A couple of years ago, an NYU grad student interviewed me on camera for a student project on organic food. Then I kept running into her at various organic events as the project has blossomed into a real film. And now the former student, Shelley Rogers, has won some impressive help for her project, What's Organic About? I am not endorsing it -- having not seen it -- but the preview clip is compelling and hints at some familiar fissures, such as local v. organic, big v. small.
If you're in the organic food industry, you'll recognize some of the figures, including the inimitable Marty Mesh of Florida Certified Organic, whose usual antics (opps, I mean statements) at National Organic Standards Board meetings are only matched by the inimitable Jim Pierce of Organic Valley (whose brief statements to the board should be collected and published as organic poems, haikus and parables. In the future, he should try limericks.) In any case, Marty's in the movie and I look forward to seeing more. Now without further adieu, a promo clip:
I am looking forward to seeing this documentary and hope it can get a decent distribution deal. Usually films like this disappear without finding an audience.
I am really glad the film brings up the disconcerting issue of the USDA being responsible for trashing the authenticity of the organic foods industry. I worked in the organic foods wholesale distribution industry in the early 1980's. Organic Farms, Inc. was located near Washington, D.C. just two blocks from USDA heaquarters.
Back in 1983 OFI grossed $20 million a year and was the nations largest wholesale distributor of certified organic foods. We begged the USDA to establish national certification standards, but they refused to even meet with our company.
Finally, in 1992 the USDA only agreed to adopt national standards just so Target, K-Mart and Wal-Mart and other corporate transnationals could take over the industry. Some lady in the movie clip quoted $16 billion but I think it is closer to $30 billion which I have seen cited in various places.
For anyone who really cares about getting authentic organic food - shop at a coop, join a CSA, stick to Farmers Markets, buy local direct from farmers. Stay OUT of Whole Foods, Wild Oats and Trader Joes. Those stores don't give a damn if it is really organic and are just profit oriented.
Rainbow Grocery is a big coop chain in Northern California, and I trust that store.
Stick to the produce aisle and the bulk bi n and try to avoid as much as possible the organic food which is "processed" If it is in a can, box, frozen or wrapped in packaging the company is probably a corporate agribusiness transnational corporation.
Hey, check this out
www.cornucopia.org
Who Owns Organic? Link
There are less than a dozen companies in the USA which are national manufacturers still owned independently. Amy's Organics, Annies, Cliff Bars, Eden Foods, Newman's Own, French Meadow Bakery, thats about it....the rest of the organic food production is all owned by General Mills, Pillsbury, Dean Foods - Coca Cola owns Odwalla juice, Hershey Foods bought Dagoba Chocolate, Mars Candy Bar company owns Seeds of Change, blah, blah, blah!
I don't respect the USDA and don't trust their certification label. QAI Quality Assurance International certifieds what I call "processed food" the organic stuff that is frozen, canned, boxed and wrapped in lots of packaging. I heard QAI is a reputable company, so I don't want to say anything negative about them - but just how "sustainable" is it to import organically grown food from 10,000 miles away - produce grown in Mexico, Chile and Canada creates huge carbon footprints. Buying food locally grown which is organic is what really makes a difference, not shipping it in from hundreds and thousands of miles from where it is purchased. The average grocery item is shipped at least 1,500 miles from where it is eventually sold.
Posted by: colleen whalen | January 04, 2008 at 09:17 PM