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Thu, 06 Apr 2006

Corporate Ownership of Organic Food

I found this corporate organic flow chart in Utne, courtesy of Triple Pundit

Phil Howard, post doctoral researcher from The Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems reveals the corporate players in the organic marketplace. From Cyber Help For Organic Farmers, another Canadian site.

I was only slightly shocked to see that Heinz has 16.7% equity in Hains Celestials, which owns at least 10 natural food companies, and their subsidiaries. Is it any wonder that Organic Standards are slipping badly, when companies like Heinz, Kraft, Kellogs, Unilever, Cargill, etc. are major players in the Organic Trade Association which dictates to the USDA?

Not that I think these giant companies are evil (ha! ha! ha!). It's just that past evidence makes it seem likely that they only want to appear organic in order to cash in on the growing demand for organic food. And it makes me wonder if they're really committed to upholding organic standards for the benefit of humankind and our planet.

After my mind had boggled from looking at the chart, I visited Cyber Help. And there was the good old Canadian flag, waving away. When did Canadians become patriotic, I wondered. When I lived there, the flag was just embarrassing - you didn't actually display it anywhere unless you were the government. Then I read that a two year grant from the Canadian federal government funded the establishment of this website. Federally funded, but not federally controlled. Hmmm! Only in Canada you say?

Cyber Help For Organic Farmers provides extensive and well-organized services and resources on every aspect of organic farming. Impressive! And encouraging! I take it as a sign that some people in the organic food industry, organic farmers at least, take organic food seriously. Even if you don't have a farm, or even a garden, it satisfies your inner farmer to know what's involved in growing organic food.