Whenever I see the word 'organic' in the news I take notice. Over the last couple of days I've seen a couple articles covering the cracks emerging in the attempt to create an organic standard. In light of this, I'm posting an article I wrote early last year.

Originally Published in Clamor Magazine, May/June 2003, Issue 20

Open Source Foods
by Eli Chapman

Thanks to the USDA, I don't eat organic anymore. As of October 21, 2002 the definition of the word organic and its usage by farmers and food producers, is now owned and regulated by the USDA. Several farmers I regularly buy produce from at local farmer's markets here in New York City now cannot use the word organic without risking substantial fines. And so they use the word organic in a historical context, as in "my farm was certified organic from 1979 until the USDA took over the definition of the word organic in 2002." Or they use new words, such as "unconventionally grown" or "sustainable."

What this means is: beware of organic goods. Know where your dollar is going by looking behind the label. The market for organic products is massive, reaching $7.8 billion in 2000 according to the USDA. We need only stroll through our local natural food market to see that agribusiness has taken notice. For example:

* Odwalla and Fresh Samantha fruit juices are owned by Coca-Cola's Minute Maid Company (bought for $181 million , 10/2001).
* Boca Burgers are owned by Phillip Morris's Kraft Foods (undisclosed sum, 1/2000).
* Kellogg Company own Kashi cereal and GoLEAN bars and shakes (approx. $60 million, 6/01).
* 40 percent of Stonyfield Farms was bought by Groupe DANONE (i.e. Dannon yogurt and Evian water) in 2001.
* Betty Crocker's daddy, General Mills, has owned Samll Planet Foods (Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen) since 1999.
* And lastly, if may feel like the only Heinz product in the natural food market is their organic ketchup, but in 1999, for $100 million, Heinz bought almost 20 percent of Hain, the publicly traded company behind such brands as Celestial Seasoning, Westsoy, Garden of Eatin', Imagine Food (i.e., Rice Dream), and Bearitos.

Many farmers affected by the USDA's new standards are open sources of information anxious to talk to consumers about the food they grow. Our interaction with these farmers creates a new local standard, an Open Source standard, that helps consumers become competent enough to break free from the existing pattern of dependence maintained by corporate instruments like the USDA's Organic Seal.

And while I won't argue that it is good to eat organic, vegan, or raw foods, it is even better to understand and actively participate in the production of the food we consume. When we look beyond the label, behind the big corporations telling us what's good for us, we start investing in our communities. And we begin to appreciate the importance of feeding the farmer, not only by handing our money directly to him or her, but by not consuming products created by companies whose focus is on profitability rather than sustainability. We begin to vote with our dollars.