Hain Celestial

Citi began to pilot its Citi Tap and Pay mobile payment system last week in the city of Bengaluru, India, to test the feasibility of next-generation contactless credit card payments based on near field communications (NFC) technology.

They may be cutting back on certain purchases, given the dismal economy, but U.S. families are continuing to buy organic products. As a matter of fact, almost three-quarters (73 percent) of U.S. families buy organic products at least occasionally, mainly for health reasons, according to the 2009 U.S. Families’ Organic Attitudes and Beliefs Study, which was jointly sponsored by the Organic Trade Association (OTA) and KIWI Magazine.

An equivalency agreement has been reached between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said yesterday in her keynote address at the Organic Trade Association (OTA)’s All Things Organic Conference and Trade Show in Chicago.

Findings from the “2009 U.S. Families’ Organic Attitudes and Beliefs Study,” which will be released next week at the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA) All Things Organic Conference and Trade Show in Chicago, indicate that U.S. families aren’t giving up on organic products despite the uncertain economy.

Following its announcement double-digit growth for the organic industry, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) has named the recipients of its Organic Leadership Awards: Canadian organic advocate Paddy Doherty and the United States' first and most influential organic rice growing family, Eldon, Wendell, Harlan and Homer Lundberg.

According to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), which has released the results from its 2009 Organic Industry Survey, U.S. sales of organic products, both food and nonfood, reached $24.6 billion by the end of 2008, growing an impressive 17.1 percent over 2007 sales, despite tough economic times. While the overall economy has been losing ground, sales of organic products reflect very strong growth during 2008.

Two iPhone apps were developed to help consumers be a little greener this past Earth Day. The Coupon Sherpa iPhone application (www.couponsherpa.com), from the Fort Collins, Colo.-based company of the same name, allows shoppers to access in-store coupons on their iPhone or iPod Touch.

For iPhone users, information on how to go organic for Earth Day is right at their fingertips, thanks to a new application developed through a collaboration by the Organic Trade Association (OTA), Earth Day Network and MusicMatters.