As the cashier reached for my organic produce, scanning and bagging it, she audibly questioned the sanity of paying top dollar for food that’s not really different from the regular stuff. I was definitely caught off guard. I politely completed our transaction and walked away, astounded. However, her attitude is a succinct summary of the organic controversy.
The organic food movement began in the '60s as a backlash against industrial agriculture and its accoutrement of chemicals. The spirit of the organic movement was rooted in using local materials, caring for the land, and building soil (there are books written about the rise and fall of empires which did not look after their soil). Composting, crop rotation, and companion planting are features of the movement. Sustainability was the goal. Organic became a niche market with price tags that reflected the true cost of unsubsidized, labour-intensive production methods.
Conventional farmers took notice of the premium prices being fetched and some joined the movement. It became necessary to create standards, certification, and the accompanying label to express assurance that no fraud was occurring.
Trying to distill complex nature-based, biological systems into a handful of standards that the local inspector can determine in a brief and occasional visit to a farm, was challenging. Initially, it was simply broken down into no petrochemical inputs and only natural inputs.
Critics have noted that the organic food system grew quickly and as it did there were compromises along the way. As far as labelling requirements, the balance certainly tipped in favour of commercial interests over ecological ones. The latitude within the standards is surprising and disappointing. From hydroponic strawberries to the factory farm-style dairy farms we’ve definitely lost the spirit of the organic movement there.
People who value having a connection to their ethically, environmentally and nutritionally ‘superior’ food pay the higher price. It’s considered voting with the dollar. They also generally receive some reassuring information, a story, about the food. This is a narrative that taps into our longings for safe food, simpler times, and a connection to nature.
Distasteful as much of this news on the state of organic food labelling is, I still buy it. There is always a process as consumers get educated, then get vocal, and then demand better standards closer to the original spirit of the movement. Also, I support local farmers whose growing methods I trust and I grow a little of my own food too. It never tastes better than when it’s homegrown, and I know it's truly organic.
Jill Cunningham grew up in St. Albert, has a Bachelor of Education from University of Alberta and is passionate about nature, the environment, and building community.
