OneWorld.net (U.S.)

Average: Select ratingPoorOkayGoodGreatAwesome

Your rating: None

(page 4 of 5)

The Future of Organics

As more and more Americans become familiar with the amount of artificial ingredients, pesticides, genetically modified organisms, and chemical preservatives that exist in processed foods, they are increasingly turning toward organic products, which are meant to have none of these. Though organic varieties tend to cost of up to 20 to 30 percent more than conventional food, proponents of organics argue that organic food is healthier and that organic farming is more sustainable.

© Apricot King OrchardsOrganic buying is increasing at a rate of up to 20 percent per year in the United States, with the industry accounting for nearly $14 billion in consumer sales in 2005. According to a recent CNN article, that’s nearly a four-fold increase over the $3.6 billion of organics sold in the United States just eight years ago.

Despite the increasing popularity of organics, some are concerned about the watering down of organic standards. In the United States, all food labeled organic must meet standards set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

According to groups like the Organic Consumers Association, however, powerful lobbies are working to dilute those standards. The association cited recent moves by the USDA to, among others, allow synthetic hormones in organic dairy production. Their Safeguard Organic Standards campaign is meant to preserve the integrity of organic foods. “Without strict standards and a fair share of taxpayer subsidies, the organic sector will grow much more slowly than it should,” says the association.

Support for organics started out as a small counterculture movement in the 1970s, but increased demand has interested large corporations. Whole Foods now dominates the market with over 180 natural and organic supermarkets in the United States. Wal-Mart also announced this year that it would begin selling

There are mixed reactions to big businesses going organic.

organics in its U.S. stores, at prices of only 10 percent more. “We don’t think you should have to have a lot of money to feed your family organic foods,” said Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott, according to an article in Business Week. Kraft, Dole, and Dean Foods are among other corporations pushing into the organic market.

There are mixed reactions to big businesses going organic. Many are worried that as major corporations jump on the bandwagon, organic standards will be weakened and small farmers will be hurt. According to Sustainable Table, large companies have started to buy out smaller organic companies. This hurts competition, they say; it can eventually drive down the price farmers are paid and may result in monoculture cropping—or growing one type of food in huge quantities.

An article in Ode magazine takes a different approach. “There’s the promising fact that these economies of scale—resulting from the fast growth of Wal-Mart and Whole Foods—will increase people’s access to organic foods,” it asserts. That’s especially true for lower-income households. The article goes on to say that organic pioneers should not criticize these developments, but should focus their efforts on tighter organic certification standards, more labeling information on food origins, and the adoption of fair-trade policies, among others.

On a global scale, small farmers in the United States are worried that big companies will import more organics from the developing world and, thus, drive down prices. Others are hopeful that these imports will, in fact, stimulate organic farming around the world. Today, over 130 countries are producing organic food commercially. In all countries though, there are still many hurdles to producing high volumes of food with organic techniques.

Page 1 - Eating in America: At What Cost? Page 2 - A Closer Look at Food Miles Page 3 - High Fructose Corn Syrup and Other Processed Foods Page 4 - The Future of Organics Page 5 - The Slow Food Movement

PERSPECTIVES HOME: Farm to Table

Average: Select ratingPoorOkayGoodGreatAwesome

Your rating: None