CATCH THE BUZZ - Farm Market Registration

CATCH THE BUZZ

REGISTER YOUR FARMERS MARKET WITH THE 2010 USDA NATIONAL FARMERS MARKET DIRECTORY
According to the 2009 USDA National Farmers Market Directory, the United States boasted an impressive 5,274 operational farmers markets. That is a stunning growth of over 300 percent in the past 15 years. Now it's time to count again for 2010. The USDA National Farmers Market Directory is widely used by members of the general public, government officials and policymakers. Consumers use it to find farmers markets in their areas, while researchers, non-profits, and academics use it to analyze the farmers market industry. The USDA uses the Directory to chart growth, allocate resources and anchor part of the Know Your Farmer Know Your Food initiative, which is dedicated to building stronger local and regional food systems. Congress uses it when considering policy that impacts farmers markets. The press uses it when talking about the growth of farmers markets. The Directory is a major source of data for the innovative Food Environmental Atlas, a remarkable tool that charts the relationship between healthy food access and public health outcomes county by county. To keep the USDA National Farmers Market Directory accurate for 2010, please register your market today! State Departments of Agriculture or State Based Farmers Market Associations If you represent a State Department of Agriculture, or a State based farmers market association, you may have already received an email with a dedicated password allowing you to review farmers markets in your State and make appropriate updates for the 2010 count. Using that password, you can review and update your State's listing here. No password? No problem. You can request one at farmmkt@msu.edu (be sure to include your state in your request if you are from a farmers market association or a state department of agriculture, or the name of one of your markets if you yourself manage several). Market Managers (manage less than 5 markets) or New to the Directory If you are a market manager who manages less than 5 markets, or new to the Directory, you won't need a password. Just click here, and you can easily and quickly add your market(s) to the 2010 count. The 2010 USDA National Farmers Market Directory will be released in late summer/early fall 2010. Register your market by May 14, 2010 to make sure yours is included! Questions? Contact us at: directoryupdates@ams.usda.gov.

 

CATCH THE BUZZ - Nothing To Do With Bees This Time...

Got a NO BUZZ ZONE? Can’t keep bees where you live, or know someplace that beekeepers can’t be? Send me an email, with NO BUZZ in the subject line and tell me where, with your first and last name…Bee Culture Magazine, thedailygreen.com and Haagan Daz Ice Cream want to know. Send to Kim@BeeCulture.com today!

CATCH THE BUZZ

I Know this has nothing to do with beekeeping, but can you imagine Juicy Fruit without that foil wrapping? Well, if this is too out of line, simply hit delete.

 

US based Wrigley is set to switch from aluminium foil wrappers to paper for the packaging of its five leading chewing-gum brands.

 

The company said the packaging initiative will save about 850 tonnes of aluminium foil, keeping the equivalent of 60 million cans a year out of landfills, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times.

The article claims the switch to aluminium will be seen across the Juicy Fruit, Doublemint, Wrigley's Spearmint, Winterfresh and Big Red ranges but that Wrigley will retain the traditional foil wrappers on its Extra brand gum and the coloured versions on its 5 brand.

Cost savings

The move is seen to be cost effective as Wrigley revealed that the paper packaging will result in an outlay 13 per cent less than foil procurement costs, and the company stressed that the migration from aluminium to paper will not affect the sensory for shelf life properties of the chewing gum.

However, industry analysts may be perplexed as to the clear cut environmental benefits of the swap from foil wraps to paper by Wrigley as aluminium is known to be one of the easiest and most commonly recycled packaging materials.

 According to findings of a North America based Mintel survey released last month, 19 per cent of respondents want gum and mints to have more environmentally sustainable packaging.

However, the participants also stated that they believe functionality is crucial in the gum packaging category, with nearly 50 per cent of people cited packaging that reseals better or is easier to open as being most important.

Bill Patterson, senior analyst at Mintel, said that while not entirely recession proof, products such as gum, mints and breath fresheners are faring well on the US market due to their low price points and the feeling that consumers are getting a small treat.

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