Organic Industry

I came across this great site run by Dr. Philip H. Howard, Assistant Professor Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies at University of Missouri.

Phil Howard’s research focuses on investigating the relationships between food, agriculture and public health, as well as assisting communities to characterize and respond to changes in the food system. He uses a variety of methods including multilevel regression modeling, deliberative and inclusionary processes, and data visualization. Phil is currently exploring ‘food environments’ and their potential relationships with health outcomes. He is also studying national consumer interest in ‘ecolabels’ as a potential strategy for improving the livelihoods of small- and medium-scale farms, and consolidation in the food system, particularly in the rapidly growing organic sector.

Most interesting to me were Howard’s Organic Industry Structure graphics that map who own the major companies within the organic industry. Although sad to see that some of my favorite organic companies are owned by major food corporations (M&M Mars owns Seeds of Change, Kraft owns Back to Nature), I was happy to see that there are still some major independantly owned organic companies out there such as Newman’s Own and Amy’s Kitchen.