In case you are trying to make “good choices” and find yourself heading toward the words “organic”, beware! Appearances CAN be deceiving:
MYTH: Organic companies are small and environmentally friendly.
Find out where your food comes from. You’ll be surprised. If you think that tiny little organic food company has a halo over its head, you might be interested to know that most of those angelic outfits operate under a larger corporate umbrella.
For example:
Stoneyfield: Danone
Burt’s Bees: Clorox
Naked Juice: Pepsi Co.
Horizon Dairy: Dean Foods
Seeds of Change: M & M/Mars
After The Fall: Smuckers
R.W. Knudsen: Smuckers
Kashi: Kellogg’s
Garden Burger: Kellogg’s
Back to Nature, Boca: Kraft
Cascadian Farms: General Mills
Health Valley: Hain Celestial/Heinz
Arrowhead Mills: Hain Celestial/Heinz
Tom’s of Maine: Colgate-Palmolive
Dagoba Chocolate: Hershey’s
Body Shop: L’Oreal
As Michael Pollan says, “If your grandmother wouldn’t recognize it as food? Stay away.”
You have to remember that the word “organic” is sanctioned; there are specific criteria the company has to abide by to keep using it (what farms it comes from, etc). However, if it says ‘holistic’ or ‘natural,’ then it is NOT sanctioned and any Joe Blow company can call it natural or holistic and it doesn’t mean squat! So if you want a more natural product with less pesticides, etc, make sure it say specifically “organic!”
Amanda is this true in the US as well? I think they might have different (read: less stringent) regulations on the use of the word organic etc. Regardless, I think the message is buy from your local farmers DIRECT. And stay out of the grocery store as much as possible! FYI I’d love to hear YOUR take on nutrition from a doctor’s training perspective sometime.
I could tell you about her nutrition… But I’d like to hear it form her too!