Weekly Top 5: Organic News You Need to Know #6

 Publix Looks to Expand GreenWise Concept

Publix Super Markets, Inc. announced plans to reignite its GreenWise store concept and will continue looking for new locations. A newly redesigned GreenWise will open in late 2018 near Florida State University, in Tallahassee, FL. Click for more. 

Hungry Harvest Reclaims Ugly Produce for Delivery Service in Eastern States

What sets Hungry Harvest apart from other delivery services is that these boxes are filled with ugly produce – mostly smaller or slightly imperfect items, but also excess from some growers.  Evan Lutz founded the company in his dorm at the University of Maryland, bagging produce items and delivering to 30 customers.  After he presented his concept on “Shark Tank”, Robert Herjavec offered him a deal.  Today Hungry Harvest has 11 employees who deliver recovered produce in four states.   A mini organic harvest box costs $30. 

Papa John’s Goes Organic Toppings
Two pilot programs at Papa John’s will offer organic produce toppings and gluten-free crusts at select locations. The organic produce pilot will focus on mushrooms, roma tomatoes, green peppers and yellow onions. Click here for more.

More People Are Turning to Organic Food in Qatar

 Krishna Kumar, general manager for the Lulu Hypermarket, in Qatar, says that his store is doing what it can to keep pace with growing consumer demand for organics. Kumar said awareness campaigns on keeping a healthy lifestyle contributed to the growing demand for “healthy options” and has become a trend among Qataris and many expatriates. Click here for more.  

New April 8 Deadline Extension for USDA Certified Organic Survey

The deadline to complete the 2016 Certified Organic Survey has been extended to April 8. U.S. certified organic producers are asked to provide acreage, sales, production and marketing practices information. The survey is conducted by The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and illustrates the annual growth of the organic category. Producers can return their forms by mail or complete the survey online. Results will be released in September.
“We see the future is bright and are forecasting double-digit growth. We can’t plant enough.”
- Chance Kirk, VBZ & Sons Inc.