The Debate Over Organic vs. Local Foods
by Ridge Shinn
The debate about local, organic, industrial or small farms continues to heat up. Recent debates between Michael Pollan and John Mckay, CEO of Whole Foods indicates tremendous consumer interest in food and food politics. A large segment of the market, sometimes described by the acronym LOHAS (Lifestyles Of Health and Sustainability), is beginning to really dig in to the issues that are confusing at best. The general public has been plied by the corporate marketing campaigns for years such as: Shaw’s slogan “Good Food Costs Less,” Target’s “Expect More, Pay Less,” and Wal-Mart’s “Always the Lowest Price” (or as I explain to my daughter “Someone Always Gets Screwed”).
Today many pople understand how ridiculous these marketing claims are and many want to “do the right thing’ with their food dollars. But what is “right”? Here is the link to another interesting article in the debate from Time Magazine.
Eating Better Than Organic from Time Magazine
Take the time to read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan, because your customers are. Now is the time to learn and then explain all the points of the story of 100% grass-fed and finished beef, specifically the health to the consumer, the farm, the environment and the local economy.
Returning dollars to the local economy is critical for our survival. We know that each dollar spent at the farm gate expands 7 times through the local economy. “Local” is the current buzz word, perhaps replacing “organic” since organic has been seized to some extent by industrial agriculture.
I think what is most important about the local concept is the part about Source Verification. The consumer wants to know exactly where their food comes from and who the farmers are and how they grow and produce the food they offer. In France, a consumer can go into a butcher shop looking for lamb from one of their top brands (Label Rouge), and the butcher can tell you exactly which farm the lamb came from. Many times there is a digital printout above the meat case with the farm name, address and phone number of the producer of the product in the case that day. Distance of production, cost of transportation in environmental or caloric terms, and production protocols are critical ingredients of a consumer’s decision to buy. In some of the largest markets of the world like New York City, how local can the beef be? How many head of cattle can graze in Central Park? It’s my contention that Source Verification is the most important part of the “local” concept. With transparency of location, production protocol, and a connection to the farm, the consumers can and will decide with their dollars.
