Join Ronnie Cummins on Compass Coffee Talk, May 19, 11:30am EDT
The Power of the Organic Consumer
Join Ronnie Cummins, Co-Founder and International Director of the Organic Consumers Association, as He Shares Perspectives on Advocating for a Healthful Food System and the Power of the Organic Consumer
Wednesday, May 19, 11:30 am – Noon EDT
Zoom, Admission is Free
Ronnie Cummins, Co-Founder and International Director, Organic Consumers Association
Policy reform, organic integrity, climate change, and grassroots campaigns are a sample of topics that Ronnie Cummins, the Co-Founder and International Director of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), will cover. Additionally, Cummins will discuss his latest book, Grassroots Rising: A Call to Action on Climate, Farming, Food, and a Green New Deal, published by Chelsea Green in Feb. 2020, at the start of the pandemic. Cummins will share the power of the organic consumer and what implications may be felt throughout the natural products industry as the country re-opens after the pandemic.
About Ronnie Cummins
Ronnie Cummins has been active as a writer and activist since the 1960’s, with extensive experience in public education, grassroots mobilization, and marketplace pressure campaigns. Over the past three decades, he has served as the director of domestic and international campaigns focused on agriculture issues. Cummins is a frequent lecturer, both in the U.S. and abroad, and is a regular contributor to online publications such as Organic Bytes, Common Dreams, Mercola.com, Truthout, Alternet, Counterpunch, and Eco-Watch. He lives with his wife and 22-year-old son in Finland, Minnesota, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
About Compass Coffee Talk™
Take a 30-minute virtual coffee break with Compass Coffee Talk™. Hosted by natural industry veterans Bill Capsalis and Steve Hoffman, Coffee Talk features lively interactive conversations with industry leaders and experts designed to help guide entrepreneurs and businesses of any size succeed in the market for natural, organic, regenerative, hemp-derived and other eco-friendly products.
Compass Coffee Talk™ is produced by Compass Natural Marketing, a leading PR, branding and business development agency serving the natural and organic products industry. Learn more.
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Black-owned Vegan Meat Brand Cuts Investment Deal with Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban
Photo: Gage Skidmore
This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s April 2021 Industry Newsletter
By Steven Hoffman
Everything Legendary has a new partner – Shark Tank’s own Mark Cuban. After a recent appearance on the show, the Black-owned vegan meat alternative brand received a $300,000 investment from Cuban in exchange for 22% of the company, VegNews reported. Company founders Duane “Myko” Cheers, Danita Claytor and Jumoke Jackson appeared on Shark Tank to pitch their Washington, D.C.-based business, which makes vegan burgers based on a recipe inspired by their mothers using a blend of hemp protein, coconut oil, potato starch and beet extract. “It began with a search for something healthy and good-tasting that our mothers would want to eat. Once we had that, we took it to the streets with pop-up stores and street festival sampling, and let the community taste it for themselves. We all know that today’s consumers are demanding that their food be nutritious and supercharged with flavor. Our brand delivers. It’s Mom-Approved. And now, it’s also Shark-Sanctioned,” Cheers told VegNews. Mark Cuban has been vegetarian for more than a year. In addition to Everything Legendary, he has invested in a number of vegan companies including Delighted by Hummus, Snacklins, Wanna Date? and Pan’s Mushroom Jerky, VegNews reported.
Amy’s Kitchen: Becoming a B Corp. During Wildfires, a Pandemic, and Unprecedented Demand
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s April 2021 Industry Newsletter
By Steven Hoffman
Amy’s Kitchen’s President and CEO Xavier Unkovic was recently featured among other Northern California food business leaders in the North Bay Business Journal. Last fall, the company became a certified B Corp. as if faced the challenges of keeping workers safe and securing its supply chain during the pandemic; wildfires in two of the three regions in which the company operates; and unprecedented demand for its products, as plant-based and frozen foods both have experienced a surge in sales. “Over the course of the past year, we faced some of the greatest challenges in the company’s history,” Unkovic told the Journal. “Since our start, our founders have strived to do the right thing, even when it wasn’t the easiest, and this certification validates those efforts and provides us with a benchmark from which to measure our continued progress.” The company had sales approaching $600 million in 2020, a double-digit increase over 2019, reported Food Navigator-USA.
Large-scale Study Finds No Evidence of Liver Toxicity from Oral CBD Products
Photo: Pexels
This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s April 2021 Industry Newsletter
By Steven Hoffman
CBD products do not cause liver damage when taken orally, according to preliminary results of a seven-month clinical investigation conducted by Validcare in response to the FDA’s request to help inform the agency’s regulatory approach regarding products containing hemp-derived CBD. Twelve companies, including CBD market leader Charlotte’s Web, helped support the study. Preliminary findings showed no evidence of liver disease in the 839 participants in the study, and no increase in the prevalence of elevated liver function tests when compared to a population with a similar incidence of medical conditions. The Validcare study’s findings were shared with the FDA when researchers met with the agency on March 15 to review preliminary liver safety results in the form of an abstract, reported Nutra Ingredients-USA. “We are encouraged by these findings and hopeful this study provides FDA with sufficient science-based data to determine and take action on a safe regulatory path forward,” said Keith Aqua, M.D., co-principal investigator of the study.
Organic Farming Could Boost Carbon Sequestration by Double Digits, New Study Says
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This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s April 2021 Industry Newsletter
By Steven Hoffman
In a meta-analysis of more than 4,000 studies, researchers found that organic farmers could increase the amount of carbon captured in the soil by double digits by adopting best organic farming practices. The study was published in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment by researchers at the University of Maryland in collaboration with The Organic Center, a nonprofit research and education organization based in Washington, D.C. Examining different practices such as the use of organic soil amendments, conservation tillage and cover crops, the researchers found that best practices in organic soil amendments, such as compost and manure, had the biggest and fastest impact on carbon sequestration, by an average of 24%. “The study is the first of its kind – looking within organic management to not only highlight the areas where organic excels at locking greenhouse gas in the soil, but also identifying the areas that have the biggest beneficial impact, enabling organic growers to maximize their ability to fight climate change,” said Jessica Shade, Ph.D., Director of Science Programs for The Organic Center. The study identified four practices that are most critical to good soil health, including planting cover crops; applying combinations of organic inputs; increasing crop rotation diversity and length; and conservation tillage. The Organic Center highlighted the report’s main findings here.
Global Earth Day Live Broadcast, April 22, Includes Focus on Regenerative Agriculture
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This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s April 2021 Industry Newsletter
By Steven Hoffman
The global organizer of Earth Day, Earthday.org, will present its second Earth Day Live digital event on April 22, 2021. The theme of the multi-hour, multi-channel livestream event, beginning at noon Eastern Time, is Restore Our Earth. Topics include regenerative agriculture, climate and environmental literacy, equity and environmental justice, climate restoration technologies and more. “The agriculture sector is one of the largest contributors to climate change, and regenerative agriculture has the power to change that by rehabilitating our soils and enhancing our ecosystem,” Jillian Semann, Earth Day Network’s Food and Environment Director, said in a statement. "This Earth Day, we have an important opportunity to challenge world leaders to see climate change for what it is – a pressing global security threat, one that threatens everyone and everything but particularly our most vulnerable people and places," said Kathleen Rogers, President of Earthday.org. Learn more at www.earthday.org/earth-day-2021.
Union President Calls Boulder King Soopers Employees Heroes After Mass Shooting
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s April 2021 Industry Newsletter
By Steven Hoffman
Among the 10 community members killed in Boulder, CO, in a mass shooting on March 22 were three employees of King Soopers’ Table Mesa location, the store in which the horrific crime took place. An Instacart shopper also died in the tragic shooting. In a year where workers have served on the front line of a pandemic, the shooting episode served as a stark reminder of the risks retail workers face on the job, reported Business Insider. Yet, when a gunman started shooting at King Soopers’ popular South Boulder location, grocery store employees helped get customers out of harm’s way, said Kim Cordova, President of United Food and Commercials Workers (UFCW) Local 7. In an interview with Denver’s 9News, the local union leader repeatedly used one word to describe the workers: “heroes.” Cordova told 9News, “We know that when they heard gunshots, some of the workers grabbed coworkers, also led customers out to safety through various exits throughout the store, including the back dock and the back area of the store. They work during every manmade or natural disaster, and now, they again stepped up helped save customers and members of the community. They continue to be heroes.” King Soopers announced it will donate $1 million and Instacart is donating $100,000 to the Colorado Healing Fund to help support victims, families and the community in the wake of the shooting.
Dang Foods Founder Offers Ways Natural Products Industry Can Support the American-Asian Population in the Wake of Recent Hate Crimes
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This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s April 2021 Industry Newsletter
By Steven Hoffman
Vincent Kitirattragarn, founder of natural snack company Dang Foods, outlined ways in New Hope Network how members of the natural products industry can support the American-Asian population in the wake of recent hate crimes. Since March 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic started in the U.S., anti-Asian hate crimes increased 1,900% in the U.S., Kitirattragarn cited. Three thousand incidents have been reported, and many more go unreported due to language barriers and mistrust of authorities, he said. Kitirattragarn called on industry leaders to take action and to check in with Asian employees; making them feel seen can be a strong connector, he advised. Kitirattragarn also outlined things industry members can do to help, including: learn the basics of bystander intervention; have your companies take a stance (promote hashtags such as #StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate); amplify Asian voices in your community; and support the cause financially.
Giant Supermarkets Partner with Rodale Institute to Support Organic Farming
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This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s April 2021 Industry Newsletter
By Steven Hoffman
Supermarket leader The Giant Company announced it has partnered with the Rodale Institute to step up its support of organic farming as part of the company’s efforts to promote more sustainable agriculture, and to reduce food insecurity, Supermarket News reported. Carlisle, PA-based Giant Foods, a division of Ahold Delhaize, operates 190 supermarkets in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Widely recognized as a founder of the modern organic food movement, Rodale Institute is a global leader in regenerative organic agriculture, Giant said in a statement. “Through education, research and training, Rodale Institute is quite clearly leading the charge to transform farming for the better,” said Nicholas Bertram, President of The Giant Company. “Their important work complements our other environmental initiatives including offsetting our carbon footprint, creating pollinator habitats, and reducing food waste,” he said. As part of a new “Healing the Planet” initiative, Giant said it will work to support three of Rodale's initiatives, including helping farmers transition to growing organic crops; an internship that trains farmers for a career in regenerative organic agriculture; and a research project aimed at increasing organic land. “Despite the organic food market reaching $55 billion last year, only 1% of U.S. cropland is currently organic," said Jeff Moyer, CEO of the Rodale Institute. "Now more than ever, it's critical that food retailers, farmers, and consumers join together to advocate for the food system they want to see — one that heals both people and the planet." Russell Redding, Pennsylvania's Secretary of Agriculture, applauded the partnership and pointed out that the state is a national leader in organic sales. "These targeted investments grow opportunities for consumers to buy what they want and farmers and grocers to earn more, and investing in regenerative farming improves our soil and water so we can keep growing in the future," he said.
Why Amazon Fresh Stores May Rock Some Boats
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This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s April 2021 Industry Newsletter
By Steven Hoffman
Now that he’s had a chance to study the Amazon Fresh grocery store concept, first opened last summer, supermarket industry analyst Bill Bishop offered some ideas on how grocers can view this new competitor, “one that appears to offer a dual threat to both online and in-store business,” reported Supermarket News. With store locations in high population densities with above average median income and high daytime populations, the prominent physical presence is meant to provide high visibility and consumer confidence, Bishop noted. Also, because Amazon Fresh stores have smaller footprints than most newer supermarkets and often make “second use” of existing buildings, Amazon Fresh stores can be opened with a lower capital investment and a lower occupancy cost, meaning Amazon Fresh stores can stay profitable at increasingly competitive margins. As such, Bishop advised grocers to continually find ways to take costs out of their business without sacrificing their value propositions so they can operate profitably as competition heats up. Also, at a time when many grocery retailers are promoting curbside pickup (delivery costs can be high for retailers dealing with local online orders), Amazon Fresh is aggressively promoting delivery as a benefit of Amazon Prime membership, Bishop said. “Amazon is focused on a fulfillment option that many customers would prefer if it didn’t include an added cost,” he wrote. In addition, due to the store’s smaller size, “but with all the brands most shoppers would want,” Amazon is making its Fresh stores “time-effective to shop,” Bishop noted. Price-wise, while Amazon says it’s Fresh stores will be affordable, the extra 10% discount Prime members receive reinforces a perception of value, while Amazon captures valuable purchase data. Technology, too, while in the background, will be an important feature of Amazon Fresh stores, Bishop observed. “From a shopper’s point of view, this store has a lot to like. It will probably appeal most to Millennial shoppers who sense how the layout of the store and products tilt toward their lifestyle preferences — think of it as bigger than a Trader Joe’s but smaller than a typical supermarket with enough product and brand choice to satisfy most customers, along with more technology-delivered customer service,” Bishop described. Bishop predicted that Amazon Fresh stores pose a dual threat to more traditional grocery retailers operating around them. To counter its online offering, grocers must find ways to lower the cost of delivery or risk letting Amazon dominate that market segment. To counter its in-store offering, it will be necessary to invest in technology that gives their customers who want the opportunity to skip the checkout lane or at minimum, speed up the regular checkout process so that it is a pleasant service experience, Bishop advised.