Big business enters the organic marketplace

by Paul Tick

These days, when we shop at the Coop or at other natural foods markets, we are no longer aware of who is actually supplying our food - or that the supplier may be the same one that has been pushing cigarettes, Sugar Frosted Flakes , genetically modified foods, foods laden with pesticides and colorings, or endangering the environment. Some of the world's biggest companies have bought the labels of some of our most successful organic producers.

The name on the products stays the same and the labels may hardly change. Often, the new owner is not even identified on the label. Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen products, for example, now note that they are distributed by Small Planet Foods. There's no hint that Small Planet is owned by General Mills. Similarly, if you search a Terra Chips package you might find, in very small print, that Terra is a division of Hain Celestial, with no notice that Hain has been bought out by Heinz. Three-quarters of all natural food products are now controlled by two companies: United Natural Foods and Tree of Life.

Fortunately, we are not helpless. With some adjusting of our habits, we can make a difference.

1. Using the accompanying chart, we can make food shopping decisions based on where our products come from and who will get our money.

2. Managers can use the chart to help decide what foods to stock and how they are displayed. They can give special attention to small food producers, rather then rely on prices as their guide. Our produce department notes when products come from local farms. Similar efforts can be made in all departments, giving shoppers notice as to the real companies behind the products. What the labels don't tell us, the managers can. Updated copies of the chart can be made available to shoppers.

3. The Board can work with other coop boards to publicize this issue, as education and outreach are components of the International Cooperative Principles. The Board can review our mission to see how we are doing in support of small farmers and small food producers, and develop policies to support managers' and shoppers' efforts in this area.

By doing the above, we can work together to ensure that we are not, one day, transformed into simply another market venue for commercial giants.

Do you know who owns these natural food labels?

Label	True Owner	Concerns (1)
Brown Cow	Hershey	International child labor; 3,000-worker strike over health benefits
Earth's Best Baby Food	Heinz	Poor human rights rating; CEO earns 100x average American worker; cited for violating international baby food code; pesticides in baby foods; animal testing
Arrowhead Mills	Heinz
Hain Pure Food	Heinz
Terra Chips	Heinz
Garden of Eatin’	Heinz
Westsoy	Heinz
Kashi	Kellogg	Boycotted for use of GMOs(2)
Millstone Organic Coffee	Proctor and Gamble	Broke numerous agreements promised in NAFTA drive; animal testing; using GMOs (2)
Nature’s Farm Chicken	Tyson	One of 10 worst corporations; illegal dumping; workers’ rights; illegal payoffs to officials
Cascadian Farms	General Mills	CEO received $19 million in total compensation in 1999, 670x average American worker; some concern about GMOs(2)
Muir Glen	General Mills
Knudsen Juices	Phillip Morris	Tobacco; alcohol; government influence; discrimination; ethics; use of GMOs(2)
Quaker Oats (rice cakes)	Quaker Oats	Age discrimination; use of GMOs(2); additives in animal feed
Samantha and Odwalla juices	Coca-Cola
Boca Burgers	Kraft, a Philip Morris Subsidiary

2. Genetically modified organisms.

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