By Dee Ann Durbin

U.S. shoppers are still paying more for organic food, but the price premium is falling as organic options multiply.

Last year, organic food and beverages cost an average of 24 cents more per unit than conventional food, or about 7.5 percent more, according to Nielsen. That was down from a 27 cent, or 9 percent, premium in 2014.

There’s a lot of variation within those numbers. The average price for a gallon of organic milk — $4.76 — is 88 percent higher than the $2.53 shoppers pay for a gallon of regular milk. Organic eggs have an 86 percent premium. At $4.89 per loaf, organic bread is double the cost of regular bread.

Parents buying organic baby food, on the other hand, pay just 3 percent more than they would for conventional baby food. In mid-January, a bunch of organic kale was 5 percent more than organic kale, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Some organic products — like artichokes, soy milk and Granny Smith apples — may even cost less than their conventional counterparts.

There are many shifting factors behind the prices for organic foods. Premiums for milk and eggs tend to be much higher, for example, because the government has very specific rules for what “organic” means. For example, cows producing organic milk must be allowed to graze for at least one-third of their food intake, says Jeremy Moghtader, the manager of the campus farm at the University of Michigan.

The rules “have real benefits to the animal, the consumer and environment, but they do increase the price of production,” Moghtader said.

Organic and conventional vegetables are grown in similar ways, so the price difference tends to be lower. Organic farmers can save money by not using pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, but they may have to pay more for workers to pull weeds or control bugs, Moghtader said.

One reason organic premiums are falling is the increase in products on the shelves. Organics used to be confined to health food stores and high-end groceries like Whole Foods, but mainstream stores are increasingly offering them. Kroger, one of the nation’s largest grocery chains, says it stocks 9,000 organic items in its stores and notched $1 billion in organic produce sales in 2017.

On a recent weekday, Kroger was selling Simple Truth organic orange juice — its in-house brand — for $3.49 for 52 fluid ounces. That was $1 more than the same size of conventional Kroger-brand orange juice, or 49 cents more than conventional Tropicana-brand orange juice.

Costco’s Kirkland Signature store brand introduced organic eggs in 2007 and organic beef in 2012. Walmart’s Great Value store brand sells a 15-ounce can of organic pumpkin for $1.88; that’s just 10 cents more than conventional Libby’s brand canned pumpkin.

Consumer demand also impacts prices. Right now, demand for organics is outpacing supply in many categories. U.S. sales of fast-moving consumer goods — a category that includes food, beverages and toiletries — were flat last year, but sales of organic goods jumped 9 percent, Nielsen said.

Millennial households are leading that charge, as they stock up on organic milk and baby food for their children. But other generations are also buying more organic products. Overall, 88 percent of American households have bought organic food or beverages.

“Consumers are more focused on products that have some benefit to them,” Sarah Schmansky, a vice president of growth and strategy at Nielsen.

In some cases, organics are breathing life back into dusty grocery aisles. Sales of conventional lunchmeat and cheese at the deli counter had been weakening, since consumers didn’t want to wait for them to be sliced. But buyers seeking fresh, organic options are returning to the deli. Sale of organic deli lunchmeat have risen an average of 18 percent annually over the last four years, while organic deli cheese sales are up 26 percent.

Schmansky said food scares — like E. coli outbreaks traced to lettuce — are also leading some consumers to organic labels because they trust them.

While price premiums may continue to drop, it’s difficult to say if they’ll ever go away entirely, says Ryan Koory, a senior economist at Mercaris, a data firm that tracks organic agriculture.

Looser government policies and crop insurance programs better tailored to small organic farms could help lower those premiums, Koory said.

A recession could also lower consumer demand for organics, and therefore their price premiums. But if the last recession is any guide, those premiums could bounce back quickly.

Link to story

By Jessica Nusbaum and Julia Ann Easley, UC Davis

Airline menus boasting California wines, vineyard growing histories and even a movie screenplay set during Prohibition are among the latest additions to the wine collections of the library at the University of California, Davis.

Wine Institute, the leading association for the California wine industry, has donated its organizational archives and book collection to UC Davis. They complement the extensive wine collections already at the university and will help researchers understand how the California wine industry recovered from Prohibition and rose to the level of international prominence it enjoys today.

“We’re delighted to see our materials become part of the university’s rich collection on California wine and to make them broadly available to scholars, researchers, writers and wineries,” said Robert P. “Bobby” Koch, president and CEO of the institute.

“The three most significant organizational archives covering the rise of California wine since Prohibition are those from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, and Wine Institute,” said Axel Borg, the library’s wine subject specialist. “We had the government papers and the scientific research. Now we have the leading industry voice represented as well.”

The Wine Institute Records on the American Wine Industry — currently being cataloged by the library and available for public use by early summer — cover the 20th century after the repeal of Prohibition. They include:

• the collected works of Maupin, an 18th-century French viticulturalist who made significant contributions to the understanding of grape growing
• a photography archive including more than 2,200 images of vineyards, wineries, grape varietals, winemaking, harvesting, events, promotion and more — mostly dating from the 1930s to 1960s
• winery survey data, county records and regional growing histories
• speeches by wine scholars, producers and writers
• wine lists and menus
• approximately 4,000 wine labels
• materials related to wine and popular culture, such as the screenplay for the 1959 film, This Earth Is Mine, set and filmed in the Napa Valley

Leading industry voice on California wine

Formed in 1934 following the repeal of Prohibition, Wine Institute leads public policy advocacy in all 50 states, federally and internationally on behalf of 1,000 California wineries and affiliated businesses that represent 81 percent of U.S. wine production and more than 90 percent of U.S. wine exports.

‘Greatest wine library in the world’

The UC Davis Library, which has been called the “greatest wine library in the world,” already holds the papers of many of the leaders who shaped the wine industry in California and beyond, including former UC Davis professors Maynard Amerine and Harold Olmo; winemakers Robert Mondavi and Martin Ray; and California-based wine writers Leon Adams, Bob Thompson and Charles Sullivan.

Link to item on UC Davis web site

Note – The California Department of Food and Agriculture is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a state agency in 2019. Throughout the year this blog will feature a number of items to commemorate the milestone.    

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (then simply the Dept. of Ag) began in 1919 when various Ag regulatory programs were pulled together under one umbrella by the state legislature. However, there are several other starting points of note – in 1878, 1880, 1899 and 1913. In fact, the agency has already celebrated a ‘100th anniversary,’ back in 1980.

An early Ag regulatory effort came in 1878, when the legislature passed a law to prohibit the labeling of oleomargarine as butter, but made no provision for enforcement.

Two years later, in 1880–the development embraced for the first 100th anniversary–the legislature appointed a seven-member State Board of Viticulture to protect grapevines from phylloxera root rot.

In 1899, California began its long relationship with invasive fruit flies by pioneering an effort to keep the Mexican fruit fly out of the United States. CDFA’s Division of Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services still battles that pest as well as many others as it carries out its mission to protect California’s food supply and the environment.

Also in 1899, the office of the California State Veterinarian was established by the legislature to “protect the health of all domestic animals of the state from all contagious and infectious diseases, so far as practical.” It gave birth to what is now CDFA’s Animal Health Branch.

In 1913 the legislature created the Office of the State Superintendent of Weights and Measures. The office’s early responsibilities included inspections of railroad track scales and weights and measures used in state hospitals and prisons. The office joined the Department of Agriculture in 1921 as the Division of Weights and Measures and took on duties like mattress inspection and bread standardization. CDFA’s Division of Measurement Standards continues with the core functions of that work today, making sure that measurements used in commerce are fair and accurate, although bread and mattresses are no longer among its programs. 

From that multi-faceted beginning CDFA has progressed to a thoroughly modern agency organized into six divisions. The Department operates at more than 100 locations throughout the state. These divisions and their programs provide valuable services to producers, merchants and the public. Many of CDFA’s programs are conducted in partnership with local county offices of agricultural commissioners and sealers.

CDFA strives to support a tradition of innovation and agricultural diversity by working with private industry, academia and public sector agencies. These partnerships allow the department to adapt public policy to a rapidly changing industry – California agriculture.

#CDFACentennial

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of virulent Newcastle disease in a small flock of backyard exhibition chickens in Utah County, Utah. This is the first case of virulent Newcastle disease in Utah. 

This case is believed to be connected to the current outbreak of virulent Newcastle disease in California, as three of the birds at the premises were recently moved to Utah from Los Angeles County, California.  Since May 2018, 299 cases of Newcastle disease have been confirmed in Southern California, primarily in backyard exhibition birds.

Virulent Newcastle disease is not a food safety concern.  No human cases of Newcastle disease have ever occurred from eating poultry products. Properly cooked poultry products are safe to eat.  In very rare instances people working directly with sick birds can become infected. Symptoms are usually very mild, and limited to conjunctivitis and/or influenza-like symptoms. Infection is easily prevented by using standard personal protective equipment.  

APHIS is working with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food to respond to the finding. Federal and State partners are also conducting additional surveillance and testing in the area.  

It is essential that all bird owners follow good biosecurity practices to help protect their birds from infectious diseases.  These include simple steps like washing hands and scrubbing boots before and after entering a poultry area; cleaning and disinfecting tires and equipment before moving them off the property; and isolating any birds returning from shows for 30 days before placing them with the rest of the flock.

In addition to practicing good biosecurity, all bird owners should report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to their veterinarian or to State veterinary officials.  Additional information on biosecurity for all poultry flocks can be found at www.aphis.usda.gov/animalhealth/defendtheflock. 

Additional background

Virulent Newcastle disease is a contagious and fatal viral disease affecting the respiratory, nervous and digestive systems of birds and poultry. The disease is so virulent that many birds and poultry die without showing any clinical signs. A death rate of almost 100 percent can occur in unvaccinated poultry flocks. Virulent Newcastle disease can infect and cause death even in vaccinated poultry.

Clinical signs of virulent Newcastle disease include: sudden death and increased death loss in the flock; sneezing; gasping for air; nasal discharge; coughing; greenish, watery diarrhea; decreased activity; tremors; drooping wings; twisting of the head and neck; circling; complete stiffness; and swelling around the eyes and neck.  Images of some of these signs are available here.

Link to USDA announcement 

Link to CDFA Virulent Newcastle Disease page

By Cynthia Sweeney

CALISTOGA — Contrary to what parents have been telling their children for eons, Linda York wants children to start playing with their food.

Their fruits and vegetables, anyway.

A former documentary filmmaker from San Diego, York lives in Calistoga and has two granddaughters who live in St. Helena.

She’s also the creator and CEO of a new product called StickyLickits, edible cartoon stickers that entice children to eat fruits and vegetables.

They feature some of Nickelodeon’s most popular animated characters including SpongeBob SquarePants and PAW Patrol, two of the most popular shows on the network.

“Sticky Lickits encourage kids to have fun with fruits and veggies, which is a way of creating a healthy new eating habit,” York said.

The colorful characters adhere to any kind of fruit or vegetable. They taste a little like vanilla, and dissolve quickly in the mouth,as this writer experienced.

While the cartoons are attractive to kids, parents like the idea that they are sugar-free, something York worked rigorously to ensure. And instead of animal gelatin, the colors are derived from real food like beets and carrots, not from food coloring.

As a documentary filmmaker, years ago York produced an exercise video for the National Institutes of Health’s largest study in the country on childhood obesity. She has also done research on childhood health and eating habits and found, “The number one concern parents have for their children is safety. Number two is nutrition,” she said.

York also cites a study done at the University of Bari Adio Moro in Italy that found that 5- and 6-year-olds choose healthy foods like kiwis, carrots and tomatoes over their usual name-brand snacks if the healthy items had a sticker featuring their favorite cartoon character.

To get the stickers into the hands of children, getting the A-team of cartoon characters for the stickers was crucial.

“I have witnessed complete meltdowns from children who can’t get products related to Paw Patrol,” York said.

York also plans to come out with more stickers with a Mr. Potato Head concept and animal faces, which have more appeal to girls.

York performed test-marketing on her own granddaughters and at children’s birthday parties.

The most frequent question she gets from parents is whether the edible stickers will encourage kids to eat regular stickers, but she hasn’t had any such reports. Once they’ve tried to eat a regular sticker that novelty will be over.

“There isn’t a child who hasn’t tried to eat a regular sticker. It doesn’t taste good,” she said.

York has spent the last year investing in licenses, logo, a website, and six weeks ago launched into distribution and sales.

“My goal is to have it in markets and charge for it, but also get it to the populations that need it the most,” she said.

Link to story

A letter to California poultry exhibitors from State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones:

 Dear Poultry Exhibition Organizers and Managers:

Since May 2018, an outbreak of virulent Newcastle disease (VND) has had a devastating impact on backyard bird populations in four Southern California counties: Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura. The virus has also been found in three commercial facilities in Riverside County. As a result, nearly 500,000 backyard and commercial birds have been euthanized.

Virulent Newcastle disease is a highly contagious respiratory virus in poultry that is nearly always fatal. The only way to stop the spread of the virus and eradicate the disease is to euthanize infected birds, and all birds within highly infected areas.

The primary way in which the disease spreads is by seemingly healthy birds being moved. Clinical signs of virulent Newcastle disease include; sudden death and increased death loss in the flock; sneezing; gasping for air; nasal discharge; coughing; greenish, watery diarrhea; decreased activity; tremors; drooping wings; twisting of the head and neck;circling; complete stiffness; and swelling around the eyes and neck. For more information, please visit: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Animal_Health/newcastle_disease_info.html

To support our disease containment and eradication efforts, the California State Veterinarian is recommending that all poultry exhibitions that include birds from high-risk counties (Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura) be cancelled. An exhibition is an assembly of birds (including but not limited to poultry) brought to the assembly location for purposes that include public display for any duration. For example, exhibitions include, but are not limited to: auctions, shows, swap meets, pet marts, fair exhibits, pigeon races, cock fights, pet stores, and petting zoos. Public zoos are not included in this definition.

Secretary Ross: “It was a very good visit about opportunities to cooperate and also to learn from one another. The discussion included the possibilities of future partnerships that would allow California to be a supporting team member on Algeria’s exciting development agenda to ensure food security – it was a lively discussion.”

The California Energy Commission has released a grant funding opportunity for eligible renewable energy projects installed on agricultural operations. Awarded grants can range from $25,000 to $350,000. Applications will be accepted until March 5, 2019, at 5:00 p.m.

The application for the program formally known as the Renewable Energy for Agriculture Program (REAP)  may be accessed at  https://www.energy.ca.gov/contracts/renewables.html#GFO-18-401. The application materials include information about upcoming workshops being held in Sacramento, Fresno, and Imperial, CA. The first one is scheduled for January 24th in Sacramento.    

Additional information for REAP can be found at https://www.energy.ca.gov/renewables/reap/.

Link to Ag Day Web page