Organic Consumers Organization

Many of you are probably aware of the Organic Consumers Association. If not, you might want to check them out as they have a wealth of information. More about them HERE.

I subscribe to their newsletter via email. Good stuff. I posted two hot topics from their August 12th newsletter. The first I thought was well put, since I am always trying to convince people of the same. The second shows the power of the consumer and why it is still best to buy local and know the source.

Read up + enjoy!

How Can You NOT Afford Organic Foods? OCA web forum user Greg B posted the following: "Invariably, when I encourage friends and relatives to eat organic, the response is 'I can't afford it'. My reaction is 'You can't afford NOT to'. Two sayings come to mind in this regard: 'Penny-wise and pound-foolish' and 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure'. Need I elaborate? Americans eagerly guzzle rivers of soda pop, which I recently learned is the #1 source of dietary calories in the US! Yet, when confronted with actual food, say an organic apple, the price all of a sudden becomes a big obstacle. Meanwhile, we all pay through the nose for all the hidden costs of industrial food production. Health costs, environmental costs, subsidies to agribusinesses that put family farmers OUT of business (agribusiness = aggravation!). It's quite a racket, really. The food industry makes us sick, the health care system fixes us up and everyone make out like a bandit - well, almost everyone... " Read more and join the discussion

Whole Foods Market Bows to OCA Pressure--Promises to Sell Significantly More Organics in 2010
The emperor of natural foods, Whole Foods Market (WFM), has no clothes. Throughout the 2009 summer months, OCA has been alerting organic consumers to the troubling fact that the overwhelming majority of grocery items (approximately 2/3) sold by WFM, even their private label "365" brand, are not certified organic, but rather so-called "natural" products that are typically just conventional products in disguise. After being defensive and unresponsive at first (basically saying "we sell more" organic food than any other retailer), and after putting pressure on OCA's advertisers to stop supporting us, WFM seems to finally be "seeing the light."

After thousands of emails from OCA members demanding that the company stop selling so many bogus "natural products" and embrace its stated mission to sell healthy organic foods, WFM's executives apparently realized last week that OCA will not shut up, and that they have a major problem on their hands. You can't just simply proclaim that you are a leader in selling organic foods, you must actually walk your talk. Last week, WFM announced it was launching a new "healthy eating" initiative with a greater emphasis on organics. In a highly publicized speech in the UK, John Mackey confessed the company's product selection had veered off course. The OCA will be monitoring WFM's practices closely to make sure that the giant retailers' actions match its rhetoric. Instead of 2/3 of its sales being so-called "natural" products, (with only 1/3 certified organic), OCA wants to see 2/3 of WFM's sales be organic by the end of 2010. Click HERE to find out more...