Buy Walking VideosWhole Foods Stretching The Truth
Whole Foods has been using a lot of marketing surrounding their organic produce and foods. Some of this marketing is hype according to this Slate article by Field Maloney.
Here are a few of their marketing statements that are misleading:
“Save energy” is misleading because it takes far more energy to transport “organically grown” tomatoes from Chile than to transport conventionally grown tomatoes from New Jersey.
“Help the Small Farmer” is misleading because most of the organic food grown in the United States comes from a few large California farms. Although many small, family-run organic farms exist, their market share and representation at Whole Foods are minuscule.
“Our Commitment to the Local Farmer” is misleading because few products are obtained locally and “grower profiles” depict organic farmers whose products are not on the shelves.
I tend to buy organic produce when it is readily available. I have convinced myself that it tastes better, but I have never tested myself in a blind taste test, so I think it’s just an excuse I’ve made in my mind. I don’t believe organic is inherently better than food grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, but I tend to buy it if I have the choice.
“Credo quia consolans.” (I believe because it consoles me.)
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March 29th, 2006 at 12:35 pm
Ah, if you can just get produce that is TRULY local – as in grown by your friends and relatives – that is the good stuff. I grew up in an area of small family farms (none corporate) where most people also had a garden and canned or froze their own fruits and veggies. We weren’t organic, but things had REAL FLAVOR as they were vine ripened.
It’s good to patronize your local farmers markets if your town has them, so long as the produce there really is from local farms.
March 29th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
Yeah, my grandmother still grows her veggies in her own garden. The farmers market is definitely the way to go for supporting local farmers. It’s fresher than you can get at any grocery store, too.