Organic is not a new thing. It’s not a marketing buzz word. It turns out it’s a really strict thing to use the word. It’s regulated by governments that have set up rules about what a product can’t have, must have and it can’t cheat. It’s a long road to get a product labeled as organic and once it’s labeled this way it’s inspected to make sure it actually really is what it’s supposed to be.
The show is really long as there is lots of information to introduce and talk about. Officially the show is over around the 2 hour mark. After that the talk kept going because we had lots of beer.
Here’s the shows outline with links:
Is Organic a new thing?
buzz word
turns out it’s a really strict thing to use the word
can’t have
must have
can’t cheat
Whole Foods
270 stores
started in 1978 in Austin Texas
41,500 employees
5.6 billion per year
Organic Market Size
2005 $13.8 billion in sales last year,
$11.9 billion in 2004
$3.6 billion in 1997,
according to market-research firm Nutrition Business Journal. The firm estimated organics would reach $15.5 billion in 2006.
Organic Foods Production Act of 1990
Loop holes in Organic make some growers see red.
IFOAM is an organization dedicated to teaching organic farming methods.
The Real Dirt on Farmer John documents a farmer who is organic. Movie available soon.
the Future of Food movie.
Farmers Markets
Do patents on seeds make Monsanto evil?
Michael Pollan’s talk at a library. Here are his books we talked about The Omnivore’s Dilema and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto
