Where's the proof?

Guest blogger Lance Jungmeyer chiming in...

MSNBC was making big headlines online with its piece, "Produce puzzle: Locally-grown or organic?"

But the piece, supposedly penned by Today nutritionist Joy Bauer, makes a dubious claim that a dozen produce items should be eaten organically.

Suggested 12 foods to buy ORGANIC:
Apples
Cherries
Grapes, imported
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Raspberries
Strawberries
Bell peppers
Celery
Potatoes
Spinach

The unfortunate thing is Bauer gives no indication as to where she got this information, nor does she make any attempt to back it up. I tried looking at Bauer's Web site, so I could send her an e-mail asking where she got the information. However, there is no way to contact her directly, just any of the numerous assistants who work in either her East Coast or West Coast office.

I'll try to find out definitively where the list came from, but at first glance it would appear to have originated from Consumers Union. I'm sending an e-mail to one of Bauer's minions. I'll let you know what I find out.

Global powers of retailing

Luis of the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group has added a couple of valuable files to the group in the past few days. This 48-page 2008 Global Powers of Retailing pdf (Standing out from the crowd) apprises just what it says and makes some interesting observations about who is gaining ground and why. Here is a sampling of big picture commentary from the report:

The medium-term direction of the global economy will be set largely by two countries: China and the US. Together, these behemoths account for a sizable share of global economic growth, and especially import growth – thereby stimulating exports and economic growth in the rest of the world. Hence, how they perform matters. Moreover, the financial imbalance between these two countries has already had serious consequences for growth, exchange rates, and interest rate. More may follow. Currently, the global economy is undergoing a transition from one era of economic expansion to another. The transition itself was brought on by the bursting of a bubble in the US housing market. Yet bubbles don’t emerge at random. They are usually caused by an economic shock — which in this case was the huge flow of liquidity from China to the US. And, of course, bubbles eventually burst.

TK: The discussion group continues to be a great place to feel the pulse of the industry, with recent threads about the farm bill, genetically modified crops, Russia, the EPA and third party audits. You are missing out on some keen observers of food politics, production and marketing by by not being a member. Follow the file link above to join.....

Moscow

Moscow is huge, big enough now to have growing demand for unique items like the Grapple apple, not to mention California air-freighted stone fruit and a small but slowly growing base of organic items. While the ultra high end premium retail niche has a different order list than discount retailers in Russia, sources said even some discount importers are beginning to regularly stock U.S. apples and pears. One importer said consumers like the appearance, quality and taste of Washington apples. It is at least in some part the eye candy effect; an easy comparison with European fruit is that Washington apples are waxed while European apples are not.