| Is the Organic Industry Agribusiness as Usual? |
|
|
|
| Written by Kiki Hubbard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wednesday, 02 April 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Some of us buy certified organic food as an alternative to agribusiness as usual, right? I mean, we know we're supporting a production system that restricts, among other things, chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. And, though not addressed by the National Organic Program, deep down some of us hope we're supporting smaller farmers – paying them and their workers a fair price – and using our food dollar to turn this global food model upside down. But are we? As organic food sales climb (they were worth $17 billion in 2006), it's not surprising that the handful of multinational firms controlling most of our food and fiber want in – and they're in…deep. Some industrial organic brands are easy to spot, like "Campbell's Organic," "Hershey's Organic," and "Tropicana Organic." Others not, meaning conscious shoppers who think they are supporting a strictly organic food company – like Muir Glen or Seeds of Change – are in fact directing money back into the pockets of the largest food processors. Michigan State University professor Philip Howard has drawn these connections for us. Here are some highlights: Cargill/Heinz/Hain Celestial – Arrowhead Mills, Celestial Seasonings, Health Valley, Rice Dream, Walnut Acres Coca Cola – Odwalla Danone (France) – Stonyfield Farm, Brown Cow Dean Foods – White Wave Silk Soy, Horizon General Mills – Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen Hershey Foods – Dagoba Kraft – Boca, Back to Nature Kellogg – Kashi, Gardenburger, Bear Naked, Morningstar Farms/Natural Touch Kerry Group (Ireland) – Oregon Chai M&M Mars – Seeds of Change Pepsi – Naked Juice Solera Capital – Annie's Naturals, Annie's Homegrown Indeed, important players in the organic food industry have achieved their share of buyouts as well, especially Whole Foods, the world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods. It has bought more than a dozen retail chains in the last 15 years, including the 2007 purchase of Wild Oats, which came with a dozen of its own acquisitions. Sources (including graphic): Philip Howard, Michigan State University
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
