Which Corporation Owns Your Favorite Organic Food Brand?

[Guest guest]

Which Giant Corporation Owns Your Favorite Organic Food

Brand?

Did you know that Boca is owned by Kraft? That

Naked Juice is completely controlled by Pepsi? That General Mills runs

Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen?

This fascinating chart (to view it click the source link below) by Phil

Howard, an assistant professor of Community, Agriculture, and Recreation

and Resource studies at Michigan State University, will show you where

your money really goes when you buy that name-brand “organic” snack --

and you can bet that if it’s made by Kraft, it’s probably not coming from

a small family farm, either.

Sources:

 

 

 

Good Magazine March/April 2008

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

For those of you who still believed that your

 

Horizon organic milk, your Kashi crackers or your Odwalla green drink

was being churned out by a small farm or mom-and-pop shop nestled in a

pristine valley, well I’m sorry to burst your bubble.

The reality is that many of the same corporations that make the biggest

junk food offenders -- soda, potato chips, sugary cereals, candy, etc. --

are also behind many of the most well-known organic food brands. So how

does a soda company, for instance, go from pushing corn syrup-laden

“liquid candy” to marketing “all-natural” health drinks with a vision to

“nourish people everywhere with the ineffably honest art and rhythm of

nature’s offerings” (as it says on Odwalla’s Web site)?

Either they had an epiphany, and suddenly wanted to stop making products

that contribute to many people’s early departures from this planet, or

they saw the potential to make some money.

The latter option, of course, gets my vote.

Is Big-Business’ Involvement in Organic a Good or Bad Thing?

Depending on whether you view the glass as half-full or half-empty,

this can be viewed in two ways:

1. People are speaking with their pocketbooks and demanding healthier

food choices, and America’s largest corporations are responding.

2. America’s largest corporations, eager to gain market share in the

natural foods movement, have begun mass-producing “organic” foods, and as

a result are slowly deteriorating the meaning and health benefits upon

which the organic label was founded.

In reality, there’s a bit of truth to both of these views. With the

involvement of large corporations, organic food has turned into a

$16-billion business, with sales growing by as much as 20 percent per

year. What this means for a lot of America is access to more organic

foods, likely at lower prices.

Large corporations also have big advertising budgets, which means the

idea of eating foods free from pesticides, genetically modified

ingredients and raised in sustainable, humane ways is getting a lot of

publicity whereas just a couple of decades ago it was next to unheard

of.

Phil Howard, an assistant professor of Community, Agriculture, and

Recreation and Resource studies at Michigan State University, put

together the revealing chart discussed above. He’s also behind many other

graphics that show just

how the

organic label is being expanded by corporations. As of January 2008,

for instance, this chart from Howard shows you the massive expansion of

popular food lines coming out with their own organic versions.

 

 

 

But there is a downside, and a major one at that. When big corporations

dip their hands into a project, they are looking to maximize their

profits by turning out the largest amount of product for the least

expense. If this means sacrificing some ethics and skimping on some

quality, that is often exactly what is done.

As a result, you now have to be very wary when you see the term

“organic,” as it doesn’t always mean that the food is any better for you

or the environment. For example:

 

Horizon Organic, the company that supplies Wal-Mart, has

 

continually ignored federal organic standards -- specifically, a

cow's access to pasture. The

 

organic label is now being put on salmon, despite the fact that there

is not much difference between conventional farm-raised salmon and its

organic counterpart. You can buy organic versions of ice cream, potato chips, crackers,

soda and just about everything, but

 

these foods are STILL not good for you. At least one study has found that the transportation of organic

produce causes an

 

environmental impact large enough to cancel out any environmental

benefits. There’s Something Even Better Than Organic

It’s sad to say but the organic label has become virtually

meaningless as a sign of quality. In seeking out food that is truly grown

the way nature intended, you are therefore far better off seeking local

producers.

These are the people who are truly still running small farms, where you

can find grass-fed beef that is truly grass-fed (and not finished on

grains in the last months) and produce that is truly fresh, not just

coated in wax to make it appear that way.

Depending on where you live, finding a local farmer or food coop may seem

unrealistic, but just as demand drove the rise of organic, it is driving

the demand for locally grown foods. You can peruse this

list of

sustainable agriculture options to find like-minded people in your

area who will know how you can connect with local food producers. Also be

sure to take advantage of farmer’s markets and roadside stands as the

summer approaches.

As Phil Howard’s chart has revealed, you just never know who is behind

even your “healthy” food choices, that is, unless you meet them

face-to-face. So if you’re concerned about where your food is coming

from, avoid the processed organic junk foods at your supermarket, and

instead support the farmers that are still producing real health

food.

Related Articles:

 

 

 

 

Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

 

 

 

More Organic Food Deception by Wal-Mart

 

 

 

The Selling of Organic