3.14.2008

food { Organic...Agri-Corps


Know which brand owns your favorite Organic brand. We buy from local producers as much as possible and directly from the farmer (via CSA or Farmer's Market) when in season, but I know the realities of economics. In a way this makes organic foods more available. In another way, it dilutes the meaning of the word organic. I doubt highly these corporations maintain high organic standards, and cut corners to maximize profits wherever possible, if not even pressure via lobbying to change the criteria for becoming organic certified to suit their needs. Choose your evil.

(originally encountered on boingboing.net)

2 comments:

celesathene said...

Large corporations producing organic products isn't automatically a bad thing. It means they've discovered a market for organics and a profit. This can lead to increased production of organic products, leads to increased availability, and often increased affordability. In short, I think this will allow more people the option of buying organic. The biggest obstacles I see in my grocery store are too few products and price.

The real problem, which GeistX you hit on, is oversight and regulation. Unfortunately, we have to rely on the governent for that one.

Pernox said...

I agree, I hope it means better food at more affordable prices. I was just mainly pointing out that these corporations don't have a history of doing what's best, they have a history of doing what's best for profit. I just worry they degrade the quality of the organic certification (which is happening) so they can squeak by with methods that maximize profit at the cost of actual ogranic production.

I also worry about the impact on the small farmer. Organic farming, because of the nature of the economics, is one of the last places you find small farmer owner/operators.

In the long run I don't really care what we call it as long as the food I can get is produced with minimal chemicals, by people being paid a living wage, and done in a method that has an eye toward conservation of resources.