Guess Who Owns Organic?
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In 1995 there were 81 independent organic processing companies in the United States, according to The Cornucopia Institute. A decade later, Big Food had gobbled up all but 15 of them, and the trend continues today.
Corporate consolidation of the food system has been largely hidden from consumers. That’s changing, thanks to tools such as Philip H. Howard’s widely circulated, “Who Owns Organic?” infographic. The chart provides a snapshot of the structure of the organic industry, showing the acquisitions and alliances of the top 100 food processors in North America. The chart empowers consumers to see at a glance which companies dominate the organic marketplace.
Dr. Howard released an update of the chart on February 13. It is posted prominently on the right-hand margin at www.cornucopia.org, or you can see it by visiting http://www.cornucopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/Updated-Organic2014.pdf.
The chart shows that many iconic organic brands are owned by the titans of junk food, processed food, and sugary beverages—the same corporations that spent millions to defeat GMO labeling initiatives in California and Washington. General Mills (which owns Muir Glen, Cascadian Farm, and LaraBar), Coca-Cola (Honest Tea, Odwalla), J.M. Smucker (R.W. Knudsen, Santa Cruz Organic), and many other corporate owners of organic brands contributed big bucks to deny citizens’ right to know what is in their food.
I contacted Dr. Howard and asked him how he thought this massive consolidation and co-option of organic food producers by Big Ag and Big Food is affecting the organic industry’s integrity. Does the USDA Organic seal still convey a guarantee that these foods are truly organic? He replied:
“Perhaps the most common response after big food takes over an organic brand is to reduce the commitment to certified organic, and sell more products that are ‘natural,’ since people don’t always read the labels carefully. Certifiers I’ve talked to have more confidence in CCOF and Oregon Tilth than QAI, but technically they are all supposed to follow the same USDA standards. They’re pretty confident in certified foods from the US and Latin America, but skeptical of organic foods from China,” he wrote in an email.
He also mentioned the fact that The Cornucopia Institute has revealed that the big corporate food companies that now own most of the organic producers have packed the National Organic Standards board with people friendly to them and have worked to weaken organic standards in order to increase profits. In a glaring example, WhiteWave Foods, a division of the dairy giant Dean Foods, announced that it has introduced non-organic grocery products under its Horizon label. Horizon Organic, primarily marketing dairy products, is the largest organic label in the marketplace and, up until the third quarter of 2013, was selling exclusively organic products. So—don’t be fooled. Avoid Horizon products, even if they purport to be organic, because their integrity is eroding fast.
“Consumers who want food companies that embody more of the original organic ideals,” he wrote, “would do well to seek out products from independent organic firms. Given the very uneven playing field they are competing on, independent organic processors are unlikely to survive without such support.”
Tools such as Howard’s infographic and The Cornucopia Institute’s scorecards rating organic brands of dairy, eggs, soy foods and breakfast cereals empower consumers to make those choices. The updated chart and scorecards are available for download at www.cornucopia.org.
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MONSANTO ACTS MORE THUGGISH BY THE DAY
The following is excerpted from Dr. Joseph Mercola’s website:
At a January, 2014, Monsanto shareholders’ meeting, two rather disturbing trends took place (though, admittedly, neither was entirely surprising).
First, it was readily apparent that the company has no intention of taking steps to label genetically modified (GM) foods, and any such proposals by shareholders do not stand a chance of being voted through.
Second, Monsanto’s power doesn’t end outside of their boardroom. At least two dozen on-duty police were on hand to “control” the 30-40 peaceful protestors in favor of mandatory GMO labeling. Police dressed in military fatigue uniforms were on hand at the shareholder meeting displaying their power, or rather Monsanto’s. In all, 10 protestors were arrested, including a woman in her 60s who was pulled over for holding a sign out her car window and arrested for “impeding traffic.”
Taxpayers aren’t only footing the bill for Monsanto’s police force outside of their shareholder meetings. A report by Food & Water Watch has also revealed that taxpayer-funded U.S. State Department officials have actively promoted the commercialization of biotech seeds, even going so far as to facilitate negotiations between foreign governments and Monsanto. The report, which included a review of nearly 1,000 diplomatic cables (released by WikiLeaks in 2010) of correspondence between the State Department and embassies in more than 100 countries, details how the State Department promotes the genetically modified seed industry’s global agenda.
The European Union (EU) has historically taken a strict, cautious stance regarding GM crops, much to the chagrin of Monsanto. US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks showed the US government conspired to find ways to retaliate against Europe for refusing to use GM seeds, mainly by engaging in aggressive trade wars against reluctant nations.
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$3 MILLION TO STUDY IMPACT OF CHEMICALS ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced over $3 million in grants to research institutions to better understand how chemicals interact with biological processes and how these interactions may lead to altered brain development.
The studies are focused on improving EPA’s ability to predict the potential health effects of chemical exposures. The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is one of the four grantees to receive $800,000 to conduct research on developmental neurotoxicity.
“This research will transform our understanding of how exposure to chemicals during sensitive life stages affects the development of the brain,” said Lek Kadeli, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “By better predicting whether chemicals have the potential to impact health and human development, these grants will not only advance the science necessary to improve chemical safety but protect the well being and futures of children in this nation.”
UC Davis will conduct research to demonstrate how the thyroid hormone (TH), which is responsible for neurodevelopment, is affected by toxic chemicals. Research will also provide insight into which parts of the neurodevelopment systems are susceptible to disruption, and improve assessments used to show impact to human health.
In addition to UC Davis, other recipients include: North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., The University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif.
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