Industry news

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Organic gets animated

15 January 2013

Why do organic producers do what they do – and why should customers care? The Soil Association has launched an appealing animation explaining some of the reasons to choose organic, and you can find animal welfare coming to life here.

Entries now open for the annual Natural and Organic Products Europe (NOPE) Awards

09 January 2013

The NOPE Awards, hosted in partnership with the Soil Association, have become a benchmark for excellence and set the highest standard for innovation, quality and commitment within the organic health and beauty industry.

Trade on Greenpeace's field at Glastonbury 2013

08 January 2013

Since the early nineties Greenpeace have been one of the lead charities invited by the Glastonbury Festival to operate at the festival where they have their own field on which they promote themselves and their international campaigns.

Catering Mark consultations: have your say

19 December 2012

We are consulting on three areas of the Food for Life Catering Mark standards

Soil Association Licensees Meet the Ocado Buyers

07 November 2012

Great feedback from our “meet the buyer event” with Ocado on 10th October 2012, when we managed to get almost 70 Soil Association licencees in front of the buying team at Ocado HQ in Hatfield.

Organic September Results

07 November 2012

The aim of our month-long promotion was to boost the market for organic products. And we achieved that, with a healthy 7.7% increase in sales over the previous month, thanks to a variety of promotions by retailers, producers and wholesalers all arou...

Congratulations to Growing Communities

22 October 2012

Congratulations to Growing Communities, a vegetable box scheme based in Hackney and run by volunteers producing most of its food locally, which was named Retailer of the Year in this year's Observer Food Monthly Awards.

Good news on fresh produce

26 September 2012

Even as producers cope with yet more appalling weather, and the doom-merchants in the retail market peddle a bit more gloom, it’s not all bad news from our licensees…

It’s gonna be a bun fight: The Big Bread Debate

21 September 2012

In the week that the Advertising Standards Authority declared an industrial baker using a photo of hands kneading dough to advertise its factory loaves was not misleading, the Real Bread Campaign and the Soil Association host The Cake & Bake Show’s ...

Superweeds in Nebraska: the case for GM-free farming on the BBC

19 September 2012

Don’t miss this important news story on the BBC’s Today programme which vividly illustrates the case against GM crops.

Acorn Dairy win Best Organic Dairy award

05 September 2012

This year’s Organic Food Awards feature a special dairy award for Best Organic Dairy, with Acorn Dairy of Darlington taking the hotly contested prize. The award was based on extra criteria including farm management, conservation, animal welfare and ...

Press comment: American study of organic food

04 September 2012

Though this US study is of limited application in Europe, we are pleased to see that it recommends organic food as a way for people to avoid pesticides in their food. Indeed, this remains consumers’ top reason for choosing organic. The report, in fa...

Export Learning Event - presentations

01 June 2012

With practically every organic market in the world showing positive growth, our own UK market is widely seen as the exception to the rule. As the Soil Association's Organic Market Report 2012 shows, organic export business has been one of the UK mar...

Catering Mark helps University of Greenwich to highest ever Green League score

30 May 2012

The University of Greenwich , which has been awarded the Soil Association's bronze Food for Life Catering Mark across all of its catering services, has become the newest name at the top of The People and Planet Green League. Awarded 55 out of a poss...

Organic Trade Board launches new consumer campaign - Organic, naturally different

14 May 2012

After a successful year for Why I Love Organic, the organic industry today announced their Year 2 plans which will continue to increase awareness of the benefits of organic food and farming and grow the current rate of organic sales.

Defra Notification of Trade Visit possibility - Japan and South Korea

19 April 2012

We have just received notification from Defra that the European Commissioner will be visiting Japan and South Korea in October. Full details are included below:

Launch of Organic Data Network – SA + ORC involved

11 April 2012

Good news. A lucky group of 30 E.U. wide researches and stakeholders met in Ancona – Italy to lay down the foundation for a three year project which outcome is to harmonise organic market data collection across the E.U.

An Introduction to Social Media - Using social media to market your business to consumers

05 April 2012

Held at Soil Association HQ in Bristol. Our offices are located here .

Natural and Organic Award winners 2012

03 April 2012

Winners of the prestigious Natural and Organic Awards 2012 were announced at the Natural and Organic Products show on Sunday 1 April at the Olympia exhibition centre, London. Kate Humble, host of BBC Countryfile and Springwatch, presented the awards...

Two new grants to support research and innovation

23 March 2012

Defra and the government’s Technology Strategy Board have announced two new funds to support research and innovation by farming and food businesses.

RHI Application Help Events

13 March 2012

Renewable Heat Incentive - how to apply for funding for renewable heat generation Your organisation may be able to benefit from the £860m Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) launched last year to make it more financially attractive for industry and busin...

Yeo Valley signs up to Ethical Trade

09 March 2012

Yeo Valley , the UK’s largest organic brand, is the latest addition to the Soil Association’s Ethical Trade scheme . This means that all of the milk used for Yeo Valley products – yoghurt, butter, cheese and milk – is now certified to Soil Associati...

Final version of group strategy published

01 March 2012

The Soil Association is pleased to publish the final version of its new group strategy: The Road to 2020. The publication sees the culmination of a large-scale consultation exercise with stakeholders, and sets out our goals and priorities over the s...

Plymouth City Council’s catering service achieves gold Catering Mark

22 February 2012

We are delighted to announce that Plymouth City Council’s catering service has achieved the prestigious gold Catering Mark for all of the city's school meals. Plymouth is the only local authority in-house caterer in England currently serving gold me...

Georgina Thomas is speaking at Printwear & Promotion Live 2012 - 26-28 February

22 February 2012

Printwear & Promotion Live 2012 features an action packed, free seminar programme and for the first time will be running daily at noon, an industry-leading keynote seminar presented by Continental Clothing, Fujifilm Sericol and The Soil Association....

New EU-US organics partnership announced

17 February 2012

We welcomed the news yesterday that the US Department of Agriculture and the EU have reached an agreement for the mutual recognition of the National Organic Program (NOP) and the EU organic regulations, effective from 1 June this year.

10 small steps to a big organic Christmas

29 November 2011

The choices we make over the festive season - about what goes on our plates, the presents we buy, what we wear and what we put on our skin – have far reaching consequences for our health, the health of our countryside, and the development of countri...

Food for Life Partnership wins BBC award

23 November 2011

Today the Soil Association led Food for Life Partnership was awarded the prestigious BBC Radio 4 Derek Cooper Award. The award recognises 'unsung heroes, whose work has increased our access to, and knowledge and appreciation of, good food'. For five...

Organic heroes nominated for Radio 4 Food & Farming Awards

21 November 2011

The Soil Association led Food for Life Partnership , the lottery funded network of schools and communities across England committed to transforming food culture, has been nominated for the prestigious Derek Cooper award in the up and coming BBC Radi...

Organic September round-up

10 October 2011

The UK’s biggest celebration of all things organic took place last month, with Organic September being marked on organic farms, in schools, by retailers and caterers and the general public. Taking a lead from the ongoing industry wide ‘discover orga...

Organic body outlines new US textile ruling

13 June 2011

The Organic Trade Association has clarified how a new US policy memo which allows organic textiles to be sold in the USA in a similar way to organic food, is also in addition to existing FTC requirements.

A growing market for organic textiles

16 May 2011

Soil Association textile licensees defied the recession in 2010 with a sales growth of 35% - reaching £12million. As the market for organic textiles grows, so does our support for organic textiles trade.

Organic red meat not expensive

15 April 2011

Expensive and elitist. That’s a perception which has been recently attached to organic food in some quarters. However, a new survey of supermarket prices adds to the evidence that this is not the case.

Health claims trump ethics with UK consumers

22 February 2011

Thirty percent more UK shoppers look for health claims than ethical ones; ‘Free range’ is twice as looked for as Fairtrade; However, almost 90 percent recognise the Fairtrade logo.

Seeking Standards Committee Chair

14 February 2011

We are looking to appoint a chair for our Processing Standards Committee.

New dates for Industry Learning Events

14 February 2011

Our one-day organic induction events provide brands, retailers and caterers the opportunity to improve their knowledge of the market while deepening their understanding of organic benefits.

Nominate for the Sunday Telegraph’s top 1,000?

14 February 2011

To mark the start of the British economy’s recovery from the recent financial crisis and recession, The Daily and The Sunday Telegraph have set out to establish which companies will drive that growth, creating the jobs and the wealth the country need...

New campaign launches to highlight benefits of organic

07 January 2011

The organic industry launches a high profile 3-year campaign that is set to deliver sales growth by increasing consumer demand for organic food in the UK.

Conference set to deliver three key sessions for trade

16 December 2010

Our 2011 conference offers three comprehensive trade elements which will be of interest to any business operating in the organic market.

Organic Fortnight 2010 - another successful year

30 September 2010

This year the key slogan for our Organic Fortnight was “Choose organic every day”, positioning organic products as an accessible, affordable everyday choice.

Half of European shoppers will buy more ethical food and drink in the future

10 September 2010

Source: IGD Half (49%) of shoppers across four European countries expect to be buying more food and grocery products with ethical credentials in the future, according to new consumer research published by international food and grocery analysts IGD....

Social gathering at Patrick Holden's farm in September

06 September 2010

Soil Association members are invited to attend a social gathering to meet other members and friends at Soil Association director Patrick Holden’s farm near Lampeter, Ceredigion on Friday 24 September from approximately 6pm-9pm.

BBC Food and Farming Awards now open

29 July 2010

The BBC Radio 4's Food and Farming Awards are now open for nominations.

IFOAM launch new EU organic logo guide

16 June 2010

A handy new guide to the use of the new EU organic logo is now available from IFOAM.

The Food for Life Partnership needs your vote!

09 June 2010

The Food for Life Partnership has just been nominated for the National Lottery Awards 2010 and needs your vote to make it through to the final round.

Ethics more important than price’, claims shopper poll

09 June 2010

Shoppers rate ethical and environmental considerations as more important than price when choosing their supermarket, according to new research.

Promoting Scotland's finest at the Royal Highland Show

25 May 2010

Soil Association Scotland is hoping to promote Scotland's finest organic products at its stand at the Roal Highland Show on 24-27 June 2010.

Organic packaging concerns

25 February 2010

New requirements on the use of the new EU organic logo on packaging materials could have “serious repercussions for the organic sector”, warns the IFOAM EU Group.

Soil Association conference 2010 - last few tickets available

29 January 2010

Date : Wednesday 3 February & Thursday 4 February 2010 Location : The Custard Factory, Birmingham
image "We wanted to make a difference to the world, so the use of organic fabrics was extremely important. Using organic cotton is not only better for the whole supply chain, but for the wearer too."
 
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