Mark Fergusson's blog

I am excited to tell you that Down to Earth ALL VEGETARIAN Organic & Natural will add a sixth Hawaii store next year in the Kapolei Commons Shopping Center.  We will break ground early in 2011.  The new Kapolei location will be Down to Earth's largest store and employ about 50 people.  At 10,000 square feet, it will be our new flagship store, and our largest yet. Keep Reading →

An article in the Honolulu Advertiser today talks about aquaculture in Hawaii, and how various environmental groups are opposed to it on the basis that it is harmful to the environment.  Aquaculture is another way of saying a fish factory farm, a large number of fish concentrated together in a small area.  The concentrated fish population releases huge amounts of excretment into a very small area of the ocean; antibiotic use by the farmed fish is also a concern, both for native fish populations, and for the human consumers of the fish.   Keep Reading →

Today we launched our new “ALL VEGETARIAN Preferred Brand” program. This program recognizes those brands that have made the decision to make their entire product range ALL VEGETARIAN, GMO free, natural, and organic (1). Ten great brands, including Amy’s – one of my personal favorites, met our stringent criteria and have been awarded ALL VEGETARIAN Preferred Brand status by Down to Earth. Preferred brands have special signage so you can easily see them on our shelves, and will also be given preferential treatment in our monthly flyer program. Keep Reading →

It feels like we have lost the ability to respectfully disagree. This is occurring on the national and state level as evidenced by the increasingly partisan positions that our political leaders are taking, whether it be in the school furlough negotiations, or in the national health care debate. Even in debates where the people involved are actually close in their outlook and aims, often vitriol and bitter words are reserved for those who have the same general aims and outlook, but who differ in some of their views. A recent example from my own dealings: Keep Reading →

Tell the USDA that you care about GMO contamination of organic food. The USDA believes that there is “no consumer evidence” that we care about genetically engineered food intermixing and contaminating organic food. They are about to deregulate GE alfalfa without any limitations or protections for farmers or the environment.

This, despite the recent report by Nielsen, Co. that 'GMO-free' is the fastest-growing health and wellness claim among store brands, with sales of these items up 67 percent in 2009 to $60.2 million. [2] As usual, the USDA ignores these statistics. Keep Reading →