More organic options

When people in the organic products business get together, it seems much more like a rally of activists than a trade show for stealing ideas.

Health and environmental causes bond the vendors and the associations within this burgeoning industry, but the camaraderie sometimes gets segmented.

Vegetarian?

Natural?

Organic?

Fair trade?

Sustainable?

All are buzzwords that have their role and place, sometimes merging and sometimes butting heads. The recent All Things Organic conference at McCormick Place was an example of how this industry is becoming more complicated, influential, political and savvy.

Organic food sales this year are expected to increase 18 percent to 20 percent in the United States. It is described as the fastest-growing part of the food industry, one whose spurt was especially noticeable after organic food labeling standards took effect in October 2002.

The Food Marketing Institute says seven of 10 retail food stores stock natural and organic foods. It is a $13 billion business.

Farmers in four years doubled the amount of acreage devoted to organic food production, to 2.35 million acres in 2001. A new Roper Public Affairs survey, which concludes that Americans trust smaller-scale family farms more than big, industrial farms, may help lengthen this trend.

Roper also found that two-thirds of Americans are willing to pay more for chemical-free foods.

"Going organic may be the only way for farms to survive in the future," predicts Peter de Waard, general manager of Cedar Grove Cheese, Plain, eight miles from Spring Green. He was giving away samples of a Monterey-dill combo, and said that his company was one of the first to produce organic artisanal cheeses.

That was eight years ago. Now there is lots of competition, to which Mark Mullee of Steep & Brew, Madison, can relate.

"We were the first coffee roaster to be certified as fair trade, in 1998," he says. "It was hard to get a definition of 'fair trade' back then -- everybody gave me a different answer."

Colleague David Burgess of Cafe Fair, which is a part of Steep & Brew, says his product is organic and shade-grown as well as fair trade. So the product descriptions have become more detailed, and a part of the production process involves teaching coffee bean growers in Mexico and Guatemala how to improve their farming techniques.

There is more than one organization to supplement that coaching, including the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, the Organic Trade Association, the Organic Consumers Association and TransFair USA (which certifies fair trade products).

There also are farm cooperative efforts, such as Wisconsin Organics (www.

wiorganics.com) of Thorp and Organic Valley www.organicvalley.coop, based in La Farge.

So it's not simply a matter of growing tomatoes without using pesticides anymore. And as the organics industry matures, so does the range of products. For example:

"Organic" need not mean "inconvenient." Entrees, sauces and soups from the acclaimed Moosewood vegetarian cookbooks can now be found in the frozen food aisle, at least in health food stores. The menu includes Pasta & Fagioli, Moroccan Stew, Farfalle & Spinach with Pesto Sauce.

For more, go to www.fairfieldfarmkitchens.com or call 508-584-9300.

Peanut butter need not rely only on the taste of the nut. A new line of organic Peanut Better products includes odd combinations that blend surprisingly well: ginger and red pepper, rosemary garlic, onion parsley, vanilla cranberry.

GladRags, cotton menstrual pads, are made to last four to five years. Cotton liners are inserted into a cloth holder that snaps around underwear; both components can be laundered.

The product is a response to the 7 billion tampons and 12 billion pads that are discarded annually. For more, go to www.gladrags.com or call 800-799-4523.

Nude is marketed as the world's first and only organic personal lubricant, "designed to support natural, intimate health."

Ingredients include cocoa butter, beeswax and flower extracts. For more, go to www.organiclubricant.com or call 888-640-0497.

Organic clothing manufacturers are becoming more plentiful, with enough choices to make up a fashion show. Materials include cotton, linen, wool. Some are dyed naturally.

"Consumers do not have to compromise their values or style," says spokeswoman Marci Zaroff. "They can wear modern fashions made with organic fiber, look great and be socially and environmentally responsible at the same time."

Although Nike has an organics collection, most companies in this category, so far, are upstarts: Earth Creations www.earthcreations.net, Ecoganik (www.ecoganik.com), Global Citizen www.beaglobalcitizen.com, Wildlife Works www.wildlife-works.com and World Peace www.worldpeacedesigns.com.

Wenaewe is a certified organic dog food, "for every stage of the animal's life." The product name is Zuni for "the spirit of animals." Ingredients include organic beef from Uruguay.

To learn more, go to www.wenaewe.com.uy or call 866-936-2393.

Hemp is for much more than smoking. Manitoba Harvest products include hemp seed oil, butter and seed nut toppings. They are described as rich sources of protein and essential fatty acids.

For more, or to get recipes for Hemp Hummus or Hempini Dressing, go to www.manitobaharvest.com or call 800-665-HEMP.

Aloe vera is more than a soothing and healing skin lotion. As a juice, it coats the digestive system and has anti-inflammatory properties.

One organic manufacturer is in Texas; for more, go to www.lilyofthedesert.com or call 940-566-9914.

Organic wine contains grapes produced without chemicals, and no sulfites (an additive that preserves a wine's pleasant smell, and extends its longevity).

Producers include the 20-year-old LaRocca Vineyards of California. For more, go to www.laroccavineyards.com or call 800-808-9463.

Rooibos tea, grown in South African mountains, is high in mineral content and contains no caffeine. Researchers say it helps lessen itching, cramping, constipation, tension, depression and insomnia.

One producer is African Red Tea Imports, www.africanredtea.com and 877-564-0770.

Article: madison.com