Why Are Some of the Most Popular Organic Brands Trying to Take Down Consumer Labeling Efforts?

[cleanhippie]

You may be surprised by the companies siding with the likes of Monsanto, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Dow and other behemoths over the right to know what foods are genetically modified.

September 12, 2012 | Inside the battle over California’s ballot initiative for labeling of genetically engineered foods, Prop 37, is another battle for money . It’s no surprise that more than $14 million of the over $26 million raised to defeat the “Right to Know” labeling initiative is from the biotech industry. And it’s not shocking that the nation’s largest food corporations – PepsiCo, Nestle, Coca-Cola, ConAgra, General Mills, Del Monte, Kellogg, Hershey, etc. – have kicked in most of the rest.

But then there are some surprises. Companies with no obvious stake in the GE foods labeling battle like Morton Salt, Ocean Spray Cranberries, and Godiva have contributed thousands of dollars. And conscientious shoppers may not be aware that they are buying organic products from brands owned by the companies fighting to defeat Prop 37.

The Cornucopia Institute, an organic watchdog organization, recently published an infographic telling which organic brands are owned by major corporations that oppose GE food labeling – as well as which organic companies and brands are supporting the pro-labeling “Right to Know” campaign.

Coca-Cola might not want to label the genetically engineered corn used to make the high fructose corn syrup in its sodas, but it also owns organic and “natural” brands like Honest Tea and Odwalla. Likewise, PepsiCo, owner of Izze and Naked Juice, donated $1.7 million to oppose Prop 37 – more than every other donor except Monsanto and DuPont, and even more than the other four major biotech corporations (Bayer, BASF, Dow, and Syngenta).

Other brands owned by Prop 37-opposing corporations include Lightlife and Alexia (owned by Conagra); Kashi, Gardenburger, Bear Naked, and Morningstar Farms (Kellogg); Cascadian Farm Organic, Muir Glen and Larabar (General Mills); R.W. Knudsen Farms and Santa Cruz Organic (Smucker); and Silk and Horizon Organic (Dean Foods).

http://www.alternet.org/food/why-are-some-most-popular-organic-brands-trying-take-down-consumer-labeling-efforts

http://www.cornucopia.org/2012/08/prop37/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. My guess is that some organic products companies are owned by non-organic products companies.

[cleanhippie]

2. Thats it exactly. The article makes the point that most would be surprised at who owns what.

It would seem that many, if not nearly all, of the brands people trust as being 'organic' or 'earth friendly' (or whatever term one wants to use) are owned by larger corporations that the same people avoid.

[Luminous Animal]

3. That's part of it but also the big guns are lobbying regularly to weaken organic standards...

Including GMOs has "organic" is one of their goals.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. "Organic GMOs", a future classic oxymoron.