Refresh

Springtime: when the flora and fauna reemerge, the days grow longer, and Monsanto readies its latest genetically modified crop. This time around it’s sugar beets — “Roundup Ready” sugar beets, to be exact, engineered to withstand a key ingredient in the widely used herbicide (also made by Monsanto).

Among the critics of the new seeds — besides the Sierra Club and the Center for Food Safety — is a group called the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, which represents close to 300 faith-based investors and more than $100 billion in capital. The center has urged its members and the public to appeal directly to 63 major food companies, asking them to ban the use of the GMO beets in their products.

The ICCR’s message is simple: Don’t mess with God’s creation. And they’ve been preaching it consistently over a great many issues. The organization is one of the more surprising — and influential — demographics to join the environmental movement over the past several years. From Muslims to Evangelicals, religious groups of all cloths have used the good word and some of their considerable legislative heft to speak out against bottled water use, global warming (“What Would Jesus Drive?” was the name of one campaign), and numerous other eco-issues.

All this could prove to be a headache for Monsanto — but they’re veterans of this kind of opposition. Beets account for half of the nation’s sugar supply, so they’re certainly prepared to make a positive case for using the modified seeds.

More than anything, the ICCR and other religious groups demonstrate just how all-inclusive the wellness movement has become. All sorts of people have found that health and the environment fit with their values. It’s just that some are more divinely inspired than others.

Last autumn, we had the chance to sit down with Meijer co-chairman Doug Meijer and president Mark Murray. At the time, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based chain had just been given the SN Whole Health Enterprise Award for its leadership in bringing health and wellness to mainstream consumers.

One of the reasons Meijer got the award was its ability to broaden the concept of wellness beyond food and extend it into less-obvious departments. Since Meijer operates a supercenter format, there were plenty of surprises. Murray noted that even the chain’s garden center contributed to the customer’s wellness because it promotes activities that create peace of mind and a sense of well-being.

Meijer will take the idea one step further this spring, when it starts selling 1.3 million certified organic potted vegetable and herb plants in all of its nearly 200 stores. The plants come from a brand new, four-acre greenhouse built by Elzinga & Hoeksema Greenhouses, one the the region’s largest commercial greenhouse growers.

The facility, located in Kalamazoo, Mich., will open next week, and help Meijer add another dimension to its umbrella concept of wellness. Mark Elziinga (shown above in the greenhouse), notes the facility produces 1000 gallons a day of compost tea to feed the plants, and uses eco-friendly geothermal and solar power technology.

Study after study has been telling us that consumers want to get closer to the sources of their food. Researchers point to the popularity of farmer’s markets and community supported agriculture co-ops. Thanks to Meijer, they can add the backyard garden. And that’s about as close to your food as you can get.

According to a recent poll by the NPD Group, 79% of consumers believe the U.S. economy is in a recession or at least headed toward one. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said as much on Monday. Who can blame them? The price of gas increased almost a dollar per gallon from this time last year, and some economists believe that it could puncture the $4 mark by spring. Food, healthcare and energy costs have also shot up. And, oh yeah, the housing market is stagnant.

Restaurants are already feeling the heat. New numbers from research firm Technomic show companies’ overall growth dropped this past year, largely due to the “struggle against fuel prices, increasing cost of labor and commodities and menu price increases,” according to Technomic’s president, Ron Paul.

Normally, this could be considered good news for much of the supermarket industry, which traditionally becomes the go-to for consumers during a recession, capturing the dollars that are no longer being spent on restaurant food and other “luxuries.”

This time matters are a bit more complicated, however. For the past few years, organics and other categories associated with wellness have helped drive growth in the supermarket sector. These better-for-you products and services brought premium prices and better margins to the shelves. Now that the economy is turning sour, what will become of this scenario?

Simple logic dictates that sales of organic, all-natural and other premium-priced offerings will slow down. But consumers are fickle, and retailers might be surprised to see them striving to minimize medical problems by eating better and smarter.

One thing is for sure: The modern supermarket industry has been around for more than 60 years, and has taken plenty of rides on the economic roller coaster. Everyone should be healthy enough to survive this trip.

On the eve of the critical Democratic primaries in Ohio and Texas, we thought it might be time to start talking about the candidates and their (still evolving) positions on the environment and sustainability.

Nobody knows just how large the “green” voting bloc is, but with the candidates’ leads “shakier than cafeteria Jell-O” (one of the many food-related “Ratherisms” uttered during past election nights by network anchorman Dan Rather), there’s a general feeling that the environmentally sensitive voters are a group to be courted.

So, where does one research the greeness of the American electorate? Catalina Marketing, the targeted coupon company, went to that town square of consumption, the supermarket. First, the firm identified a green shopper as someone who made purchases from a list of products promoted as eco-friendly between April 2006 and April 2007. They used that information to answer the question: “Do green shoppers translate to green voters?”

The research did yield a few surprising results. For instance, the Democratic state of California — often seen as a healthy place to live — indexed at the average for the number of green shoppers. California’s neighbors, Oregon and Washington, both ranked well above the average.

Of the Republican states, Colorado and Alaska both ranked above average in their tendency to have green shoppers, with Alaska beating out even blue states Oregon and Washington. The top five green states most likely to have green shoppers in order are: Alaska (red), Washington (blue), Oregon (blue), Colorado (red) and Vermont (blue). The states least likely to have green shoppers, in order, are: Oklahoma (red), Alabama (red), Minnesota (blue), North Dakota (red) and Wisconsin (blue).

Catalina also crunched some numbers and found that green product sales have doubled since 2005, with an 82% increase in 2007 alone. Boy, would Hillary or Barack love to have that number posted on their returns.

Late last week the Humane Society of the United States announced that it had secured enough signatures to put an animal cruelty measure on the ballot in California this November.

The “Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act” would outlaw three of the most controversial methods used in farm operations: Veal crates for calves, battery cages for egg-laying hens and gestation crates for breeding pigs.

Past efforts in which the HSUS took part have met with some success — gestation crates were banned in Florida as of 2002, and Arizona outlawed veal and pig crates in 2006. There are two reasons to believe this latest effort will succeed as well: It’s California (volunteers collected 800,000 signatures, nearly twice as many as required); the state is also home to the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company, were undercover activists recently filmed downer cattle being abused with forklifts and bang sticks.

Investigations like the Hallmark case are accelerating consumer demand for food animals that are raised and slaughtered with compassion. Demand for cage-free eggs in particular is growing. More and more retailers (including California-based Safeway and Trader Joe’s) have already gone cage-free, and are in the process of adopting the other measures as well.

What about everyone else? The law wouldn’t take effect until 2015, ostensibly to give producers enough time to transition to more humane systems. In all likelihood, consumer demand will have eclipsed the need for any legislation by then.

We wanted to take some time to remind everyone about the Healthy Foods International Exposition and Conference, scheduled for June 18-19, 2008 in Dallas. Our print publication, Supermarket News, is a sponsor, along with another Penton Media division, New Hope Natural Media.

There’ll be regular updates on this page leading up to the show. Let’s start with the educational content. The cornerstone will be an exclusive, comprehensive study analyzing consumer buying habits, and the ways in which both manufacturers and food retailers can seek to meet the demands of wellness shoppers. These findings will be presented by the editors at Nutrition Business Journal during a three-part series of in-depth seminars during the show.

“This presentation will help you understand who the consumers of functional, organic and healthier-for-you-foods are, as well as attitudes concerning fresh and local products,” said Patrick Rea, NBJ’s publisher & editorial director. “The research will also detail how health, lifestyle and information sources play into purchasing decisions and more.”

Another highlight of the conference is the morning keynote session that details the conception and implementation of the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI), a single, unbiased reference point for every product and every category in the supermarket. The New Way to Shop for Health will be presented by ONQI’s developer, Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and Jeff Posner of Topco Associates, the wholesale cooperative licensing the program.

Also on tap at Healthy Foods International are 10 educational breakout sessions that focus on the many challenges and opportunities in today’s wellness marketplace. Topics to be covered include kids nutrition, global retailing, ingredients, authenticity and credibility, healthy convenience, food safety, integration strategies and consumer attitudes.

Education offered at Healthy Foods International is free to all attendees and exhibitors. Best of all, qualified retailers, brokers, and distributors can register to attend the show for free before May 2, 2008; visit www.healthyfoodsintl.com/attend to register.

Experts estimate that last year’s Colony Collapse Disorder claimed nearly one third of all American beehives. Swiftly and mysteriously the tiny pollinators — normally very territorial — flew off, leaving behind empty homes and a swarm of questions.

Now there’s another, equally puzzling die-off that’s occurring in the Northeast. Thousands of bats have succumbed to what’s being called “white nose syndrome.” The name refers to the only visible symptom of the disease — a flaky white fungus that forms around the animal’s nose and mouth. Scientists don’t know much about the fast-spreading killer so far. What’s certain, however, is that it’s draining the bats’ winter fat storage before their hibernation period ends, causing them to starve to death.

This may not sound like news to supermarket operators, but it is. Like bees, bats help pollinate citrus fruits and other plants. They also feed on beetles, moths and other insects that can damage produce crops.

“Most bat researchers would agree that this is the gravest threat to bats they have ever seen,” said Alan Hicks, bat expert with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.

The bee problem has yet to be resolved, as well. According to the American Beekeeping Federation, the colony collapse rate is similar to last year’s. Scientists have linked the phenomenon with the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus, but it appears that’s not the only culprit; pesticides and global warming have also made the short list of possible reasons.

The science community is scrambling for answers, and manufacturers are trying to help. Burt’s Bees recently ran a public service announcement prior to screenings of “Bee Movie,” asking audiences to register on the company’s website for a free packet of wildflower seeds. And ice cream maker Haagen Dazs, which is owned by General Mills, recently awarded $250,000 to two research teams working to decode the bee deaths (25 out of its 60 flavors are made from bee-pollinated fruits and nuts).

Amidst the swirl of merchandising and logistics that retailers confront every day, it’s easy to forget that behind our food chain is a complex ecosystem. It’s still a mystery why bats and bees are dying, but that doesn’t mean companies shouldn’t take an active interest.

Manufacturers and retailers are really falling in love with the idea of nutrition guides. Everyone keeps coming out with their own versions. By the end of this year, consumers will be seeing a host of new programs in the aisles.

ConAgra Foods, unveiled its own initiative earlier this week, and is taking a slightly different approach to the issue. The manufacturer of such brands as Healthy Choice and Orville Redenbacher’s has devised a system based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPyramid dietary guidelines.

The program, approved by the USDA, tells consumers just how much each product contributes to fulfilling the recommendations set by MyPyramid. In an example provided by the company, a Healthy Choice Fiesta Chicken meal that contains chicken, rice, fruit and vegetables will have a graphic (at the bottom of the image shown) indicating the product provides 15% of the grains, 30% of the vegetables, 15% of the fruit, and 40% of the meat and beans that a consumer should eat based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. The labels will appear on more than 700 ConAgra-made products beginning in May, and include only those that offer at least a certain threshold amount of important nutrients. It’s quite an initiative, and will be a cornerstone of the company’s Start Making Choices umbrella program.

Freedom of choice is part of the American Way; in this case, consumers looking to improve their diets can choose from a growing number of nutrition guides. ConAgra’s new icons are one way to eat better, provided shoppers purchase those brands. Othe manufacturers like Kraft and PepsiCo have their own symbols and criteria. Retailers this year will have the opportunity to implement one of two universal programs that claim to cover every product in every category.

Call it too much, call it confusing. Let’s just hope consumers get the message.

Everyone talks about sustainability going mainstream. Well, it’s also going classical.

We’re talking about music; specifically, a recital by the eco-friendly Korean pianist, Soyeon Lee (even her name has a heart-healthy, syllabic ring to it). According to a report in The New York Times, Ms. Lee performed the second half of her show at Carnegie Hall wearing a dress made entirely of 6,000 recycled grape juice containers.

Take a look (and thanks to Dale Crowell at Honest Tea for sending this to us). I’m not one to deconstruct fashion, but it certainly makes a statement, considering the gown is made up of aseptic pouches popular with kids. In fact, it was during a tour of the Princeton University campus last summer, where a number of children’s day camps were being held, that she noticed the similar juice pouches overflowing from waste receptacles.

According to the article, Ms. Lee contacted TerraCycle, a firm the creates organic products that are not only made from waste, but are also packaged entirely in waste; as well as Honest Tea, which uses recycled packaging for its beverages as well. Both companies commissioned a designer to make the dress, and co-sponsored the concert.

Ms. Lee carried the theme one stanza further, and included recycled concertos in her repertoire. It just goes to show you, yet again, how creative people can be in getting the message across to consumers and the general public.

Sure, the health of our nation and the environment is serious business. But who says we can’t have fun trying to improve it?…. Encore!

More news on the animal welfare front.

Just last week, Safeway announced new guidelines for proteins, and today, Harris Teeter said it, too, would be adopting almost identical standards and give buying preference to suppliers who use humane poultry slaughter methods; forego the use of sow gestation crates; and farm cage-free eggs.

The move comes after representatives of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals stated their intention to speak out about the company’s lack of initiative at the company’s annual meeting tomorrow.

The policy changes will be phased in. Harris Teeter will increase its purchase of chickens killed by controlled-atmosphere slaughter systems by 5% over each of the next three years; increase the amount of pig meat that it purchases from suppliers that are phasing out gestation crates by 10% in 2009, 15% in 2010, and 20% in 2011; and increase the amount of cage-free eggs that it sells to 9% by 2009, and work toward increasing that amount to 12% in 2010. The eggs will be marketed as a new line of Harris Teeter-branded cage-free eggs.

The question becomes why are threats needed to get the industry to change? It’s as if retail executives need a captive-bolt stunner held to their heads before buying policies are updated. The most recent recall — the largest in U.S. history — resulted from an undercover video taken by the Humane Society of the United States. The disturbing footage of downer cattle being prodded with bang sticks and pushed with forklifts is well-publicized and was featured on news programs.

Safeway and Harris Teeter are just ahead of public opinion in changing their animal welfare guidelines. One look at images like that and we won’t need activists. The next voices we hear will be consumers themselves.