In keeping with its mission to create a greater awareness and demand for organic products, The Organic Center, Foster, R.I., has launched an aggressive national consumer education and outreach campaign called "Mission Organic 2010."
The goal of Mission Organic 2010 is to help consumers understand the benefits of an organic diet, thereby increasing organic food consumption to 10 percent of the U.S. food supply by the year 2010. Currently, organic food consumption is at 2 percent. The Center plans to increase consumer participation through a national multi-media awareness campaign about the benefits of eating organic based on its own funded research and State of Science Reviews that provide a consumer-friendly snapshot of studies on specific topics related to the benefits of organic food.
"Mission Organic 2010 is our next step in getting the science behind organic foods out to the consumer who may not realize all the benefits of organic," says R. Mark Davis, CEO of The Organic Center. "The campaign will be relevant and informative so all people can benefit from the research we have on organic foods."
The Organic Center is currently funding multi-year research projects at Tufts University, Washington State University and the World Vegetable Center. Now in its third year, these projects are producing positive results that show higher levels of lycopene, phytonutrients and antioxidants in organic fruits and vegetables.
"The natural products industry has done an amazing job of elevating the awareness of organic food to where it is now," says Davis. "We want to help push the awareness to that next level and enlighten more Americans to the advantages of an organic lifestyle."
Over the next several months The Organic Center will launch an interactive Mission Organic 2010 Web site where consumers can learn about the science behind organic foods and how they can be part of the mission to increase organic food consumption to 10 percent by 2010.
The Organic Center is a not-for-profit (501 (c) (3)) organization founded in 2002 to present and provide peer-reviewed scientific evidence on how organic products benefit human and environmental health. Its research and educational efforts are funded through individuals, foundations, businesses and government programs. For more information about The Organic Center, its current programs and scientific reports, visit www.organic-center.org.