Cashing In/Green Supply and Demand
It’s really no surprise that food manufacturers want to cash in on the whole “organic trend.”
“Top processors including Kraft and General Mills have started organic lines or are buying organic companies to add to their portfolios. Wal-Mart is planning to double its organic offerings this year. Retailers such as Safeway and Super Target have launched their own private labels, with Super Target having gone the extra step to get USDA certification as an organic retailer. McDonalds is serving organic coffee. The shelves at 7-Eleven are stocked with organic snacks.”
It’s a good thing though because it makes eating organic food a little easier and more readily available. It’s also nice to see products everyone is familiar with go organic i.e. Frosted Mini-Wheats, Welch’s Grape Juice, Ragu Sauce, etc. etc.
Target becoming USDA certified seems pretty interesting..
Shift Away from Shift
I was excited when I found out Stonyfield Farm was coming out with an organic energy drink called Shift. Even though the flavors (Berry Boost, Power Punch and Strawberry Banana) weren’t all that appealing to me, I still picked one up and had it for breakfast the next morning. Man, was it horrible. This review from The Message Whore pretty much sums it up.
I don’t think I’ll be buying Shift again anytime soon. It has a terrible aftertaste and packs no energy despite the added acai, ginseng, protein and vitamins. I tried Strawberry Banana and it tasted like a horrible combination of old yogurt, apple juice, strawberry and banana. When I looked at the ingredient list, guess what the first ingredient was? Apple juice concentrate. Does that even make sense? My prediction is it will be discontinued soon.
(P.S. I swear I will start writing proper reviews soon! I just need to find the cable that connects the digital camera to my computer and I’ll be all set.)
Mix It Up
Steenbergs Organic, a certified organic spice company from Europe, is adding organic baking mixes to their line-up:
“Industrial baking supplier Steenbergs Organic has extended its range of organic spice mixes used in the production of bakery items such as loaves, biscuits and cakes to help bakers target the growing organic sector.”
“American consumers are included as well with a pumpkin pie mix and the French market is covered with a sweet quatre epices variety.”
I have seen my share of organic baking mixes at the market. I still don’t understand why people bother with them since it’s just THAT EASY to bake from scratch. Anyway, Dr. Oetker has plenty of organic baking mixes. I made the chocolate chip cookie one once because it was on sale and people in my family seemed to like it. They described the cookies as “different,” but I think it was a good kind of different.
Easter Basket Purity
Retailer Marks & Spencer announced all of the Easter candy they will be selling this year is organic. This change was made in order to meet the demands of parents who are interested in organics.
“M&S spokesman Dean Beadle said: “Increasingly parents want to buy organic food for their children and our research suggests that parents will welcome the opportunity of going organic for Easter.”
The Organic Garden
Have you ever thought of starting your own organic garden? (I sure have, but because I live in New England, it makes things a little complicated. Lousy freezing winters..) Botanical Interests sells a variety of certified organic seeds at very reasonable prices. They have everything from organic basil seeds to eggplant and sunflower seeds. An organic garden! Who wouldn’t want one to relax in?
Organic Toys from Turkey
Organic toy manufacturer Sinem Toys Company will widen their horizons this summer by moving into a new factory. The company has existed since the 1980’s and is located in Turkey.
“We have been in this sector since 1980. Our toys are 100 percent organic and certificated. They include no chemical content.”
Interesting!
Welch’s Organic 100% Concord Grape Juice
I stumbled upon Welch’s Organic 100% Concord Grape Juice a few days ago in the supermarket. I wasn’t surprised considering every company is jumping on the “organic trend.” It’s still a great find especially after hearing the news that purple grape juice is one of the healthiest juices to drink.
Welch’s says:
“Made with organically grown Concord grapes, Welch’s Organic 100% Concord Grape Juice has twice the antioxidant power of orange juice, and no added sugar. Now the great taste you expect from Welch’s is also available in Welch’s Organic 100% Concord Grape Juice.
You may find Welch’s Organic 100% Concord Grape Juice in stores including: Giant Eagle, Hannaford, Harris Teeter, Ingles, King Soopers, Kroger, Meijer, Pathmark, Publix, QFC, Ralph’s, Wal-Mart, and Whole Foods.”
A New Morning Favorite
Sometimes, a poptart is the only thing that will hit the spot in the morning. Unfortunately, those commercial poptarts contain tons of crazy ingredients which probably include hydrogenated oil.
Enter Nature’s Path Organic Toaster Pastries. Recently, several new kinds were introduced to the line. Flavors include Cherry Pomegran, Chocolate, Brown Sugar Maple Cinn and unfrosted Brown Sugar Maple Cinn, bringing the line to a total of twelve different flavors. Read more about these delicious treats.
I have seen all of the new flavors at Whole Foods so you should be able to get your hands on a box. Two boxes of the chocolate kind have made their way through my house already without me even getting an opportunity to try one. However, I don’t know if this is because they are really delicious or because someone in my house thought that no one was eating them and decided to finish them off so they didn’t “go to waste.”
Nature’s Path has also added some information on their website about their Pie-Oh-My! line. Pie-Oh-My! are basically just little microwaveable pies that contain two servings of whole grains and two-thirds of a serving of fruit. They are all natural and partially organic. Flavors include apple, cherry, wild berry and pineapple. Definitely a good choice for people watching their weight who want a nice portion controlled slice of pie.
Organic Personal Care at Target
In a previous post, I talked about how organic personal care products were expensive and would result in busting. Well, I just found out some good news for those of us who are.. pregnant? Target will be launching an organic personal care line geared towards mothers and babies:
If this does well, I am sure they will broaden the product line to suit everyone. Sounds good to me!
New Products from Seeds of Change
Seeds of Change always seem to be adding to their line. Recently, they revealed two new frozen entrees, Athenian Orzo and Moroccan Lentil Tagine, and they released a line of organic chocolate bars with flavors like Bayano Dark Chocolate with Cacao Nibs and Cinnamon Essence and Santa Catarina Dark Chocolate with Mango, Toasted Coconut and Cashews. The new products don’t even stop there. They ALSO have two new pasta sauces, Sicilian Spicy Eggplant and Vodka Americano.
Everything I have tried from Seeds of Change, I have enjoyed except for maybe their Seven Grain Pilaf with vegetables and herb sauce. I had that yesterday and it was kind of.. scary.
Anyway, a great thing about Seeds of Change is their frozen entrees are usually close to 100% organic! There are very few brands out there offering frozen entrees with that many organic ingredients.
