Is All Organic Food “Good” Organic Food?
by Editors
FOOD & CULTURE
Is All Organic Food “Good” Organic Food?
By Kathleen Ginder-Vogel, contributing writer
For consumers who care about organic and locally grown produce, there tend to be two sides to the debate over organic food. One is that all organic is good organic. The other is that fruits and vegetables should be grown organically and locally (the smaller the distance from the field to your plate, the better).
The latter opinion, espoused by the “Slow Food” movement, gains support from New Yorker writer Steven Shapin in a May 15, 2006 article, “Paradise Sold.” Shapin addresses some of the issues that come up when large companies get involved in selling organic products. 
Citing Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, Shapin points out that large organic food companies, like Earthbound Farms, may grow their products without chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, but, they are huge companies, capable of producing a lot of waste as a byproduct of their produce’s transportation to markets across the country. Purchasers have to decide where they stand on the issue: though the market has demonstrated that a subset of the American population is willing to pay more for organic produce, are people willing to dedicate their time and energy, as well as their money, to buying locally-grown food, or is that just too much work? Perhaps shedding some light on the issues around organic produce itself can help consumers answer that difficult question.
Last year, Wal-Mart’s announcement that it would increase the number of organic products it sells and price them 10% above conventional grocery prices caught the ears of many people who care about organic food and its origins. In a May 12, 2006, interview with New York Times reporter Melanie Warner, Bruce Peterson, head of perishables food at Wal-Mart, said “Organic agriculture is just another method of agriculture — not better, not worse,” underscoring Wal-Mart’s position that all organic food is created equal.
Is it? Or would purchasers of organic produce disagree, particularly if they found out their produce was coming from another country, like China? A recent white paper from The Cornucopia Institute, a farm policy research group based in Cornucopia, Wisconsin, and dedicated to promoting economic justice for family-scale farmers and ranchers, posits that Wal-Mart’s actions will taint the value of the organic label by sourcing products from industrial-scale factory farms and Third World countries, such as China. “Big agriculture” has its own set of quality-control issues, about which consumers hoping to buy organic produce should be aware, and we’ve gotten a frightening look recently at the consequences of doing cheap trade with China, after the Menu Foods and toothpaste debacles.
It’s also important to consider how actions like those of Wal-Mart might impact organic farmers and American organic produce long-term. Mark Kastel, the report’s author, claims that Wal-Mart could drive down the price of organic food in the marketplace and pose a threat to organic family farmers in the U.S. by inventing “a ‘new’ organic—food from corporate agribusiness, factory-farms, and cheap imports of questionable quality.”
Kastel notes that part of Wal-Mart’s initiative includes private-label offerings, like the recent introduction of organic milk packaged by Aurora Organic Dairy, based in Boulder, Colorado. Kastel cites two current USDA investigations into Aurora’s organic management practices. Apparently, the dairy operated a number of industrial-scale dairies with thousands of cows, confined to feedlot-like conditions. Kastel adds that Wal-Mart’s decision to lower the per-unit cost basis on organic products by collaborating with China raises the issue of how food that travels around the world can really be considered “better,” whether it’s organic or not. He wisely raises additional concerns about the propriety and accuracy of the organic certification process in China.
Whether it’s Wal-Mart or another company, big companies’ entrance into the world of organic produce raises issues for consumers. If the quality of, and control over, organic products is diminished when big companies get involved, is all organic food really created equal? Is it fair for American farmers to meet USDA standards for organic produce, while Chinese farmers can sell their organic produce to American companies, even if the standards for their products are different? Would it be better for consumers who care about the process of farming and about sustainability to focus on local products, even if they’re not certified organic in the U.S.? What about the New Yorker who faces a shorter growing season than a Californian? Will consumers demonstrate their true feelings in their purchasing behaviors?
Just how far are we willing to go to support sustainable farming?
____________________
Kathleen Ginder-Vogel owns the freelance writing business Poppy Communications.
Image: (Upper) U.S. Government EPA photograph (1974) in the collection of the National Archives and Records Administration. Norton Boyd, photographer. (Lower) The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan (Penguin, 2006).
Note: This publication is independent and not related to any grocery or food business. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
anything made ior raised in china should come with a warning just like cigarettes.
Kathleen, nicely said. Your questions are also right on the money, pun not intended. One area that I think we all need to think more about, however, is the question of scale. In other words, if masses of people were to choose organic, are we anywhere close to having a system of production and distribution that could keep up? In a way, Wal-Mart may be performing a useful service by jumping in with its gigantic size, since its involvement points out how hard it will be to turn a movement that, to be fair about it, has a relatively small and elite profile into a healthy and environmentally friendly option that is realistically accessible to the whole population.
Dear Readers:
We are happy to send along the following letter from an official at the Aurora company that was referenced in the article. We appreciate the response and hope that by posting it we will help further a fair and useful dialog about this important topic.
–The Editors, Bread and Circus
__________
from:
Aurora Organic Dairy
1401 Walnut Street, Fifth Floor
Boulder, Colorado 80302
720.564.6296 f) 720.564.0409
July 2, 2007
Dear Kathleen,
Your June 30, 2007 article “Is All Organic Food ‘Good’ Organic Food?” raises some important issues about the organic foods industry. Ongoing dialogue is good for the industry and for consumers of organic foods – provided it is fact-based and respectful and that all parties are afforded the opportunity to present their points of view.
When you are reporting on organic dairy in the future, we would greatly appreciate the opportunity to participate in this dialogue, especially when Aurora Organic Dairy is a subject of your article. Your readers deserve to hear the facts, and we are available and willing to comment on all issues.
At Aurora Organic Dairy, our mission is to making high-quality organic milk and butter more affordable and more available for American families.
Aurora Organic Dairy team members on our dairy farms and at our processing plant work hard every day to accomplish this mission, with help from our network of independent farmer-partners. On their behalf, I’d like to take this opportunity to provide some facts about Aurora Organic Dairy that are contrary to what is suggested by your article.
• Aurora Organic Dairy is in good standing with all of our organic certifiers and we hold valid, up-to-date certifications for each of our farms and for our dedicated organic milk plant.
• We strongly support establishing a stricter USDA National Organic Program regulatory standard mandating a minimum of 120 days of pasture grazing for all lactating cows.
• We have made substantial increases to our pasture program, including the tripling of pasture at our two Dublin, Tex., farms to a total of more than 2,800 acres of organic pasture. In fact, since Aurora Organic was established in 2003, we have participated in the conversion of more than 50,000 acres of farmland from conventional to organic – either land we farm ourselves, or by providing technical and in some cases financial assistance to our network of farmer-partners.
• We pioneered a green-field model for large organic dairies combining significant grazing, environmental sustainability and best practices in animal welfare. This model has been successfully implemented at our High Plains Organic Dairy in Colorado, and is being brought online at our newest organic dairy farm, Coldwater West, near Stratford, Tex.
• Aurora Organic Dairy certifies the animal welfare of our cows with an independent 3rd party auditor, Validus Services. Validus’ Animal Welfare Review program is not required as part of USDA NOP organic certification, but it helps us ensure that we manage our herd to the highest levels of animal welfare standards.
• Our organic farm network is supported by more than 120 family farmers who supply our farms with certified organic pasture and feed crops, and animal husbandry services – many of whom converted to organic with technical and financial support from Aurora Organic Dairy.
• All Aurora Organic Dairy farms and our milk plant are 100 percent organic, not split operations.
Your article also suggests that quality and control over organic products is diminished when big companies get involved. This simply isn’t true – in fact, our experience suggests the contrary. Large, successful businesses like ours are in a better position to invest in product quality, animal welfare and sustainability.
Thank you for your time. I encourage you to contact us whenever you are reporting on the organic dairy business in the future.
Sincerely,
Clark Driftmier
Aurora Organic Dairy
It’s so heartening to know that other people are thinking about this issue. As I work in my own vegetable garden this summer, on land available to local residents of my town, I reflect daily on the value of humans being connected to land and feel proud that my hard work pays off in produce worthy of shelf space at the finest grocery store.
To respond to Thomas, I do think Wal-Mart’s “going organic” does a lot to raise public consciousness about buying organic, but the idealist in me would so much rather see our society move toward local produce…community gardens in cities…container gardening in our own backyards or inside our apartments, at least in warmer months. I know that in the winter, someone living in the projects in a metropolitan area may not have access to anything organic except what’s at Wal-Mart; on the other hand, the natural foods co-op in my town accepts food stamps. I feel that there are preferable strategies for getting a diverse range of folks buying organic and local than caving in to Wal-Mart, with its questionable standards. However, Thomas, your point is well-taken, and as you can see, I am still working through my thoughts on the matter!
To respond to Mr. Driftmeier of Aurora Dairy, it’s clear from his letter that the company is eager to do the right thing and to be seen in a positive light by folks who care about the quality of their food and its sources. Obviously, if you’re looking to buy your milk from a local source, you’re best served by finding a store from which to purchase products from local dairies. However, if you aren’t in a position to do that, and let’s face it, most people are not, then buying organic seems like the next best step in sustainable food purchasing. The Cornucopia Institute’s white paper, by Mark Kastel, was my source for the negative information about Aurora Dairy; I stand by my source, which I paraphrased in paragraph 6, sentences 1-3, of my piece. However, clearly, this letter from Mr. Driftmeier provides more up-to-date information on Aurora Dairy’s practices. Thanks go to Mr. Driftmeier for monitoring coverage about his company and for communicating positively and openly about the company’s practices. I’m sure many Bread and Circus readers appreciate knowing that Aurora Dairy cares as much as many of us do about the environment and about humane treatment of animals. As a writer, I appreciate the respectful tone of Mr. Driftmeier’s letter. He sets a wonderful example for executives in all industries!
An article in the “Ideas” section of this past week’s Boston Sunday Globe (July 22, 2007) forms an interesting continuation to this thread.
In “The Localvore’s Dilemma,” author Drake Bennett makes a case that buying local produce is not always the most eco-friendly choice.
One should really read the essay in its mulitfaceted entirety, but the upshot is that in places—particularly in northern climes like ours in New England—the total “energy footprint” or “carbon impact” of locally-grown food sometimes trumps the now trendy “food miles” card.
For reasons such as inefficient local transportation or fuel-intesive, heated greenhouses, sometimes bulk-transported produce from further away actually creates less overall environmental damage.
Of course, as Bennett notes mass-produced, imported produce has many flaws, particularly in that it doesn’t necessarily solve the foodie’s issues of bio-diversity, support of local farmers, or the all-important taste-factor. And, as he astutely concludes, it doesn’t get to the meat of the problem—that folks in cold places feel entitled to eat salads out of local season.
Until we’re ready to get back to canning tomatoes and eating parsnips in February rather than “insalata mista,” we’re going to have to find a socially- and environmentally sound middle-ground.
Food for thought!
[...] in healthy eating, which in turn led me to organics, which in turn led to understanding that not all organics are created equal, which in turn led to me understanding that local organic foods were really “where [...]
good info ;)