Category Archives: organic

Corporate Dilution of the Meaning of “Organic”

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Chris MacDonald

A few days ago there was an exceptionally interesting article in the NY Times on the corporatization of organic foods. See Has ‘Organic’ Been Oversized?, by Stephanie Strom. The story outlines the controversy over the composition of the US board … Continue reading →

Posted in Additives, agriculture, certifiction, organic, regulation | Comments Off on Corporate Dilution of the Meaning of “Organic”

The Ethics of the Cost of Ethical Food

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Chris MacDonald

It’s bad if high prices get in the way of eating a) well or b) ethically, and there are plenty of myths about both. And today alone I’ve read two interesting pieces on the price of food. First, the NYT’s … Continue reading →

Posted in consumerism, ethics, farmers markets, local, marketing, organic, prices, values | 3 Comments

Caution on “Green” Claims for Organics

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Chris MacDonald

A major UK farmers’ organization is cautioning those of its members who grow organic foods against leaning too heavily on claims that such foods are more environmentally-friendly than non-organics. Here’s the story, by Caroline Stocks, for Farmers Weekly Interactive: Organic … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, environment, farmers, organic | 1 Comment

Wildlife Farming in Vietnam

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Chris MacDonald

This is an interesting bit about value conflict. In particular, it’s about the dangers of focusing on “natural” foods, when those “natural” foods are either endangered or en route to being so. Here’s the story, by Rachel Nuwer, for Science: … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ethics, health claims, marketing, meat, organic, public policy, values, wildlife | Comments Off on Wildlife Farming in Vietnam

Children, Food, and Indoctrination

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

A few weeks back, this video of a precocious kid talking about the ethics of food made the rounds. I wasn’t sure what to say about it. I guess it’s finally time. I don’t like to pick on kids, but … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, agriculture, children, consumerism, ethics, factory farms, farmers, genetic modification, health claims, industrial, kids, local, marketing, meat, organic, values | 4 Comments

Portable Food Factories

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Can the word “factory” ever be used in a food-related context in a way that doesn’t sound like a criticism? Can an chemical company ever produce something that could be welcomed by fans of local, organic agriculture? How about a … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecosystems, factory farms, industrial, labour, organic, values | Comments Off on Portable Food Factories

Silk’s Non-Organic Soymilk

Posted on September 10, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Here’s an interesting piece about the delicate matter of marketing products at the (apparently) fragile intersection of terms like “organic” and “natural” and “GM-free.” By Melanie Warner, for Bnet: How Silk Soymilk’s Cost-Cutting Dis of Organic Backfired Back in early … Continue reading →

Posted in ethics, genetic modification, labeling, organic | 7 Comments

GM Foods and PLU Codes

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Can PLU (Price Look-Up) codes help concerned consumers avoid genetically-modified foods? No. The idea that a 5-digit PLU beginning with “8” is a reliable guide to the genetic characteristics of a piece of produce has spread around the internet like … Continue reading →

Posted in biotechnology, certifiction, ethics, genetic modification, GMO, labeling, organic | 19 Comments

Organic Pesticide Food Labels?

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

When organic foods are produced using organic pesticides, should consumers be told so by means of labels? Many people think “organic” means that no pesticides have been used, but strictly speaking that’s false. “Organic” actually means that no synthetic pesticides … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, environment, farmers, labeling, organic, safety | Comments Off on Organic Pesticide Food Labels?

The Challenges of Organic Certification

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Once upon a time, the only question we had about our food was “is it edible?” If so, we ate it. Today, an increasing number of consumers have a lot more questions. Is it free-range? Is it low-fat? Is it … Continue reading →

Posted in certifiction, organic | Tagged | 1 Comment