Organic, Inc: Natural Foods and How They Grew

Organic, Inc: Natural Foods and How They Grew
Samuel Fromartz
Harcourt, Inc.
ISBN: 0-15-101130-3
Health, Home, Gardening
Reviewed by Tanya Boudreau

We all want to be informed consumers. The author, Samuel Fromartz, has written a book that now has me believing I am an informed consumer of the organic industry and its products. And with sales of 11 billion in 2003, this is useful knowledge to learn for yourself and important information to talk about and share with others.
From its origins in the early 20th century to recent discoveries, the author explores the history and the issues surrounding the organic movement. In the beginning there was the influential agricultural scientist Sir Albert Howard and his Indore method of composting. He believed composted soil improved the health of plants. What he saw peasants in India doing with compost made a lot of sense to him. A more recent history maker is Steve Demos who had visions of soybean grandeur! And he did start White Wave- a tofu company that made him millions.
All throughout the book there are two groups who are knocking heads. The purists and the growth advocates. There are people like the organic blueberry farmer from Maine, Arthur Harvey, who wants the organic food industry to return to its roots. He and perhaps other organic certifiers who follow the Organic Food Production Act of 1990, are worried big businesses will compromise the organic food business. Before Jan. 2005 there were some problems between USDA regulations and organic law. And then you read about what happened when organic salad and bagged salad became very popular and moved into the mass market arena. Can there be a solution to satisfy both groups?
Consumers buy organic products for many reasons. The author touches on the political, environmental, and the nutritional reasons this might be so. He talks about where people can purchase organic products, such as his discovery of the Whole Foods store; and the farmer’s markets. Farmer’s markets have grown in popularity since the 1990’s. This is a great place for consumers to go if they want to talk to organic farmers about their methods and their product.
This book has quite a few interesting facts about the organic world. Men’s Health, Runner’s World, and Prevention magazine are all published by a company held by J. I Rodale’s family. He was an American who was very influential in the organic industry. In 1942, he launched the magazine Organic Farming. It still exists today but the name; has changed to Organic Gardening. And did you know you can now buy organic chocolate truffles, soda and cookies. Perhaps some of the 28% of the people who buy organic foods on a regular basis have tried these products. And I wonder if they know what organic means. Right now organic means “food produced using organic methods sanctioned by the USDA”. I didn’t know there was so much controversy in the organic world. The author writes about the ongoing debate about which synthetics will be allowed in organic food; and the fight about what it means to be labeled organic. Small farms, big businesses, retailers and customers all have different agendas, and what it means to be organic will differ for each group.
In Organic, Inc., the author includes a wide range of information on the organic industry. There is the lighter side of how the background of breakfast cereal is tied to all this; and what Jim Cochran learned while perfecting the science of growing organic strawberries (hint: broccoli is involved) to more weighty topics. How did the National Organic Law came to be in 2002, and how does the National Organic Standards Board work? The author explored many facets of the organic industry in his book.
As the author found out, many herbicides and pesticides are harmful to soil fertility, and a high number of weeds and bugs are now resistant to these chemicals. And who can ignore the news that some mass market type foods are raising health concerns. Hopefully this book increases the number of organic consumers and farmers in the world, but without compromising the values underlying the organic label. After all, we all love great tasting food. And knowing we haven’t compromised our bodies or the environment by buying organic, will only increase our enjoyment of it.