Almost three dozen leading organic brands are showing their support for organic research and teaming up with The Organic Center on May 26 to debut an engaging, inspiring, and educational experience and the largest-ever virtual organic celebration, The Organic Center’s Virtual Benefit Premiere.
This year’s benefit celebrates the important work of The Organic Center, and premiers a host of valuable content on organic for consumers, cooks, foodies and for anyone who cares about the health of our families and our planet. It features inspiring keynote speeches, informative research updates, organic recipe tutorials, fabulous prizes, and opportunities to support sponsor companies and engage in the work of The Organic Center.
“Organic research supports farmers, communities and our planet,” said Dr. Jessica Shade, Director of Science Programs for The Organic Center. “There is so much (in)credible science out there that demonstrates why organic food, fiber and farming are a healthy option for people and the planet, that looks outside the box for sustainable solutions to agronomic challenges, and that highlights the organic difference. We are thrilled that this year’s virtual benefit will be premiering such great information live into the world and sharing the science behind organic.”
Recipes, science, prizes and more
RECIPES
The Organic Center is debuting recipe tutorial videos with chef and food stylist Megan Mitchell. Each dish comes with a side of science on the nutritional and environmental benefits of the organic ingredients used.
This year’s virtual organic menu has been created with the help of sponsor products:
- Zucchini fritters with a lemon yogurt sauce featuring Stonyfield Farm organic whole milk yogurt;
- Kale, tomato and white bean stew featuring Muir Glenn organic tomatoes;
- Homemade pasta featuring Organic Valley eggs with walnut/arugula pesto;
- Peanut butter and jam bars featuring Simply Organic almond and vanilla extract, Santa Cruz Organic peanut butter and its fruit spread, and Nature’s Path organic granola;
- Mixed berry and vanilla bean tart featuring Horizon organic whole milk.
SCIENCE
Dr. Tyrone Hayes, groundbreaking biologist and activist, will be one of the keynote speakers. Dr. Hayes, a professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, is known for his important work on the impacts of the herbicide atrazine on amphibians, and his advocacy for transparency about the use of environmental chemicals and the effects they have on our health. Hayes will be giving an in-depth presentation on his research, which has also been foundational in looking at the environmental impacts of pesticide runoff.
Dr. Shade of The Center will brief attendees on some of The Center’s most significant research, including a study showing that organic milk tests clean for residues of antibiotics, pesticides, and synthetic growth hormones, which were found in over 60% of conventional milk samples; the seminal study on organic’s ability to mitigate climate change showing that organic soils across the United States sequester more carbon than conventional soils; and reaching beyond food, a study showing the environmental benefits of organic cotton.
PRIZES... AND A PARTY
Everyone is invited to join the #ORGANICBENEFIT Twitter party during the premiere. The Organic Center and the benefit’s sponsors will engage with the organic community live on Twitter, asking quiz-style questions about the science behind organic and choosing winners who will receive organic product gift packs donated by the sponsors.
This year’s prizes include a year’s supply of Cal-Organic/Grimmway Farms veggies, a pantry load of Amy’s organic meals, a three-month supply of Organic Valley products, a Lundberg Family Farms variety gift basket and rice cooker, and much more. Reserved for new subscribers to The Organic Center newsletter is an organic mattress from Naturepedic.
The virtual premier event will be held during Natural Products Expo West where The Center will be presenting a panel on the “Impacts of Pesticides on Communities of Color.” Dr. Shade will be leading an important conversation about the outsized and often hidden toll of the use of agricultural pesticides on communities of color, incorporating a diversity of perspectives from those working directly in agriculture, and scientists examining the human and environmental effects of its practices.
This year’s event will be the first time the benefit has gone virtual. There is no cost to participate. Watch here.
Sponsors for the 2021 Virtual Premiere are Albert Lea Seed House, Amy’s Kitchen, Ardent Mills, Aurora Organic Dairy, Cal-Organic/Grimmway Farms, Danone North America, Driscoll’s, Firmenich, Frey Vineyards, Frontier Co-op, General Mills, Good Earth Natural Foods, Homegrown Organic Farms, Independent Natural Food Retailers Association, Kamut International, Lundberg Family Farms, Nature’s Path Foods, Naturepedic Organic Mattresses, New Hope Network, Organic Valley, Presence Marketing, Rogue Creamery, Stonyfield Farm, The J.M. Smucker Company, True Organic Products, Uncle Matt’s Organic, Whole Foods Market and Wholesome.
The Organic Center partners with established institutions, universities, and non-profits in the pursuit of sound science for the public good. It is a small organization achieving big results by sharing (In)credible science, credibly sourced. For more information on The Organic Center, visit www.organic-center.org.
The Organic Center's mission is to convene credible, evidence-based science on the health and environmental impacts of organic food and farming and to communicate the findings to the public. The Center is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) research and education organization operating under the administrative auspices of the Organic Trade Association.
Attachment