Northland Organic Foods Corporation is a global food and agricultural products company based in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...

. Founded in 1991, Northland is an award-winning innovator in the organic food

Organic food

Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...

s industry, specializing in the development, production, and international distribution of certified organic

Organic certification

Organic certification is a certification process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products. In general, any business directly involved in food production can be certified, including seed suppliers, farmers, [food] processors, retailers and restaurants.Requirements vary...

 and conventional non-GMO

Genetically modified organism

A genetically modified organism or genetically engineered organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one...

 specialty food and feed-use seeds, whole soybean

Soybean

The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...

s, corn

Maize

Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...

, wheat

Wheat

Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...

 and other cereal grains

Cereal

Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...

. Northland also produces and markets identity-preserved value-added ingredients such as soy meal

Soybean meal

Soybean meal also known as Soyabean Oil Cake is a flour made by grinding the solid residue of soybean oil production. It is widely used as a filler and source of protein in animal diets, including pig, chicken, cattle, horse, sheep, and fish feed....

, grits

Grits

Grits are a food of American Indian origin common in the Southern United States and mainly eaten at breakfast. They consist of coarsely ground corn, or sometimes alkali-treated corn . They are also sometimes called sofkee or sofkey from the Muskogee language word...

, flour

Flour

Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...

s, oil

Oil

An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....

s, lecithin

Lecithin

Lecithin is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues, and in egg yolk, composed of phosphoric acid, choline, fatty acids, glycerol, glycolipids, triglycerides, and phospholipids .The word lecithin was originally coined in 1847 by...

s and whole soybean powder

Soybean

The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...

 under the Pure label.

Northland Organic Foods is actively involved on a local, national and international level in community programs and ecological conferences whose goals are to promote organic

Organic farming

Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...

 and sustainable agriculture

Sustainable agriculture

Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment...

. Northland Organic Foods has, over the past three years, donated over 15% of pre-tax net earnings to environmental, educational, and cultural organizations that are making an effort to improve our community on both a local and a global level. The company also sponsors a website called Seed to Plate, a non-profit informational online resource dedicated to providing a forum for the discussion of agricultural, environmental, and artistic issues with the goal toward solutions and action.

Northland Organic Foods is the sister company of Northland Seed & Grain Corporation, based in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...

, a producer and global supplier of identity preserved

Identity preservation

Identity preservation is the practise of tracking the details of agricultural shipments so that the specific characteristics of each shipment is known...

, non-GMO

Genetically modified organism

A genetically modified organism or genetically engineered organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one...

 seeds, raw materials and ingredients to the food manufacturing and feed industries. Northland Seed & Grain’s seed breeding program is centered on the development of traditionally crossbred

Crossbreed

A crossbreed or crossbred usually refers to an animal with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. Crossbreeding refers to the process of breeding such an animal, often with the intention to create offspring that share the traits of both parent lineages, or producing...

, organic

Organic farming

Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...

 and non-GMO

Genetically modified organism

A genetically modified organism or genetically engineered organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one...

 specialty variety seeds and grains.

The company offers a low-fat

Diet food

Diet food refers to any food or drink whose recipe has been altered in some way to make it part of a body modification diet...

 soy

Soybean

The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...

 product.

See also

• Certified naturally grown
  Certified Naturally Grown
  Certified Naturally Grown is a non-profit alternate farm assurance certification program created for small-scale organic farmers, and striving to strengthen the organic movement by preserving high organic standards and removing financial barriers that tend to exclude smaller farms that are selling...
  
  
• Identity preserved
  Identity preservation
  Identity preservation is the practise of tracking the details of agricultural shipments so that the specific characteristics of each shipment is known...
  
  
• Organic agriculture
• Organic food
  Organic food
  Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
  
  
• National Organic Program
  National Organic Program
  In the United States, the National Organic Program is the federal regulatory framework governing organic food. It is also the name of the organization in the Department of Agriculture responsible for administering and enforcing the regulatory framework. The Organic Food Production Act of 1990 In...
  
  
• Motivations for organic agriculture
  Motivations for organic agriculture
  Within the food industry, defining the benefits of organic food is largely left to word of mouth, media coverage, and the promotional efforts of organic advocates. Major food and beverage corporations have rapidly moved to acquire significant stake in both fresh and processed organic products...
  
  

External links

• Northland Organic Foods Corporation Official company website
• USDA National Organic Program U.S. Department of Agriculture website, includes full text of the standards and regulations for certifying organic agricultural products
• National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service USDA-sponsored program focusing on sustainable agricultural products
• International Society of Organic Agriculture Research Website sponsored by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (Germany)
• Organic Trade Association Membership-based business association for the organic industry in North America
• Organic Crop Improvement Association Non-profit, member-owned, organic certification organization
• Organic Materials Review Institute National non-profit organization providing independent reviews of products for organic certifiers, growers, manufacturers, and suppliers
• International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements International organization supporting the worldwide organic movement
• Organic Consumers Association Major U.S.-based non-profit organization promoting consumer interests in organic food
• Seed to Plate Non-profit web forum on organic agriculture sponsored by Northland Organic Foods Corporation