Harvest Source Whole Foods Journal » Natural Organic Whole Foods Industry

Organic Product Sales up again in 2008, with no signs of slowing!

Marketing — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:13:32 +0000

According to a recent press release by the Organic Trade Association, U.S. sales of organic products, both food and non-food, reached $24.6 billion by the end of 2008, growing an impressive 17.1% over 2007 sales despite tough economic times.

While the overall economy has been losing ground, sales of organic products reflect very strong growth during 2008. “Organic products represent value to consumers, who have shown continued resilience in seeking out these products,” said Christine Bushway, OTA’s Executive Director.

We can verify that this trend continues here in 2009 by looking at our how well Azure Standard sales have been though the Utah and South Idaho route. Every year for the past 5 years more and more people have discovered that buying natural organic whole foods makes sense both for our health and our pocket book.

Organic foods keep our families healthy and keep us away from the expensive doctors and dentists that are happy to take a big chunk of most families monthly income. See Michelle Stewart’s article on Healthy Living in the spring issue of the Harvest Source Whole Foods Journal, and I believe you will be convinced.

All you have to do is go to the home page www.HarvestSource.com and fill out your name and e-mail and after you confirm you will be e-mailed the link to the digital version of the magazine. Or if you are a www.AzureDelivery.com customer make sure you ask for a magazine when you go pick up your Azure Standard order this month.

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Ohio Organic Foods Family Co-op Raided by Government

Marketing — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:39:55 +0000

Please share your thoughts on this U-Tube video below by pressing the comment button below.

It would seem to us in Utah and South Idaho that our local government understands our communities’ food storage goals and how natural organic whole foods fit into this plan. So one would hope something like this would never happen here, but how much can we trust our government who will perform a raid like this over the question of licenses?

Watching this video makes me wonder if we should be concerned about what policy makers in Washington D.C. might try to do to control organic farming and distribution. How is the current administration going to effect natural organic and whole foods? Could something like this happen to our friends at www.AzureDelivery.com? We have no idea what the future holds, but if anything I would hope this video helps us all to realize how important our food purchases can be.

This reminds me that we should always keep our pantries stocked as effectively as we can afford to because we never know when the supply we count on could be shut down for some reason. All of the members of the Manna Storehouse effected by the video above have lost their source for natural organic whole foods for more than 5 months now, and who knows how long the court case will last or when or if they will get their food stores back, or be compensated for the damages caused.

As for me I’m going to go and make sure boost up my May order for organic food storage products from Azure Standard.

A special thanks to Dr. Mercola, at www.mercola.com for making me aware of this video. Again I would like to hear what you think, click the comment link below.

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Government Regulation vs. Natural Organic Whole Foods Industry Self Regulation Standards

Senior Editor — Sat, 02 May 2009 00:10:06 +0000

The Natural, Organic, Whole Foods industry needs something like the UL. If this doesn’t happen in the natural, organic, whole foods industry very soon we are headed for serious trouble.

For those who are unfamiliar with the UL (Underwriters Laboratories Inc.) it is a private business that specializes in testing and qualifying products and equipment in the private sector. The buying public has grown to rely on this service. For example if you produce a product and wish for your product to be approved by UL you must submit and pass the UL standard. The UL stamp of approval is highly coveted and means it meets a very high quality requirement. The UL approval is more desired than government approval and means something much better to those who are ranked as an approve product submission. Let us suppose we had a natural, organic, whole foods underwriter seal of approval (NOWFU) this would be self regulation.

Returning to the UL, if you design and build a product and choose not to pay for the UL testing you are not made into a criminal for not doing so. The natural, organic, whole foods (NOWFU) could do the same. By contrast you will undoubtedly be severely chastised if mandated FDA involvement were “required” and you did not kiss their shoe of submission. On the other hand when it comes to the UL, the customer is the final authority and many shoppers won’t buy a product unless it has the UL label on it and we see the UL label on products every day. These are good products built with high standards but there is no threat, banishment, jail or fines if you do not have one. Your only punishment may be that you do not enjoy as much business as you would like. Imagine having something like this in the natural, organic, whole foods industry. This could clean up the business without any government regulation.

We must observe that private persons and private enterprise is better at regulating itself. We must study and apply this principle to the natural, organic and whole food business because if more layers of government are added the result is less responsibility by the citizenry and lower quality of service by government. The reason for this is that when government regulations are imposed people stop looking to be responsible for themselves because they perceive that someone else who is more qualified is doing that for them. Nothing could be further from the truth in which case we are suffering under a self imposed deception on a national basis. There are a few want-to-be natural, organic, whole foods business that could be improved by this type of self imposed commercial regulation. Government regulations are designed to eliminate competition and create monopoly not protect anyone as we have seen. What we need is more companies and more competition in the natural, organic, and whole foods industry to cause prices and product to be more competitive.

Competition is, by its very nature, self regulating where monopoly is not. Test this for yourself the next time you want to know something about a product or service. Do this in the natural, organic, whole foods business or the furniture business. All you have to do is ask two competing companies to evaluate the other companies product or service and they will explain all about their benefits and point out all the defects of the competition. On the other hand if only one company made a product you wanted (monopoly) then the product or service would be described by its maker as the best, safest and the most perfect product to meet all needs when in fact much more may be desired. When there is no competition there will be no “better mouse trap” or better natural, organic, whole foods.

Applying this to the natural, organic, whole foods industry, we must observe that the FDA will disallow our claims and claiming for itself “perfection” by its own authority. Therefore natural, organic, whole foods are declared to be bad by the FDA because they are “not tested and approved” to be good. It doesn’t mater that the use of nutrients and supplements or organic, natural or whole foods will not interfere with most prescription drugs. In fact nutrients and supplements will often times reduce the number of side effects and improve bodily function. It doesn’t mater because it is not about healthy it is about control and monopoly and protecting monster business that does not need protecting.

Darrell Ross / CEO / Senior Editor

Harvest Source Whole Foods Journal

Darrell@HarvestSource.com

Senior Editor & CEO, Harvest Source Whole Foods Journal

Darrell W. Ross is a Graduate of Idaho State University with a BA in Art. A consummate energetic business man for over 40 years in a broad diversity of family business ranging from Construction, Excavating, Tree Service, Federal Contracting, Real Estate, Property Management, Retail, Organic Whole Foods Distribution, and Publishing. Darrell is very happily married to Marcia his wife of 39 years and mother of their six Home Schooled children and currently resides in Burley, Idaho with Marcia and their two youngest Zachary and Caroline.

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Why The Natural, Organic, Whole Foods Public Should be Suspicious of The FDA?

Senior Editor — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:35:40 +0000

When it comes to the usefulness of dietary nutrients the FDA will allow no claims to be made even though the use of nutrients and supplements will not interfere with most prescription drugs. In fact nutrients and supplements will often times reduce the number of side effects.

Danika Amott illustrates this very clearly in her article in the Spring issue of Harvest Source Whole Foods Journal page 23 that in her son’s case she found that adequate natural intake did away with the need for all pharmaceuticals. For the Amott family the natural, organic, whole foods lifestyle was the answer.

It is common knowledge in natural, organic, whole foods circles that in many cases pharmaceuticals actually cause depletion of a persons vitamins, minerals and enzymes. For example Diabetic drugs are known to deplete three vitamins (B6,B12, folic acid) and four minerals (sodium, potassium, magnesium, zinc). Again, Statins, substance used to lower blood cholesterol, are known to deplete Coenzyme Q10, which lessens your energy supply. It is like removing the spark plug from an internal combustion engine and expecting it to fire.

Of course using these drugs is fine as far ad the FDA is concerned because they are government approved. This is just another reason why we ought to reconsider the helpfulness of Government before we add any new regulations to the natural, organic, whole foods industry.

Senior Editor & CEO, Harvest Source Whole Foods Journal

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My Thoughts on Building our Natural Organic & Whole Foods Industry

Senior Editor — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:41:59 +0000

After 30 years in the construction industry, I have had lots of opportunity to observe that the beginning of a building is more important than the paint and carpet. Yet the “paint job” is all that most people really focus on. How did we ever get along before the UBC (uniform building code) came along? Why are building that were build a 100 years before the UBC of excellent quality and still in use? What can the natural, organic, whole foods industry learn from this example?

The current socialists solution for a poorly built building (something that is not government business) is force everyone into an expensive government regulation programs of more bureaucracy, more community approval of “land use” of private property that does not belong to the community and numerous permits, fees, inspections and various “quality” tests, all of which only serve to drive the price up and the quality down. Yet, expensive and badly built building are being finished and sold everyday. We must observe and avoid Government intrusion into the natural, organic, whole foods industry.

I am concerned that this same incompetent, socialists, bureaucratic forcefulness will soon be imposed upon the natural, organic, whole foods industry which will regulate it to the point of uselessness. Historically private business and free enterprise have been more than capable of regulating themselves and this is precisely what the natural, organic, whole foods industry must do.

For example the FDA assures quality in the prescription drug business in the USA. Yet Dr. Julian Whitaker reports that “Experts estimate that adverse drug events actually number in the millions and prescription drugs are responsible for more than 100,000 deaths per year.” Nutrients on the other hand have no reports of fatalities. We don’t need to fix the natural, organic, whole foods business with more government regulation because it is not broken! Private enterprise is better at regulating itself.

If you find this to be a strange though then consider the following. UL (Underwriters Laboratories Inc.) is a private business that specializes in testing and qualifying products and equipment. If your product passes the UL standard and gets a UL stamp it meets a very high quality requirement. The UL approval is more desired than government approval and means something much better. We see the UL on products every day.

The same concept could be applied in the natural, organic and whole foods industry. Why ask for the oppressiveness of big brother is we don’t need it? Again we can take care of ourselves and have higher quality. We need to take responsibility for ourselves and appose all attempts by government to regulate our natural, organic, whole foods industry. All the Government will do is add a very expensive “paint job” over a sand foundation of oppressive regulations to our industry which will do nothing to make it what it ought to be.

Senior Editor & CEO, Harvest Source Whole Foods Journal

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