Standard Process Inc.
Organic Boom
January 2007 News From The Farm SP News Article
Christine Mason,
Farm Manager
While I was watching the news one night last week, one of the lead stories was the fact that Roundy's has pledged to greatly expand its organic food line within the next two years. Roundy's is one of the oldest supermarket chains in the Midwest with just over 145 locations.
According to an article in the Milwaukee Business Journal, "Roundy's chief executive officer said…it wasn't until the baby boomers started worrying about ingredients of food the past several years that mainstream food outlets responded (with organic choices)…We realized we can do a better job of keeping people healthy…" I think that is a very powerful statement. Way to go baby boomers!
This story about Roundy's came several weeks after news releases that SAM'S CLUB® has vowed to be the largest supplier of organic food. I went to SAM'S CLUB last week to see if this was happening and I bought organic spaghetti sauce and organic whole-wheat spaghetti. It was exciting to see all of the choices.
SAM'S CLUB and Wal-Mart® dove into organics with cotton yoga pants. Fortune magazine reports that "the 300-billion global cotton industry uses more pesticides and synthetic fertilizer than any other crop…more than 50 million pounds in the United States alone." Five years ago, the global production of organic cotton amounted to 6,400 metric tons. In 2006, Wal-Mart and SAM'S CLUB will use 6,800 metric tons alone. They are doing this because it sells! There are many mixed feelings in the organic community about "mass" production of organic food as many feel that it goes against the organic philosophy of the small family farm. I have thought about it a long time myself, and I have come to this conclusion: I wish the entire planet were organic. If we truly are worried about organic philosophy, wouldn't it be great if a pesticide never found its way to a drinking well ever again? There is also the fact that mass production may be the only way to make organic affordable for everyone.
Christine's organic
garden
That being said, I do believe it is best to buy organic and to buy it locally. Say you bought an organic grape from Chile. How great could it taste after spending that much time in cooled refrigeration? Buy organic for the philosophy. Buy locally for the main reason I do: it tastes really good. Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), find a great farmer's market, or makes friends with someone whose chickens get exercise. Take the final leap and do what I do, grow as much as you can for yourself. We have 10" of snow, and we are still eating our own fresh beets and organic potatoes. We even have a few cabbages still holding on in the crisper drawer. By the end of winter, we will be eating frozen beans and canned beets, but they are my own!
The wonderful thing about Standard Process is that you know that we carry the fresh organic philosophy to the extreme. I can guarantee you as a customer that all of this produce was grown according to strict organic standards. I can also guarantee that it could not have been grown more "locally" than this. The products are harvested within two miles of the main processing plant, and everything is harvested at the peak of its maturity and processed immediately the same day. I think it is critical to feel safe about where your food came from. Standard Process feels the same way, and that is why there is a Standard Process Farm.