The last diary I posted was aimed at laying a foundation for what Certified Organic means from a production standpoint to a consumer's standpoint. There was a good bit of commentors seemingly disenfranchised by the entire idea of organic foods. As progressive thinking people know very well, change is slow and sometimes frustrating. Here is where I think the future of organic food production is, can or may be headed and how we as consumers fit in to the fold.
Years ago people shopping at grocery stores may have gaffed at the first wave of pre-packaged and/or preserved food products. People shopped every day for the meals to be prepared that day. The world grew and time shrunk. People didn't go from buying fresh supplies for dinner to boxed, prepared or frozen dinners over night. The public trust had to be won. Luckily for the food production industry they had a secret weapon. The weapon was simply the fact that people crave convenience. They crave it so much that they began to look past obvious red flags in the food they were buying. A menagerie of ingredients that couldn't be found in any kitchen cupboard were slowly seeping in to everything at the store. Less expensive, more efficient ways to produce food faster, bigger and at a higher profit margin. This was the slow death of the first organic age. The word organic, of course, wasn't applied to the time period then, but it existed. Products couldn't stay on shelves safely for weeks, months or years. Food born illnesses were limited to sicknesses from improperly cooked or stored food. Life was slower, food was better.
Today we have traded botulism for obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Sure, modern medicine is putting up a good fight, but imagine the affects medicine could have if it wasn't always fighting up hill. Although, I wonder if medicine would be so advanced if we weren't on such a destructive nutritional path as a people. Convenience has been a very worthy advesary. Producing, storing and, as a consumer, searching through the sea of BS that is "certified organic" is most certainly a daunting task.
After my last post on the subject I was met with several comments of utter dismissiveness over the authenticity of certified organic products. All of which contain threads of truth. Immediate and total transformation to a organic world would be a grand slam for us as a species, but this is a fairy tale that not even Disney could sell. Yes, there have been, are and will be a sect of producers cheating the system. This holds true for all things humans get their hands in to. Wall street cheated, lied and stole it's way to unprecedented wealth. Many even intelligent consumers were taken for a ride to the soup kitchen. But, with every experience, we learn. We evolve. We change. The turn to organic foods will not happen on a dime and will not happen in the presence of ignorance. Consciencious producers, informed and thoughtful consumers and some good 'ol grass roots activism is the only way we can, albeit slowly, look forward to mass, affordable organic food products.
For instance, I was at the grocery store just last evening and noticed, in the orgainc food area, a package of "fresh cut, USDA Certified Organic green beans" produced by a company called GreenLine Foods. My first red flag was the non-recycled, non-recyclable plastic packaging bag. The bag said you could microwave the beans right in the bag. (these are two debates for a different day) The beans looked fresh enough though, so I kotted down some info to research later. Wow. This company is the WalMart of bean farmers. This is from their website... "Greenline farms thousands of acres, processes hundreds of thousands of bushels, and markets millions of pounds of fresh trimmed green beans -- all year round -- to wholesalers and distributors across the country. We are the only vertically integrated fresh trimmed green bean producer in North America, controlling everything from planting our hybrid seeds through on-time delivery to you.". And this... "Properly resealed and refrigerated after opening, GreenLine fresh trimmed green beans will outlast any "locally grown" seasonal varieties. Quick preparation, consistent quality, and easy storage all help ensure your satisfaction.".
So, vertically inegrated, this means they own all or most aspects of the bean biz from production to consumption. No middle men to pay, higher profit margin, faster and more convenient to the consumer. UUGH, that darn word again, convenience. Furthermore, this company is punching locally grown products right in the gut. Do we want our organic foods from a company that exists and operates like this? Can WallStreet corporate mentality mesh well with the simple pure production of food? I personally don't think so, afterall, these people can't even update their website.
This is what I mean by an informed and thoughtful consumer. Check the products you buy, know where they come from and how they got to you. Lastly, even little by little, spend the extra 50 cents per pound and try the organic version of whatever you're buying. Even slowly, try to promote local producers, demand quality and truth, and do your research. Bad health, preservative-chemical-laiden food combined with marvelous medical technology does not sound like a convenience we should continue to explore.
PS, just so you know that I am not all hot air, I have requested an interveiw with a representative of GreenLine Foods to feature on the Examiner.com . I'll keep you posted. Here's their link in the mean time.
GreenLine Beans