A Look Inside All Things Organic™

Yesterday I hit the first day of the annual All Things Organic™ show (ATO; see http://www.organicexpo.com) at McCormick Place in Chicago. This event, sponsored by the Organic Trade Association (OTA), Greenfield, MA, is the only exclusively organic trade show and conference in the country. (This five-in-one collective gig also includes the FMI show and Fancy Food--mmmm… free cheese and chocolate--among others; see http://www.fmi.org/events/may/2006/index.cfm.) OTA ATO (nice palindrome there…) presents an opportunity for organic-industry manufacturers, distributors and gurus to proffer their new wares and postulations--and possibly network amongst themselves to explore potential future products and lines.

As I've seen in the past, the number and variety of organic foods and beverages continues to annually expand (but fewer and fewer hippies every year, it seems…). Just walk down the aisles of any supermarket--or liquor store (more organic beer, wine and spirits coming your way)--to witness this substantial growth for yourself. According to a recent OTA manufacturer survey, U.S. organic-food sales hit nearly $14 billion in 2005; that figure is anticipated to reach $16 billion this year--and a projected $20 billion by 2007.

Similar to the food industry at large, organic is paying increased attention to healthful, antioxidant-rich and otherwise-healthy foods like Amazonian açaí and Tibetan goji berries (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycium_barbarum), as well as more-domesticated fruits like pomegranate, blood orange and blueberry. Health is huge, even if it's just perceived--as long as it sells (mind over matter over money…). Organic, fair-trade coffee cola anyone?

As an erstwhile vegetarian (now unrepentant omnivore), I love a good steak--and organic meat is one of the fastest-growing categories in this sector of food (over 55% growth in 2005). At the show, I noticed a fair number of organic beef and seafood producers out to press the flesh. Organic grass-fed beef is of particular note, with its distinctively earthy flavor (nice to have some terroir on the plate instead of just in the glass--for more on "terroir," see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terroir), low saturated-fat levels, and healthful omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, as well as boosted conjungated linolenic acid (CLA) and L-arginine levels. Organic grass-fed dairy takes another nice tack on this concept.

This raises an important concept. With the increased competition in the organic marketplace, it's no longer sufficient to just be organic. Another level of appeal and diversity needs to distinguish organic lines from the competition, whether it's better flavor, health, functionality, etc. Organic still need to differentiate itself from conventional, but an extra layer of appeal can work wonders.

It's also important to keep an eye on what's coming around the bend. Some interesting insight came from the folks at the Mastertaste booth yesterday--particularly Lawrence Buckholz, Ph.D., vice president of flavor development and technologies for the company (see http://www.mastertaste.com). He briefly discussed a European trend that strives to remove the word "flavor" from the label--even "natural flavor." He said consumers over the pond tend to look for "the real thing" in their processed foods. So, his task is to deliver that flavor without having to label it as such--a neat trick.

Our food world keeps spinning (logically said the doctor, swirling hypnotic spiral in hand), and if you don't keep spinning with it, you're bound to get dizzy.