From The Summer 2005 Issue of Natural Grocery Buyer

Trendspotting

Sites aim to be go-to spots for consumers
Visualize The Matrix’s Laurence Fishburne, but more like a cow. Meet Moopheus, the bovine star of www.sustainabletable.org. The new Web site encourages Americans to eat, learn more about and advocate for foods produced naturally and with respect for the environment, independent farmers, farmworkers and animals. Sustainable Table is produced by New York-based nonprofit Global Resource Action Center for the Environment. GRACE is also behind eatwellguide.org, factoryfarm.org and themeatrix.com, where Moopheus takes Leo, a naïve, rural farm pig, on a nightmare tour of a factory farm in a short, animated film.

Another new site, www.organic.org, aims to be a comprehensive resource for anybody looking for information on organic food, from neophyte consumers to dedicated organics fans. It includes recipes, new product news, nutrition questions and kids’ activities. Boise, Idaho-based designer Tom Foerstel, who came up with the idea, says www.organic.org will feature “all the things I was looking for but couldn’t find when I dedicated myself to supporting the organic industry almost 10 years ago.”

—Kelly Pate Dwyer

Cosmetics companies make products safer
Under pressure from both the Breast Cancer Fund and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, two major cosmetics companies, L’Oréal and Revlon, have agreed to eliminate chemicals suspected of causing cancer, birth defects and infertility from their products.

The change comes in the wake of a recent European Union ban on a large number of chemicals widely used in cosmetics. These chemicals—highly suspected or scientifically proven to be carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins—are now illegal in cosmetics sold throughout the EU. However, U.S. law still allows the majority of these chemicals in cosmetics formulations, including a class of substances called phthalates, which are thought to cause cancer and birth defects.

In early 2005, L’Oréal and Revlon announced that they would reformulate their products to eliminate phthalates and other toxic chemicals. Another major cosmetics company, Unilever, announced that products sold in the United States do not contain phthalates DBP and DEHP, but did not indicate whether it would cease to use more than a thousand other toxic chemicals banned under the EU directive. “This is a victory for women’s health and consumers,” said Jeanne Rizzo, executive director of the Breast Cancer Fund. “Regrettably, U.S. law still permits companies to put unlimited amounts of toxic chemicals into cosmetics sold in the United States.”

In February, FDA issued a warning to the cosmetics industry that the agency will be vigilant in enforcing the law that requires companies to inform consumers that personal care products have not been safety tested. This action could require companies to issue consumer warnings for the more than 99 percent of personal care products on the market that have not been publicly assessed for safety. FDA recently conducted a safety study of phthlates, but is refusing to publicly release its findings. Friends of the Earth, a founding member of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the study.

—Mitchell Clute with additional reporting from Tyler Wilcox

British supermarket makes healthy eating more affordable
Asda, the United Kingdom’s second-largest supermarket chain, has launched a major campaign of price cuts aimed at helping consumers cut weight. Beginning in January, the Wal-Mart-owned retail giant spent nearly $32 million on reducing the prices of its healthy food.

As in the United States, obesity rates in the United Kingdom have swollen like a fast food junkie’s waistband during the past decade. Government and consumer agencies have been pressuring retailers to make their products more nutritious and to make healthy options more accessible to consumers.

Asda reduced the price of its Good For You! line of 400 products and cut prices of brand-name offerings such as Weight Watchers prepared meals. The chain has reformulated its line of Smartprice food to make it more nutritious without affecting the price. As a result, Asda estimates its customers will consume 180 fewer tons of fat, 130 fewer tons of sugar and 189 fewer tons of salt in 2005. In addition, the company has begun to include fresh produce in the Smartprice line, a move made possible by purchasing fruits and vegetables that are smaller in size, yet equal in quality, to produce in Asda’s standard line.

“We’re committed to making it easier for our customers to lead a healthy life,” says Angela Spindler, Asda’s director of trading and marketing. “Our Smartprice produce range will enable millions of customers who are on a tight budget to buy top-quality fruit and veg at the lowest possible prices.”

In addition, Asda has launched a $13 million promotional campaign that includes TV advertisements and 110,000 free health screenings by nurses in all 274 stores. Now, if only they could “roll back” the calorie and fat count for Cadbury chocolate.

—Shara Rutberg