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Guides to Organic and Natural Food Markets, Healthy Restaurants, Farmer's Markets, Green Attractions, Entirely Non-Smoking Hotels and Highway Guides are available at the upgraded OrganicTravel.com

Organic Travel (www.organictravel.com) announced today that it has added new content to its worldwide travel guides. Organic Travel publishes guides to healthy and organic places. In the guides you will find natural food markets, farmer's markets, organic and healthy restaurants, organic wineries, outdoor and natural attractions to visit and much more. These guides are perfect for people who like to travel but find it difficult to find healthy alternatives to the standard dining fare available at most restaurants. The guide is great for people with special diets such as gluten-free, low-carb, preservative free food and other needs.

New to Organic Travel's guides are completely non-smoking hotels, natural and outdoors attractions and pesticide-free parks. At an entirely non-smoking hotel you don't have to worry that a non-smoking room may not be available. Also, you don't have to worry about the smoke from neighboring rooms or floors. Natural and outdoor attractions include organic farms and wineries, parks for camping, nature tours, wildlife viewing and other places to visit. Pesticide-free parks are those that don't use chemical pesticides on the grass, making it safer for everyone, including children and pets.

"We love to travel, however, it has proven difficult to find healthy alternatives to the fast food restaurants as well as entirely non-smoking hotels," says Tara Kain co-founder of Organic Travel. "Organic Travel gives people greater opportunities to travel while maintaining their healthy lifestyles."

Organic Travel was founded in 2006 by Tara and Len Kain to publish guides to healthy travel. Organic Travel's free web guides have nearly 10,000 listings in the U.S., Canada and worldwide.

The President's Cancer Panel Report released today exhorts consumers to choose food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, and growth hormones to help decrease their exposure to environmental chemicals that can increase their risk of contracting cancer. Organic products avoid the use of these chemicals.

"Exposure to pesticides can be decreased by choosing, to the extent possible, food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers... Similarly, exposure to antibiotics, growth hormones, and toxic run-off from livestock feed lots can be minimized by eating free-range meat raised without these medications," according to the landmark report, "Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now," submitted to President Obama by Dr. LaSalle Leffall, Jr., an oncologist and professor of surgery at Howard University, and Dr. Margaret L. Kripke, an immunologist at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

"Organic production and processing is the only system that uses certification and inspection to verify that these chemicals are not used on the farm all the way to our dinner tables," said

Christine Bushway, Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association (OTA).

Organic production is based on a system of farming without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides) and synthetic fertilizers. Organically produced foods also must be produced without the use of antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic engineering and other excluded practices, sewage sludge, or irradiation. Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation to maintain the integrity of the food. In addition, animal confinement in feedlots is prohibited.

"Consumers should know that organic foods have the least chemicals applied in their production and the least residues in the final products. Thus, those seeking to minimize their exposure to these chemicals and follow the recommendations of the President's Cancer Panel, can look for the USDA Organic label wherever they shop," said Bushway.

"The American people -- even before they are born -- are bombarded continually with myriad combinations of these dangerous exposures," the panel wrote in a letter to President Obama. It added, "The Panel urges you most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our Nation's productivity, and devastate American lives."

It added, "Many known or suspected carcinogens first identified through studies of industrial and agricultural occupational exposures have since found their way into soil, air, water and numerous consumer products... Some of these chemicals have been found in maternal blood, placental tissue, and breast milk samples from pregnant women and mothers who recently gave birth. Thus, chemical contaminants are being passed on to the next generation, both prenatally and during breastfeeding."

"OTA is gratified to see a prestigious scientific panel recognize what the organic farmers and the organic community have realized about environmental health and organic agriculture for decades, and we applaud them for taking on this critical issue," Bushway added.

The full report is available online at http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/pcp08-09rpt/PCP_Report_08-09_508.pdf.

Natural Food and Lifestyle Leader Addresses Issues within the Natural Community through Three-Day Summit

Kashi Company, the premier natural food and lifestyle company, today announced the findings of its Darzana summit, an invitation-only event that serves as a natural foods think tank.  The event brought together thought leaders from the broader natural foods community to assess timely issues that affect natural living.  This year's topic of discussion was the nation's large-scale food system and how society can best support natural food within this system.  Darzana, a Sanskrit word meaning "meet, observe, understand and intellect," was initiated by Kashi and first hosted in 2008. 

As part of its continued mission to make it easier for consumers to take action in support of natural food, Kashi, along with a select group of 18 esteemed natural experts, deemed education and transparency to be the key factors impacting the modern food system.  A series of specific actions aimed at creating a mindset in support of natural food resulted from the three-day summit held last fall in Sundance, Utah.  

"At Kashi, we believe that there is a fundamental gap in the quality and accessibility of natural food in our modern food system," said Keegan Sheridan, natural food and lifestyle expert at Kashi.  "We attribute much of this to the lack of education and transparency at a very basic level, as these issues lead to decreased demand and expectations.  Because of the diverse range of knowledge from our expert attendees, we were able to identify attainable actions individuals can participate in to create lasting change at multiple levels of our food system from the farm to the classroom to the kitchen."

Over this three day summit, Kashi developed specific actions to provide individuals a better understanding of their role and ability to impact natural food today and in the future. Each of the actions are supported by a selection of challenges and resources on Kashi.com to help get people involved and provide support in their process to supporting natural food.  The actions include:

1. Educate yourself on the issues affecting natural food in our modern system
2. Understand the food life cycle
3. Learn to cook natural foods
4. Become politically aware and get involved
5. Be a steward of the environment
6. Volunteer your time to the natural foods movement
7. Take time to appreciate Mother Nature

Among the participants this year was Jeffrey B. Blumberg, professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and senior scientist and director, Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University. "Our focus is on creating new and effective ways in which everyone - government, industry and individual consumers - can work together to support sustainable ways to produce our food, promote our health and protect our planet."

Fellow Darzana attendee, Russell H. Greenfield, M.D., director of Greenfield Integrative Healthcare, PLLC and president of Greenfield Consulting, LLC, echoed Blumberg's sentiments, "In the end, what was so inspiring was that people of such disparate backgrounds and interests indeed did find commonality and were able to design a cogent set of plans to help address the major issues facing the provision of natural, healthy food to people. If a successful business can make doing so a priority, it seems each and every one of us can, too."

Kashi Darzana represented a wide range of industries and disciplines, from agriculture and farming, to manufacturing and policy, and included the following participants:

• Daniel Fabricant, PhD, interim executive director & CEO, Natural Products Association
• Marty Matlock, PhD, PE, CSE, area director, Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability, professor of ecological engineering, University of Arkansas
• Edward Bauman, M.Ed., Ph.D., best-selling author and executive director at Bauman College
• Jeffrey B. Blumberg PhD, FACN, CNS, professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and senior scientist and director, Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University
• Nicki Briggs, MS, RD, director of communications, Chobani Greek Yogurt, past program director of the Mediterranean Foods Alliance at Oldways Preservation and Exchange
• Jennifer Curtis, founder and CEO, Curtis Consulting - environment and agricultural consulting
• Jen Dalton, Slow Food Nation Organizer
• Steve Demos, CEO and founder, Next Foods, founder and former president White Wave Inc.
• Anthony Flaccavento, executive director, Appalachian Sustainable Development
• Zonya Foco, RD, CHFI, CSP, Zonya Health International
• Russell H. Greenfield, M.D., director, Greenfield Integrative Healthcare, PLLC and president, Greenfield Consulting, LLC
• Alissa Hamilton, PhD, JD, food & society policy fellow, Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy
• Sally Lamont, N.D., L.AC., licensed naturopathic doctor, acupuncturist, Marin Natural Medicine Clinic
• Paul Maschka, naturalist and organic farmer, urban farming instructor
• Mark Overbay, marketing and communications manager, Counter Culture Coffee
• Amy Paxton, nutrition graduate student in farm to school programs, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Kathie Swift MS RD LDN, nutritionist, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health
• Jeff Johnson, MS nutrition science, natural lifestyle associate director at Kashi
• Keegan Sheridan, licensed naturopathic doctor, natural food and lifestyle expert at Kashi  
• Dae Lee, MBA, associate director marketing at Kashi
• Sarah Ceccarelli, MS human nutrition, senior brand manager at Kashi

To learn more about Darzana or additional resources individuals can use in order to promote natural foods and healthy living, visit www.Kashi.com/darzana.

SOURCE Kashi Company

It's now easier and tastier than ever to enjoy a freshly prepared and delicious salad with Olivia's Organics NEW Single-To-Go Salads.  

The NEW Olivia's Single-To-Go Salads feature three healthy varieties: a fresh spring mix salad with savory balsamic dressing; classic crisp chopped romaine salad with garlic croutons and Caesar dressing; and a yummy baby spinach salad with tangy ranch dressing.  Each individual salad comes complete with a plastic fork and is delivered in Olivia's 100% recyclable packaging which also serves as a bowl, making it easy to take with you and enjoy no matter where you are, anytime.  Plus, these delicious salads are affordably priced at $2.99 each, less than most sandwiches!

From the field to the fork, Olivia's family holds the strictest standards for freshness and food safety, with 100 percent traceability.  All of Olivia's Organics products boast a new trademark tag line, 'Any fresher and we'd still be growing.' - Locally packaged. Family Approved.  This new slogan embraces Olivia's Organics mission to provide the freshest, most delicious all natural, organic tender leaf lettuce, spinach, celery hearts and seasonal vegetables to diners while respecting our precious environment. All salads are triple washed, ready to eat and conveniently available at grocers across the northeast.

"With today's on-the-run society we don't always take the time to eat right," said Mark DeMichaelis, President of Olivia's Organics.  "With our Single-To-Go Salads we wanted to make life easier for families to enjoy a healthy, fresh and delicious meal anytime, anywhere."

Olivia's salads are locally packaged in Massachusetts for maximum freshness and are cultivated on certified organic farms exclusively in the U.S.  Selecting Olivia's Single-To-Go Salads help not only your body and the environment, but the local community too.  Olivia's gives back a portion of all proceeds to the Olivia's Organics Charitable Foundation, benefiting children in the communities where products are sold.

The complete line of Olivia's Organics Crunch Bunch and Original Salads feature: 50/50 blend, Baby Arugula, Asian Salad, Herb Salad, Baby or Crispy Romaine, Baby Spinach, Spring Mix, Sweet Baby Lettuce Blend and Italian Crunch.

For more than 70 years Olivia's family has been bringing the freshest, best quality, all-natural tender leaf lettuce, spinach and celery hearts to consumers in the Northeast. In 2006 the Olivia's Organics brand was born as a way to provide the finest certified organic tender leaf salads possible to consumers. Olivia's Organics farmers, handpicked by the family, cultivate their fields using only earth friendly, organic methods. The salad varieties are locally packaged in Chelsea, Massachusetts following the highest standards for freshness and food safety, with 100 percent traceability.  Its packaging is reusable, contains no BPA and is made from recyclable materials. As committed as Olivia's Organics is to quality produce, the company is equally committed to investing in the lives of our children. As such, a portion of all profits support the Olivia's Organics Charitable Foundation, benefiting community-based children's charities where products are sold.  To learn more about Olivia's Organics and its foundation please visit: http://www.oliviasorganics.org/

Featured speakers Andrew Weil, M.D., Sara Snow, Horst Rechelbacher, Margaret Wittenberg and Dr. Charles Benbrook to address guests on critical health benefits of organic food and farming

The Organic Center (the Center), a leading research institute focused on the science of organic food and farming, will hold its 7th annual VIP dinner during Natural Products Expo West at the Anaheim Marriott's Platinum Ballroom on March 12, 2010.  The cocktail reception will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. with the dinner following from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on the Center's website at: https://www.organic-center.org.  A press briefing on 'the state of the organic industry' will be held at 6 p.m.

The event celebrates the Center's advances in understanding the science behind the benefits of organic food and farming and will raise funds for 2010 research initiatives.  The dinner will be attended by a cross-section of industry leaders, environmental advocates, health care leaders, business innovators, government officials and academics.  Guests will hear from key speakers Dr. Andrew Weil, renowned pioneer in integrative medicine, Sara Snow, green lifestyle author and TV host, Horst Rechelbacher, author and founder of Aveda and Intelligent Nutrients, Margaret Wittenberg, author and Global VP of Quality Standards and Public Affairs for Whole Foods Market, and the Center's chief scientist, Dr. Charles Benbrook, on the critical health and environmental benefits of organic food and farming.  In addition, guests will experience a gourmet organic menu created by Chef Sandy Gendel of Pace (pronounced PAH-chay), a Los Angeles-based restaurant specializing in rustic Italian cuisine created from locally sourced organic ingredients.  

"We find ourselves at a critical point in time where climate change and human health are increasingly pressing issues that can be positively affected through the adoption of organic farming methods and the consumption of its output," said Joan Boykin, executive director for The Organic Center.  According to Mark Retzloff, Chairman of the Board. "The Center's VIP Dinner is designed to celebrate everyone from newcomers to long-time advocates who have supported our mission of advancing and communicating credible science to help individuals live more healthfully."

In advance of the cocktail reception, the Center will host a press briefing where Dr. Charles Benbrook and key speakers will share insights on 'the state of the organic industry,' giving a recap of critical moments in the past year and projected trends.  Specific emphasis will be given to the Center's upcoming research focus, which includes the mounting evidence of health risks associated with pesticide exposure in the diet, food safety, and the role of organic farming practices in mitigating global warming.  To RSVP to the press briefing, please contact Mia Herron at mia@neighboragency.com.

To host a table for 10 guests, become an event sponsor, or make a tax-deductible donation, contact Steve Hoffman at shoffman@organic-center.org or (303) 499-1840.  For opportunities to donate product to the dinner, please contact Jamie Kelly at jkelly@organic-center.org.

The Organic Center's unique mission is to advance scientific research on the health and environmental benefits of organic food and farming, and to communicate those benefits to the public. As an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) research and education organization, we envision improved health for the Earth and its inhabitants through conversion of agriculture to organic methods. All of The Organic Center's research reports, publications, consumer guides and videos are available free of charge on our website, www.organic-center.org.

SOURCE The Organic Center

MOM's Organic Market, the Baltimore-Washington metro area's homegrown organic grocery chain, announced the Grand Opening of its new store in Bowie, Maryland. The MOM's Grand Opening Celebration will take place February 13th through the 15th. This sixth MOM's location is located at the newly renovated Hilltop Center, at the intersection of Annapolis Road (Rt. 450) and Race Track Road.

 

In addition to 100% organic produce, the new store will provide area residents with a large variety of organic grocery and dairy items, bulk foods, artisanal cheeses and breads, local and organic meats, sustainable seafood, gluten-free foods, supplements and body care products, environmentally friendly household goods, and holistic pet products.

"I was born and raised in Prince George's County.  I am extremely happy to be opening our 2nd store here.  The County has been largely ignored by national chains for as long as I can remember and the residents deserve a source for reasonably priced, healthy organic groceries," said Scott Nash, the founder and CEO of MOM's.

Grand Opening festivities will include:

• Free Goody bags to the first 50 customers.
• Green thumb fun, face painting, and other kid friendly activities.
• Food tastings including local cheeses, fresh organic produce, locally roasted organic coffee, and much more.
• Free samples, raffles, and prizes.  

Founded in 1987 in Scott Nash's mother's garage as a home delivery/mail order provider of organic foods, MOM's has grown to become the region's premiere chain of locally owned and operated organic grocery stores, offering an incredible selection of organic products at everyday low prices. MOM's currently operates six stores in the Washington/Baltimore area including: Rockville, MD, College Park, MD, Alexandria, VA and Columbia East, MD, Frederick, MD and Bowie, MD.

 

SOURCE MOM's Organic Market

- An Award Winning Independent Company Renowned for its Ethical Business Ethos

The big talking point this Christmas in some circles is not just how much should we spend but should we be buying Christmas gifts at all? The PC brigade would have us all leading dull austere lives, or so it seems. For my part I think it's good for the soul to give presents and it's great to receive them, this is the tradition of Christmas.

But having said that, maybe the politically correct "thought police" do have a point. I don't subscribe to their preferred martyrdom at Christmas but like many other people I do wonder at the senseless giving and acquiring of so many useless gifts. I feel like screaming when I get yet another scented candle in a box..... So here is my idea, instead of budgeting to allocate a spend level to all the various members of a close group of friends say your sister's family or neighbours that you socialise with, amalgamate the individual budgets and buy one big family present.

So why not buy them a Christmas gift hamper? "It will cost a fortune" you might say. No it won't... once you have combined all the individual budgets you will probably save money. It makes so much sense and scores maximum points on all fronts. Christmas gift hampers are really useful and sustainable; you eat and drink all the contents, and the wicker hampers are re-usable. There is something for everybody and most of the items will be genuine treats... things you wouldn't normally buy in the weekly shop.

Of dramatic importance is that it's very, very exciting to receive a hamper. Hampers are really special and excellent gifts to both give and receive. Only the best people receive Christmas gift hampers! Perhaps a little elitist but you will have so thrilled the family that receives such a great Christmas gift. And that feeling is really good for the giver as well.

A Christmas hamper is more or less a totally sustainable gift concept especially if you order from Real Food Direct. Please look at the range, there are hampers at all prices with great organic foods and wonderfully different treats. All the products are sourced from independent producers and RFD is a completely independent award winning company that is renowned for its ethical business practices. RFD doesn't just walk the walk to "appear" to be on side with issues. Please visit the website and consider giving Christmas gift hampers to people you care about and want to remember and include this Christmas:

SOURCE Real Food Direct

Health care costs and heightened public health concerns have consumers focused on staying well in 2010. That's according to a recent MamboTrack(TM) study by Mambo Sprouts Marketing, the leader in natural and organic product marketing and promotions, which surveyed the organic buying and wellness habits of 1,000 natural product consumers to get an outlook for the coming year.

Nine in ten (88%) consumers took additional steps recently to promote their family's health and wellness. With the economic recovery in slow mode, consumers are going "back to basics" to bolster their health, with 7 in 10 or more taking vitamins (84%), eating the recommended fruits and veggies (73%), and choosing organic foods (68%).

These same consumers plan to increase their commitment to health and wellness behaviors including fitness and exercise (64%), getting enough sleep (63%) and eating fruits and veggies (61%). More than 1 in 2 reported adding more "raw" and "whole" foods into their diet (57%), eating organic foods (53%) and meditation and relaxation (52%) would be more important in 2010.

Consumers identified more health/wellness product coupons (93%) and a wider selection of health/wellness products (62%) as the retailer and natural product company strategies they would find most helpful.

Most (59%) expect to buy more organics in the coming year, albeit cost conscious consumers are seeking ways to make organics more affordable by shopping sales (53%) and using coupons (51%). Interest in buying local is on the rise with consumers shifting natural and organic dollars away from local gourmet markets (16%) and discount stores (15%) in favor of farmer's markets (52%) and local food co-ops (43%).

Consumers rated produce (69%) as the category most important to purchase organic. Other organic purchasing priorities include milk (54%), meat and poultry (54%), children's food (53%), cheese and eggs (50%). Respondents were least likely to identify beer and wine, (7%), desserts and snacks (21%) and pet products (23%) as very important to buy organic.

Notably, most survey respondents had already adopted basic "green" habits including recycling (82%), and using energy saving light bulbs (75%), environmentally friendly cleaning products (61%), and energy efficient appliances (52%). Apart from energy efficient light bulbs, those same tools ranked highest in green priority for 2010 along with eco-clothing and "green" restaurants.

SOURCE Mambo Sprouts Marketing

Organic Valley, America's largest cooperative of organic farmers and one of the nation's leading organic brands, today launched the first online calculator that shows consumers the toxic burden prevented by their choices of organic vs. non-organic and "natural" foods. The calculator is available at www.organicvalley.coop.

Much like an online shopping experience, the Organic Valley calculator invites visitors to put their favorite Organic Valley dairy products into a simulated shopping basket to weigh the positive impact of their organic food choices. As each food product is placed in the basket, the calculator automatically adds up and displays the amounts of pesticides and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers avoided by that product, as opposed to a comparable conventional product. The numbers are derived from a calculation of USDA conventional agriculture data compared with twenty years of parallel data from Organic Valley member-farms.

"Organic Counts!," the online calculator, shows that Organic Valley farmers and consumers collectively kept 89.5 million pounds of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer and 1.25 million pounds of synthetic pesticides and herbicides from America's soil and water from 1988 to 2008. To reduce that down to a personal level, a shopper who purchased two blocks of Organic Valley cheese, two containers of cream and a gallon of milk, for example, would prevent an entire pound of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer from being applied to soil and leaching into our drinking water.

"We did this to show our customers that they really do make a difference when they buy products from our farmer-owned co-op, and they should feel good about it," said George Siemon, chief executive officer and founding farmer at Organic Valley. "The numbers add up quickly, and every bite counts. These metrics are real, just as the threat to our health and environment is real. That's why we have always been, and will always be organic."

"Pesticides are poison and synthetic nitrogen fertilizer damages soil and water. We've been talking about this for years; now you can see it yourself," said Theresa Marquez, chief marketing executive at Organic Valley. "Add it up. The data presented in our calculator quantifies--from the perspective of an individual's grocery list--how going organic prevents a toxic burden on ourselves and our planet. And that's just from dairy products! Imagine the positive impact of choosing ALL organic foods. It's not a time to doubt or water-down organic. It's a time to look at the numbers and facts and take action. Organic is the future for all of us."

A Fun Way to Learn and Share

Using the calculator is simple and highly educational. At any time during the simulated shopping experience, the visitor can explore the colorful, illustrated display and discover a great deal of information about the health, social, and economic benefits of organic agriculture and organic food, as well as the risks of using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers to produce food. The calculator also provides extensive references to scientific research and links to sources for more information.

Like a computer game, the calculator experience is also engaging with an animated interface and personalized results. It also incorporates social networking tools to let users share their results and challenge friends via Facebook, Twitter, and email to calculate the environmental impact of their own dairy buying purchases. It even features a printable certificate so users can share their impact at home - on the refrigerator door, for example.

The Story Behind the Numbers

The numbers presented in the calculator are unique to Organic Valley's products and don't necessarily apply to all organic dairy products. In 2008 and in celebration of its 20th anniversary, Organic Valley began analyzing data and measuring the collective positive impact of the cooperative's organic farming practices. To create the Organic Counts! online calculator, Organic Valley entered its farm-by-farm, state-by-state and year-by-year production data from the past 20 years, as well as parallel data from the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to show the average amounts of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and synthetic herbicides and pesticides used on the average agricultural acre each year. The Organic Counts! online calculator then computes an individual's results by running the Organic Valley numbers against the NASS conventional averages. More about the methodology used to create the calculator can be found on the site in the information section, "The Story Behind the Numbers."

According to the ADA's Hunger and Environmental Nutrition Group, public health costs associated with pesticide poisoning and cancer are estimated at $1.1 billion per year. For adults, exposure through diet has been linked to infertility, Parkinson's, testicular cancer, birth defects and much more. More than one million children in America age five and under ingest at least 15 pesticides daily. Early exposures are suspected in the sharp rise in health problems including autism, obesity, asthma, brain cancer and other childhood cancers.

The EPA has documented that synthetic nitrogen fertilizer runoff leaches into drinking water supplies, and groundwater contamination has been found in all 50 states. Synthetic fertilizers contain forms of nitrogen that can break down into nitrates that threaten human health.

To visit the Organic Counts! online calculator and measure the positive impact of eating Organic Valley products, please visit www.organicvalley.coop.

To learn more about how organic food and farming heals the environment and improves your personal health, you can also visit www.organic-center.org and www.rodale.org.

Source: Organic Valley

Culinary School of the Rockies (CSR) is pioneering a new approach to culinary education through their Farm to Table Externship. CSR is the only culinary school in the nation to offer an innovative five-week off-campus Externship that takes students to work on farms, wineries, ranches and restaurants, in Colorado's breathtaking North Fork Valley (near Aspen) and in Boulder County.

A new crop of culinary students are learning firsthand how to source local ingredients from farmers, growers and producers. The farming experience is topped off by an apprenticeship with acclaimed Farm to Table Colorado chefs in restaurants such as Fruition in Denver, Six89 in Carbondale, and The Kitchen in Boulder.

"Working directly with the farmers provides our students a real life glimpse of the farm to table philosophy from people who live and breathe it everyday," said Culinary School of the Rockies Chef Instructor Adam Dulye. "Our students graduate with extraordinary respect for ingredients, because they experience hands-on the efforts and emotions involved in growing vegetables and fruits, and raising and processing lambs, chickens and pigs. We want them to develop a passion for savoring and serving the freshest and best-tasting ingredients available."

The Farm to Table Externship, was developed by CSR in response to the growing movement in sustainability, and is a natural extension of the school's values. Since its founding in 1991, the school has been committed to fresh and innovative culinary education, including keeping a "green commitment" by actively purchasing local, fresh products and ingredients whenever available and by recycling and composting its waste products year-round.

"I am really looking forward to working with the animals, and even participating in the lamb slaughter. I want to know exactly where my food comes from and how it gets to my plate," says Kade Ferachi, a Culinary Arts student who is eagerly awaiting the externship. Culinary Arts Students will spend 10 days in September working at Zephyros Farm, Abundant Life, High Wire Ranch, Jack Rabbit Hill Winery and with artisan producers to help harvest and learn about sustainable food systems.

The school will host a Celebration Farm to Table Dinner on Tuesday, September 15, at Zephyros Farm. The dinner is located outside, in the fields surrounded by lamb pastures, acres of flowers, and rows and rows of lush vegetables. One long dining table is covered in a crisp white table cloth and set for 100 people. The students are preparing: Basil Marinated Melon Skewers with Crispy Ham; Pork Belly Sliders with Caramelized Peach Jam served with Summer Onion Rings; Savory Bread Pudding with Goat Cheese and Bacon Lardons, and much more. Tickets are $75, and available here

Farm to Table is a broad trend toward supporting local, organic, and natural farms and producers. "This is not a passing fad in the culinary world, rather, it is a lasting cultural shift," says Joan Brett, Culinary School of the Rockies' CEO. "We want our graduates to appreciate and understand the intricacies and challenges of sourcing and serving local, seasonal food. It makes them more marketable, and I believe, they will be the next leaders in guiding our nation's restaurant, grocery and hospitality industries in creating a new future for restaurants, businesses and farming communities."

Culinary School of the Rockies offers intense, short-term culinary and pastry programs that fully immerse students in classic and cutting-edge techniques, with an emphasis on using local and seasonal ingredients. Nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET), CSR is located at 637 South Broadway, Suite H, Boulder (303.494.7988). For further information, visit www.culinaryschoolrockies.com

SOURCE Culinary School of the Rockies

Consumers are still committed to healthy, natural and organic foods, but are changing their buying habits to maintain these priorities during the economic recession. That's according to a recent MamboTrack(TM) quick poll by Mambo Sprouts Marketing, the leader in natural and organic product marketing and promotions. The company surveyed the buying habits of natural and organic product consumers to identify recent changes in organic shopping and eating patterns.

Even with the tight economy, natural and organic consumers remain committed to eating healthy with 9 in 10 (87%) reporting that they were not willing to give this up. A majority (about 55% each) would not forego healthy and eco activities such as natural and organic products, vitamins and supplements and "green" environmentally friendly products.

Those adjusting their organic buying and eating habits (45% of respondents) are frugal shoppers seeking value and ways to purchase organics more economically such as being more selective when buying organics (67%), buying organics on sale (65%), using more coupons (50%), and buying more store brand/private label organics (48%).

Respondents see this change in the way they purchase organics as long term. Most will (52%) or may (32%) continue these new buying habits when the economy improves. The outlook for organic products looks strong, with more than 8 in 10 respondents planning to buy the same amount of organics (46%) or more (36%) when economy improves (1 in 6 were unsure; only 2% will buy less).

Store brand/private label organics remain part of the cost saving strategy with 9 in 10 (88%) buying on a regular (38%) or occasional (50%) basis. One in four (26%) are buying more of these products since the recession started. Grocery staples such as cereal, grains and pasta (80%), dairy (72%), condiments (61%) and household cleaning products (61%) displayed the highest store brand/private label category purchasing.

"For branded organic products, the challenge is to regain market share through brand building initiatives such as layered promotions, education regarding brand values and coupons so that they are well positioned post-recession," said Matthew Saline, CEO for Mambo Sprouts Marketing.

SOURCE Mambo Sprouts Marketing