• It’s a fruit
• It’s part of the berry family
• It’s a Native American species
• It’s one of few fruits that is native to North America
• There are over 450 varieties of this fruit
• In addition to corn, it was a crop planted by the Pilgrims in the 1600s
• It is delicious both fresh and preserved
• It’s high in antioxidants

What organic snack do you think is being added to the Allgood Provisions family of products? Leave your guess in a comment here!

For their 2^nd annual Clean Choice Awards, the magazine has revealed their favorite high quality, all natural products that they think every home should stock in the pantry. These products not only taste good, but also are good-for-you (without excess sugar, salt, fat or chemicals). Their nine person judging panel (comprised of editors, nutritionists, fitness and healthy lifestyle experts) exhausted their taste buds sampling products in categories ranging from pantry staples to time-savers. We’re so grateful to be included in the best snack category and we think our Cherries are in great company.

The April/May issue hits newsstands on April 2^nd and we hope you’ll pick up a copy. Thanks to the magazine—and all our fans—for loving our Cherries!

Eating sustainable and healthy food is a challenge for many people. Add in climate change, inefficient safety standards and about 2 billion mouths to feed within the next 25 years, and the food crisis will only become worse. Businessweek recently published a story on the food crisis and enlisted a panel of experts to advise on how they would fix it. The biggest factors addressed were technology and politics.

Technology is extremely important now and in the future. It enables us to track our food quality and product system, which will help us become efficient producers of food. By increasing our productivity and efficiency we will be able to provide more affordable food, including more organic foods. Smart phones are an advantage for our famers. They can use a smart phone to spot crop disease, share information with other farmers when problems are occurring in their area and access pricing information. Cell phones can be used for reverse trace back. When there is an announcement for a recall on a given item, 1.4 million people can be called with in an hour. Technology is going to help us increase our productivity and efficiency.

Politics are going to be a big part of the future of our food. Policies are changing the way we use food stamps and will improve the quality of what we serve in our nation’s school lunches. It’s not just government policy, but it is large companies creating change. These companies have the ability to influence their consumers, they are the ones that need to lower sodium content, cut out saturated fats and decrease portion sizes. Educators are an important part of the future of our health. Through education we will be able to make informed healthy decisions.

Overall, the world is moving in the right direction. We’re getting smarter, more creative and more innovative in the ways we address hunger. The biggest challenge really is to continue to create the policies and continue the commitment of the private sector to solve these problems. Looking at the risks as we know them now and not as we understood them in the past are how we are going to move forward and create real change.

For the full story, visit: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-01-10/how-the-experts-would-fix-the-food-crisis.

Delicious Living magazine has announced their first-ever Best Bite Awards — and we need your help nominating Allgood! Submit your favorite snack for consideration in the 2013 awards by March 1st here.

We think Best Vegan Product, Best Eco Packaging and Best Value Product are perfect categories for our snacks.

Thanks for helping to share the love!

TOMS: Created in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie out of a desire to help provide shoes to children in Argentina, TOMS has quickly become a pioneer of the Buy 1, Give 1 movement. With every pair of TOMS purchased, a pair of shoes is given to a child in need.

Chobani Yogurt: Founded in 2005 and dedicated to producing high-quality, great tasting yogurt made with only natural ingredients, Chobani Yogurt donates 10% of their profits to a variety of not for profit organizations under their Shepherd’s Gift Foundation.

Patagonia: This 60 year old company founded by Yvon Chouinard is dedicated to inspiring solutions for the environmental crisis, including the beloved 1% for the Planet. Other initiatives include their bluesign® Standard (reducing resource consumption and harm from dyes and finishes in their fabrics), The Conservation Alliance (encouraging other companies in the outdoor industry to give money to environmental organizations) and Common Threads Initiative (a partnership between Patagonia and customers to keep clothing out of landfills).

Squatters Pubs & Beers: Founded in 1989 in Salt Lake City, Utah, the company embraces the Triple Bottom Line philosophy of People Planet Profit. Squatters Pubs & Brews prides themselves on sourcing healthy ingredients and environmentally friendly products, services from the local eco-region, developing relationships with farmers, growers and suppliers, supporting local non-profits and investing in BlueSky wind power to continuously reduce their carbon footprint.

People Water: A cause-based business located in Pleasant Grove, Utah, is known for their Drop for Drop initiative, focused on providing clean water to those in need. For every bottle purchased, they’ll donate an equal amount of clean water. Further, they’re proactive in their efforts for clean water as they build wells prior to selling any water that is associated with that particular well.

Soul Poles: Seeing the connection between global warming and its effect on skiing, this company was founded by former U.S. Ski Team racers. Eco-friendly poles are handmade in our hometown of Park City both to provide local employment and reduce the environmental impact of carbon emissions. Soul Poles are also proud supporters of 1% for the Planet, Protect Our Winters (POW) and World Cup Dreams Foundation.

Wedo Gluten Free: Born in the heart of Kenya after meeting a group of native women who started a banana flour business from a single loan (granted from the Kenyan Government), this Park City company creates a simple, healthy product made from natural green bananas. The company created a Buy 1, Feed 1 program that provides a meal for a hungry child with the purchase of a product via the World Food Program USA.

Every brand has a story. And in our opinion, each of these stories is great, making them ultra worthy of our support. We know you have lots of brands to choose from when reaching for organic snacks, so we truly appreciate your love for Allgood.

[Photos courtesy of each individual brand's website]

Photo courtesy of Michael Buckner/Getty Images North America (2010)

Each December, celebrities and Olympians flock to the slopes of Deer Valley Resort, in magical Park City, Utah, for five days of races, events, music, food and fun. What brings everyone together is the Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest benefiting the Waterkeeper Alliance. This year, the event will take place December 7^th-12^th and we’re proud to be sponsors.

The schedule is chock full of exciting activities: the CBS Celebrity Skifest Race and Awards Ceremony, fine food events, auctions to benefit Waterkeeper Alliance, training with Olympians, and viewing party. During the events we’ll be situated the bottom of the hill—in our very own tent—handing out our certified organic products. Check your local listings for full coverage of the event on CBS. For more information on the Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest, visit www.dvskifest.com.

We’re proud to be a sponsor of this event, as we believe the Waterkeeper Alliance is a tremendous organization dedicated to a critical cause. You may know that we already participate in the 1% for the Planet foundation and donate 1% of all our profits to the restoration and preservation of the environment. We’re now proud to support the Waterkeeper Alliance in their defense of communities against the threat of rights to clean water. These community defenders have a big task—to patrol rivers, lakes and coastal waterways on six continents. For more information on the Waterkeeper Alliance, visit www.waterkeeper.org.

This Thanksgiving, add a little green to your holiday. You’re mindful of your impact on the Earth year round, so don’t forget about it just because it’s a special day. These are a few simple ways to make your Thanksgiving festive and green—it’s easier than you think.

• At the grocery store, choose organic and local when possible.
• When shopping, remember your reusable shopping bags.
• Don’t go overboard when meal planning. Prepare enough food to feed your guests and if you have leftovers, be sure to eat them.
• When setting the Thanksgiving table, choose cloth napkins instead of paper.
• Decorate your table with natural materials like berries, branches and gourds.
• Recycle your glass bottles.
• Use your dishwasher—it uses less energy, detergent and water.

And if all else fails, remember the three R’s (reduce, reuse and recycle) when shopping, cooking, decorating, eating and cleaning. Happy Thanksgiving!