At its core, "organic" farming is a great concept. Unfortunately, the term is a lot more flexible than you'd think, having been co-oped by everyone from multi-national companies all the way down to your dopey next-door neighbor Walter, who doesn't understand that spraying his "all-natural" tomatoes with DDT somewhat downgrades their wholesomeness.For an incredibly comprehensive, albeit slightly alarmist, view of these various and sundry deceits and treacheries, check out The Cornucopia Institute's website. These guys throw down on "Big Organic" in a big way. The site includes scorecards for organic eggs and organic dairy. They also have a rather unsettling news section. For example, I hadn't noticed that Silk switched to cheaper "conventional" soybeans a while ago, replacing their "organic" claims with the toothless word "natural." Apparently, they're in cahoots with Walter.
Think of the Cornucopia Institute as Consumer Report for leftist foodie/hippies. My one complaint is that they don't really harp on Walter too much. I guess that's your job.
And, for the record, don't let my techno-savoir-faire fool you. I consider myself at least 78% leftist hippy, so don't get your tie-dyes in a bundle over that last quip.
YES! And let's not forget meaningless terms like "free-range" and "grass-fed," that make the buyer think they are getting something healthy when really they are just buying into a new, stealthy kind of marketing.
ReplyDeleteTry Trader Joe's Organic Unsweetened Soy Milk -- non-gmo to boot. I've got a leftover box if you want it . . . no need for it now that I've finally kicked the coffee habit (almost 3 months now and I'm STILL tired!).
ReplyDelete/michm
Love this! Now I know not to waste my money on Eggland's Best.
ReplyDeleteWhat's wrong with "free-range" and "grass-fed"? Doesn't it make sense that you should care about what the things you eat eat themselves? And why shouldn't you care about how they are treated?
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