 2020 growing season and identify and iron out any small fixes. While the 2018 Farm Bill calls for federal authorities to allow states to set their own rules for hemp production, as long as certain criteria are met, states will need to get USDA approval first, a step, Hemp Industry Daily says, that won’t happen until after the national guidelines are released.
According to UPI, the OMB has scheduled meetings to receive initial public comments regarding the USDA hemp regulations. Once released, members of the hemp industry will be invited to submit feedback before final rules are issued.
The OMB, the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States, is responsible for producing the President’s Budget, but also measures the quality of agency programs, policies and procedures to make sure they comply with the president’s policies. OMB also coordinates inter-agency policy initiatives, according to Wikipedia. Current OMB Director Mick Mulvaney also currently serves as Acting White House Chief of Staff for the Trump administration.