Wal-Mart Charged with Organic Food Misrepresentation

[LiviaOlivia]

Wal-Mart Charged with Organic Food Misrepresentation
by wf
Tue Nov 14, 2006 at 01:29:40 PM PST
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/11/14/162940/64

Today we filed a formal legal complaint with the USDA asking them to investigate the sale of nonorganic food as organic at Wal-Mart grocery stores. Wal-Mart, as many of you may know, caused quite the stir in the organic community with their announced plan this past Spring to greatly expand their organic food offerings.

The Cornucopia Institute has since been carefully monitoring this situation. We are beginning to see that the company lacks a fundamental understanding of the workings of the organic food sector and the expectations of organic consumers.

The latest evidence includes misrepresentation of natural foods as organic. And we have found this at multiple stores scattered across the country. We had first taken a back channel step, notifying the company's CEO of this problem in a private letter, sent by certified mail, in mid-September.

When we still found the same products displayed in the same fashion more than a month later, we felt we had to ask the USDA and their investigators to get involved. (You can view our complaint on our web page at www.cornucopia.org.)

One of the big hurdles that Wal-Mart is going to face, if they intend to become a serious player in organics, is the need to invest in educating their workforce so they understand the intricacies of organics and what the "certified organic" label means. Natural food retailers across the country have discovered this need and most have made that investment. Is Wal-Mart willing to do so?

Our earlier research into Wal-Mart's organic initiative has also uncovered other disturbing moves. They are turning to factory-farms for their organic dairy products. This move is extremely contentious right now in the booming organic dairy industry - where demand already outstrips supply by an estimated 10%. Family dairies, that have built the organic dairy biz, are facing intense pressure and the likely demise of their family farms should the industrial scale operations that confine thousands of cows in feedlot conditions be allowed to grow. Wal-Mart has chosen to side with this unseemly side of the business.

The company has also elected to turn to China for importing a number of organic ingredients. The Cornucopia Institute is very concerned about this move. In particular, there are several outstanding issues related to the integrity of the Chinese organic certification process. The USDA has yet to even make a site visit to the country to examine what organic actually means in China. And is transporting organic food half-way around the planet really your idea of sustainability?

Wal-Mart could choose to work with domestic producers to grow our own organic economy, but at this time, they don't seem interested.

It's still early in the game for Wal-Mart - perhaps sufficient consumer and community pressure can turn them around. We are going to continue to watch and monitor their activities. I encourage you to work with us in this endeavor to protect organic food and the farmers who grow it from corporate profiteering and scams.

- Will Fantle

[texpatriot2004]

1. Satan's Superstore aka The Mart of Darkness aka Wal-Mart

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/

[jpak]

2. Another good reason to stay out of Walmart and support your local organic coop

or organic food store...

[davidwparker]

3. Amen.

Wouldn't darken the Walmart store. Even though I've heard they have StoneyField milk.

[Richard Steele]

6. It sure is. nm

[warrens]

4. what a shock

Apart from underpaying its workers, the main ingredient to WM success is engineering products down. The Rubbermaid laundry basket and the Lee jeans you buy there have been stripped of quality to get to a lower price. This is no surprise, and they will not change unless legal steps are taken.

[Metta]

5. If they need someone to hold their hand, someone will.

Is it laziness? Arrogance? Both?

[graywarrior]

7. Organic Wal-Mart. an oxymoron if I ever heard one.

I know I know, oxymorAn.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

8. Gee. Just One Biggggggggg Thing Missing From That Article.

How bout the facts of how Walmart is misrepresenting the organic produce? How could there be an article dedicated to a complaint filed against walmart for misrepresentation of organic foods, that COMPLETELY omits any facts or details whatsoever as to how they are misrepresenting these foods?

This article was a complete waste of time.

[gollygee]

9. Oh wow! No one saw that coming!

LOL

[Rainscents]

10. Wal-Mart don't give a shit about strict guide line of organic products.

They will lie to their customers just so they can make MEGA profits.

[Cha]

11. Thank you, Cornucopia Institute and

LiviaOlivia!

[YellingTuna]

12. More Economic Drain

This is just another way for Walmart to suck the money from the small business and drain the economy. All the while, as they misrepresent they’re products. Bravo! (they do a very splendid job at it!)..lol