As the economic crisis bites and people look to tighten their purse strings, something big is stirring within the organic community that could mean consumers realising organic produce is the last thing they should be cutting back on during the financial downturn. A campaign has just launched with the aim of running a £1 million marketing campaign, starting next year, to highlight to the public why they should be buying organic.

Last year sales of organic produce rose by just 1.7% in the UK, against an average of 26% over the last decade, and this year they are forecast to decline. The new campaign aims to change that, and is set to be the most important move in the organic sector in a decade.

“We are delighted to be one of the first to support this campaign because we genuinely think it could be the biggest thing to happen to the organic industry in the last 10 years.” said Alex Smith, MD of Alara Wholefoods, one of the biggest organic muesli producers in the UK. “The problem isn’t the products or the industry, but in the fact the public still don’t fully appreciate what the industry stands for and what the full benefits of organic products are. It’s time to change that, but we need everyone in the organic sector to work together to achieve it.”

Natalie Brown, Senior Brand Manager at Green & Black’s adds, “We’re behind the campaign, because organic principles are integral to our brand. It is time to help the public understand what organic stands for and what the full benefits of buying organic produce are. We are pleased that this organic campaign is bringing the organic sector together to achieve a greater understanding among consumers”.

While most people know that organic produce has no pesticides applied, the other benefits are not widely understood. It is hoped that a consolidated marketing effort, will help inform the public of the many other benefits organic produce and farming has to offer; such as:

• Organic standards prohibit cruelty and guarantee truly free-range lives for farm animals.

• Genetically modified (GM) crops and ingredients are banned under organic standards. Shoppers wanting to avoid GM products may be surprised to know that over a million tonnes of GM crops are imported each year to feed non-organic livestock, which in turn supply our shops with pork, bacon, milk, cheese and other dairy products.

Whether it’s quick meals that need fitting into a hectic schedule, a colourful and exotic culinary spread to impress friends and family or additional help in maintaining a balanced and healthy diet, Chinese cuisine offers something for anyone’s lifestyle.

Colourful ingredients, aromatic spices and of course the perfect wok are all that’s needed to get you sizzling in the kitchen and now, thanks to celebrity chef Ken Hom, cooking up a simple stir fry really does mean woking your way to good health.

Combining Ken’s culinary expertise with accredited nutritionist Wynnie Chan, the NutriWok is the first all-in-one solution to cooking and eating Chinese food the healthy way and here, armed with over 40 years experience of wok cooking, Ken Hom will be able to talk you through just how Chinese food can be fun, simple and delicious.

Ken Hom is going to be live at http://www.webchats.tv/chat/wok_your_way_to_good_health_with_ken_hom on Friday 4th September from 13:30 to 13:50 to discuss Chinese cuisine.

You are encouraged to submit questions before the chat for discussion on the day.

From Spittoon: How to choose new wines for a wine list? That’s exactly what l’Anima, Bibendum Wine Ltd and the Wine Conversation plan to help out with today. Not only will an online audience be invited to make the crucial decisions regarding the make-up of the new list, but they will also be in for a treat as the ins and outs of how to build a restaurant list are revealed.

A ground-breaking tasting in l’Anima’s private dining room will see a group of experienced tasters, including Jamie Goode and Anthony Rose, taste through 6 categories of hopeful wines.

The full list of wines and available slots is available online. The site also holds an interview with head sommelier, Gal Zohar, who explains what the event is all about.

After Gal had the initial idea, Dan Coward of Bibendum Wine Ltd and Rob McIntosh of the Wine Conversation helped him understand how the event could be best set up to create the maximum amount of viewer participation, as well as emphasising the educational element of the exercise. On the website, videos from the tasters will try to persuade a voting, online audience which wines should be listed. Alongside these will sit educational videos and interviews shot to explain the thought processes behind building a restaurant wine list and to explain a little more about the wines and categories being tasted.

You can follow it on Twitter (@zoharwine, @bibendumwine, @thirstforwine) on Monday from 3-5pm and on the l’Anima website at http://lanimalondon.wordpress.com/. Videos should be uploaded soon after the tasting with the voting running until Thursday. Further details are available on Spittoon.

Being an avid foodie, have you ever thought that you would like to run a restaurant or be head chef to the finest restaurant in town?

Now you can test your restaurant management skills without the financial commitment and risk of opening a real restaurant with a new game called Restaurant City, that is currently cooking up a storm on Facebook. Over 3 million people play Restaurant City on any given day on Facebook and over 12 million people have created restaurants in Restaurant City in its first five months of launch (just think, it took McDonalds 55 years to open 32,000 restaurants!)

Restaurant City allows you to design and run your own perfect restaurant. Every inch of the restaurant is customisable so you can really create the look and feel you are after. You can pick your own decor, select just the right tables and chairs to fit the bill and of course, kit your character out in killer kitchen wear! And that’s before you even get to the menu. The choice of mouth-watering dishes and delectable drinks is completely up to you.

What’s more you can employ your real Facebook friends to work for you and create a dream team to work as chefs and waiters in your restaurant, you’ll be high-fiving over the hobs in no time! Or alternatively you could employ your boyfriend/ girlfriend to work as a cleaner! You can also visit your friends’ restaurants to check out the local competition.

Do check out a fun ‘Spitting Image’ contest that has been running on the forum, where users model their virtual restaurant in Restaurant City on a real life favourite joint.

You can also see how the Fat Duck was rendered or a 1950′s diner. Perhaps something a little Japanese is more your styletyle or Ye Old Pub English-style.

To play the game on Facebook visit http://apps.facebook.com/restaurantcity

(There is aslo a video trailer on youtube).

Bold wine lovers with an outgoing character are being invited to take part in an extreme wine tasting event – at an exclusive table on a platform suspended 200ft in the sky above London’s famous Covent Garden.

To qualify for a place at the table, potential guests will be asked to take a quick online character test to prove whether they are worthy of sitting alongside other brave souls at the first ever wine tasting of its kind. Those who are judged to be bold enough will be entered into a draw to win 1 of only 44 places available to the public on Saturday 29th August 2009.

Organisers at Ravenswood, who’s mantra ‘no wimpy wines’ inspired them to set up an event that would separate the men from the boys, are asking extreme wine tasters in the making, to register and prove themselves by logging on at www.ravenswoodwine.co.uk

Ravenswood spokesperson, Clare Griffiths says: “We’re extremely excited to be breaking new boundaries with such an exhilarating event, so fitting for the Ravenswood range of wines. We don’t want just anyone turning up on the day. To be truly deserving of a place at our table, guests have to be both passionate about wine and about trying new and exciting things“.