Which giant corporation owns your favorite tiny organic food brand?
Posted by humboldt_honey on Mar 14, 2008 · Member since Feb 2007 · 12529 posts
Charts showing which brands are owned by which corporations. I'm thinking about stopping by the bookstore on the way home tonight to pick up a copy of Good Magazine.
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/14/which-giant-corporat.html
and
http://awesome.goodmagazine.com/features/009/009buyingorganic.html
Yes, bummer, but I'd rather eat organic than GMO scary stuff, but I will try to research the smaller, family-run or locally-owned businesses from now on if there are any lol... :o
I disagree that it's fine. It's an ethics problem.
Corporations know that consumers will pay more for organic products. They pressure changes in the definition of what is "organic." Right now all manufacturers need is 70% of the ingredients to be organic. That low percent could go down with corporate pressure, or certain processing methods currently not allowed could be allowed, or they could start treating crops with growth enhancers. And if a corporation miscorrectly uses the organic label on non-organic food, the fine is only up to $11,000, which is nothing. Even if they pay the max they've easily realized economic benefit from fraud.
Also, there are issues for corporate organic milk producers. Organic cows should have access to pasture. An issue that has been raised is that industrial organic corporation cows are confined in lots and don't have access to pasture land. I'm sure there's probably some loophole for them like "free range" (hmpf) chickens.
Behind the scenes, the large corporations are diluting "organic."
I don't really have a problem with this. Of course I'm inclined to support the little guy when I can, but I also want to reinforce good behavior from the big guy. The more people buy their organic/vegan/fair trade foods the larger the segment of their business it will become. Also, they make it easier for the average person, who's not going out of the way the HFS, to buy this stuff.
This is my POV as well. I see it as being like ordering vegan food at a non-vegan restaurant. If they see that there is demand for 'good' stuff, then they will make a greater effort to make it available... with the obvious consequence of them doing less of the Big Bad Scary Corporation stuff. A corporation will go with what sells. So if we demonstrate, via our purchases, that what we want is ethical business... All I'm saying is that it's possible they may respond to positive reinforcement as well as negative (boycotts, protests, petitions).
It doesn't bother people that corporations are corrupting the term "organic?"
It doesn't bother people that corporations are corrupting the term "organic?"
Yeah the standards are definitely getting lowered and is organic 'organic'? Good points hh . But what is consumer recourse? Eat raid-sprayed gmo?
I'm with you that corporate organic is better than gmo, but non-industrial organic companies often have higher ethical standards about how many rules they skirt. I don't think all organic producers and product manufacturers are equivalent.
Some of the comments were that it's of no concern if organic products come from huge corporations. I disagree. I think there are multiple layers of concern.
It doesn't bother people that corporations are corrupting the term "organic?"
It bothers me, sure. But living in the buttcrack of nowhere on a student budget, mostly organic is better than not organic... or nothing at all.
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