FYI: The food issue from ClearlySo!

"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." George Washington Carver What is Social Entrepreneurship? Statement of Faith You can find other "Market with Meaning" but you definitely want to see "Profit with Purpose". I personally "Believe in Kingdom Transformation" because I know there is only ONE "Life for Significant". 社會企業家的事業 my facebook  &  my twitter  &  my tumblr --- 2009年11月28日 星期六，ClearlySo <newsletter@clearlyso.com> 寫道﹕ 寄件人: ClearlySo <newsletter@clearlyso.com> 主題: The food issue from ClearlySo! 收件人: incubator.hou@gmail.com 日期: 2009年11月28日,星期六,上午12:15 Having trouble viewing this email? Click here ClearlySo Newsletter November 2009 Dear Houghton, Inspired by a radio programme I heard recently on successful ethical food companies, I bring you: A lowdown of the main ethical trends in food, including the questions people are asking and sample companies from the ClearlySo directory. And the normal... Jobs in the social business sector: techies, internships and feature writers BIG NEWS Read on... Quick Links Join us Become a fan Follow us on Twitter Fairtrade vs organic vs local: The lowdown Fairtrade Everyone seems to know about Fairtrade these days- it's all people talked about in our voxpop on social business.  But here's an explanation just in case: If a product has the Fairtrade mark it means that the producers have received a fair price for their materials that includes something called a 'Fairtrade premium' to be invested in the local community. The questions everyone is asking: Does the Fairtrade premium distort the market? Is the logo a little bit dated? Does Fairtrade have to have a capital 'F'? Is it better to buy a Fairtrade banana than an organic, locally grown apple? Some sample ClearlySo Fairtrade companies: Ubuntu (cola) Cafedirect (coffee) Divine (chocolate) Non-food: Epona (ethical hoodies) Non-food: Made (east African jewellery) Also: See Tom's June blog on Shared Interest, a financial services company for Fairtrade companies, which started off an interesting debate on the future of Fairtrade. Organic According to our social business glossary, organic food is: 'any food derived from plants or animals that has been produced without the use of man-made fertilisers, pesticides, growth regulators, routine antibiotics and livestock feed additives.' It is regulated by various organisations over the world, the main UK one being The (glamorously named) Soil Association.  Organic has grown hugely as a market over the last few years and appeals to consumers not only because of the ethical/environmental benefits but also (perhaps to a greater extent) the perceived health and nutritional benefits. The questions everyone is asking: Does eating organic food really have any health benefits? Is organic food scaleable, given that more land is required to produce the same amount of produce than if chemicals are used? Some sample ClearlySo organic companies: Davenport Vineyards (Sussex wine) Neals Yard (cosmetics, cheese and bread... and more) Riverford Organics (box scheme). Local Not to be confused with organic but often overlapping (organic food is, given the lack of preservatives, best eaten near the site of production), the local food movement is driven by the desire to support local communities and, in some cases, to conserve varieties of produce that would otherwise lose their way amidst iceberg lettuces and Spanish strawberries. The questions everyone is asking: How local is local? Is an organic Portuguese grape better than an inorganic grape from the next door county? Is this food nationalism? Some sample ClearlySo local-focused companies: Foodlovers Britain Tolhurst Organic Riverford Organics (again!)   ClearlySo Jobs A sample of some of the great social business jobs available on ClearlySo: JustGiving is looking for a senior .NET developer Ecojam is looking for feature writers Caf嶮irect is looking for a communications volunteer And ClearlySo is looking for an intern! For more jobs click here, or why not upload a new job yourself? BIG NEWS   There are now 561 social businesses and enterprises listed on ClearlySo (and climbing).  Here's some of their news: Bikeworks wins 'Best New Social Enterprise' award: Bikeworks is an east London based social enterprise that offers a range of organisational and public cycle services, including; cycle training courses, repairs, bike re-cycling, travel planning and sales of new & second hand bikes. Punch and Juicy's Davina Roberts wins Future 100: Punch and Juicy is a new social enterprise that provides training and employment to the homeless. Wedge Card announces Kensington and Chelsea launch: Wedge Card is a reward card for customers of independent local businesses. ...And ClearlySo launched its foray into Canada! And Finally...   As the person in charge of web development I'd love to hear your thoughts about the website and what you would like to see on it. We are building the website in response to the demands of our main user groups: social businesses and enterprises, socially-minded investors, suppliers and those who wish to engage with this thriving sector.  Traffic is surging and we'd like to keep it that way- tell us what you want! Best regards, Julia and the Team ClearlySo Forward email This email was sent to incubator.hou@gmail.com by newsletter@clearlyso.com. Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. 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