Can the *organic* label survive behemoths like Wal-Mart?

[nosmokes]

original-SFChronicle
*AGRIBUSINESS

Organic Erosion

Will the term organic still mean anything when it's adopted whole hog by behemoths such as Wal-Mart?

Jake Whitney

Sunday, January 28, 2007


Marin Sun Farms, in Point Reyes, is a collection of ranches on more than 2,000 acres of rolling, certified organic pasture. All year long, cattle and chickens speckle the hills, free to roam and graze at their leisure.

The Hereford and Angus cows, in fact, are never confined. They are grass-fed, except during winter, when they also eat hay and silage. The chickens' typical diet of plants and insects is supplemented with organic grains, which they eat at night, in the winter and in otherwise foul weather when kept in their portable coops. When you imagine an organic cattle ranch, Marin Sun Farms is probably pretty close to what you picture -- though maybe not exactly.

No synthetic fertilizers or chemical pesticides are used on the pasture, and the animals are hormone- and antibiotic-free. But even though most of the land is certified organic, the cows and chickens raised there are not.

One reason is because the owner, David Evans, obtains cows from partner ranchers who use synthetic "wormers" to control parasites -- a violation of organic standards. But Evans has been slowly accumulating a base herd with an eye toward becoming entirely organic.

Lately, however, Evans has begun to wonder if the USDA "Certified Organic" stamp will be worth the annual fee, which could run more than $1,000. His pastures -- the largest certified organic acreage in Marin County -- may seem large, but they are dwarfed by their corporate counterparts.

As Evans knows, organic food has become big business. According to the Organic Consumer's Association, sales could hit $18 billion this year, with half coming from conventional supermarkets. Though still only about 2.5 percent of the agricultural market, demand for organic has grown 20 percent annually in recent years, and most of the top-selling brands are now owned by agribusiness behemoths.

Dean Foods, for example, owns White Wave (maker of Silk soymilk) and Horizon Organic, the No. 1-selling organic brand across the country. Unilever owns Ben & Jerry's Organic. Groupe Danone, a French corporation, recently bought Stonyfield Farm. Even Wal-Mart is plunging deeper into the market, announcing it would dramatically increase its organic offerings.

And if you think Evans' 2,000-plus organic acres is a lot, take a look at Earthbound Farm, which grew from a 2 1/2 acre raspberry and lettuce farm to the largest organic produce operation in North America, with $350 million in annual sales and more than 150 growers on 30,000 organic acres under its control.

Evans worries that the influx of these big companies -- with their industrial production methods, profit obsession and political muscle -- will dilute organic standards and, potentially, render the USDA stamp irrelevant. "If big business kills the name," Evans said, "why go organic?"

He's not alone. Many critics foresee an erosion not only of organic standards but also of the movement's true ideals -- which include localism and sustainability as much as eschewing chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Indeed, a battle is raging in organic food production, and it has already split the industry: between those willing to sacrifice ideals for growth and those who think organic should remain small, local and transparent.

The 2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill hacked the split between these groups into a chasm. A rider on the bill legalized, for the first time, the use of synthetic substances in the processing and post-harvest handling of organic foods.

What particularly worries purists is that the rider was sponsored by the Organic Trade Association, a lobbying group that represents the interests of big corporations. And, though virtually all of the 38 synthetics are considered harmless -- and in fact were already being widely used -- some believe that codifying their use may pave the way for others that may not be so harmless.

Jim Riddle, former chairman of the USDA's National Organic Standards Board, which advises the USDA in setting organic standards, said that what was most alarming about the rider was the secretive method used to attach it. According to Riddle, the rider (which is an amendment to the 1990 Organic Foods Production Act) was snuck into the bill -- inserted after an appropriation's conference committee had adjourned, in order for the corporations pushing the amendment (Kraft Foods was a leader) to avoid debate. This way, Riddle said, "There's no author, no one to be held accountable."
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complete article here

[bananas]

1. "what was most alarming about the rider was the secretive method used to attach it"

Thanks.

[Vidar]

2. The label will do just fine. Content is another matter.

[MadHound]

3. It isn't a matter of "if", this has already happened.

When the USDA collaberated with corporate agriculture in adapting organic standards, they made certain that industrial farming practices could continue, while the screwing of America's small farmers proceded apace. They made the fees high, the costs of doing organic business high, but watered down the actual standards to the point where factory farms could actually be called organic, though many of them actually aren't.

Small farmers are starting to fight back however. They are urging people to buy from local farmers that you know, and patronize farmer's markets. These are the truly organic products out there, not that salad that traveled 1500 miles to reach you after being sprayed with various petro-chemicals and called "organic"

They are also asking people to look out for a new certification, Certified Naturally Grown<http://www.naturallygrown.org/> This is a voluntary system of insuring that food meets real organic standards. It has low fees, and low costs in order that the small farmer can afford it. And it guarantees that the product is indeed grown with organic practices and materials.

Certified organic, especially in the hands of behemoths like Wal Mart, has become a joke. Don't patronize it. Instead, patronize your local farmers and farmer's market. Look for the Certified Naturally Grown sticker. For Certified Organic has just become another Madison Avenue buzz word being used to fool the rubes. Don't fall for it.