Filed under: Business + Politics, Food + Health | Tags: food systems, howard, organic, Phil, Phil Howard
Photo: MSU.org
You might have figured that Kraft makes Kraft Organic, but did you know they own Boca brands as well? Well did you know that Pepsi owns Naked Juice and that both Silk and Horizons Milk are owned by Dean?
As you might have guessed, big business and organics are not mutually exclusive. The big food processors have been scarfing down organic brands since 1997 when the organic certification was drafted. This is not a sloppy meal; you would never know Kashi was made by Kellogg or Cascadian Farm by General Mills. That’s because part of the organic image involves creating a distance from big business. But without big business, organics would never have gotten the wide distribution that allows them to grow. And the more they grow, the more the organic message is spread.
This is the fascinating work of Michigan State University professor Phil Howard. He studies the role of organic brands and markets in the ever-multifaceted food industry. There’s plenty more on his website, so check it out.
via: Good Magazine, NYT Well Blog
Bobby Grace
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It is interesting to find out who owns what in the organic food industry. I would be curious to know if these big brands are charging an unnecessarily high price premium for these offerings.
For consumers who are concerned about what’s in their groceries, but also seek the lowest possible prices, it’s very exciting to see the “budget” brands go organic. Kroger’s Private Selection brand, for example, or Target’s Archer Farms brand. I look forward to seeing their growth and development over the next couple of years.
~ Sarah Hemme
Comment by shemme March 23, 2008 @ 2:26 pmBobby,
Comment by j500 March 24, 2008 @ 8:17 pmI love this map and have used it often. There has been a continuing conversation about the sustainability of Stonyfield Farms since they were acquired. This is something I really struggle with – I want healthy food to be accessible to all. I am glad they are creating quite the set of private label organics at Target, Wal-Mart and grocery chains, but I am not sure if bigger is better. There have been investigations into large-scale organic operations and concerns about supply. There is no easy answer for me with this one. I would love your insights.
Simran
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