Barbara H. Peterson
White Wave Foods is expanding its reach into the Organic sector of the food industry by purchasing Earthbound Farm. Yes, the consolidation of organic interests by conglomerates having no real interest in true organics, but merely the bottom line continues at a dizzying rate.
WhiteWave Foods Co., whose brands include Silk, Land O Lakes and Horizon Organic, said Monday that it is buying Earthbound Farm from its existing shareholders, which are led by Kainos Capital and founders Drew and Myra Goodman.
“With Horizon Organic and Earthbound Farm, WhiteWave will now provide the two most popular gateways for consumers to enter into the organic category _ produce and dairy,” WhiteWave Chairman and CEO Gregg Engles said.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101256770
This new acquisition even gives corporate lobbyists at the former Dean Foods/WhiteWave a direct conduit to the important National Organic Standards Board via John Foster, an employee of Earthbound and an NOSB member.
http://www.cornucopia.org/2013/12/whitewave-consumes-organic-salad-greens-distributor-earthbound/
Let’s just take a look at one of White Wave’s endeavors into the land of deceit and trickery. And that is, White Wave’s brand Land O’Lakes and its wholly owned subsidiary, Forage Genetics’ development of GMO alfalfa:
“We are proud to have been joined in the defense of this case by individual growers and alfalfa hay and seed grower associations, who came together to articulate a commitment to co-existence of genetically engineered, conventional and organic products, as well as the importance of grower choice,” said Mark McCaslin, President of Forage Genetics International.
http://www.landolakesinc.com/utility/news/business/ECMP2-0157203
Coexistence. That is the company’s mantra, and it seems that certain others who claim to be fighting for the “right to know” if your food is genetically engineered, have absolutely no problem coexisting with the likes of the designer, producer and distributor of genetically engineered (GMO) alfalfa – White Wave’s Land O’ Lakes subsidiary, Forage Genetics. Sure, you have a right to know if your food contains GMOs, but a ban on GMOs? Not likely by the collaborators who make money supporting and coexisting with GMO supporters and producers.
Sure, they can proclaim “hey, we don’t use GMOs and promote the right to know if you are eating them, but a ban? Seriously? That would cut into profits. Can’t have that – might lose money. With coexistence these companies and organizations can have it both ways. Fingers in all of the pies so to speak. And when GMO contamination reaches such a level that it has infiltrated every foodstuff on the planet and makes anything labeled “organic” merely wishful thinking, well, it will simply be business as usual. Just change the label a bit and no one will be the wiser.
Ask yourself why Silk, owned by White Wave Foods, would devote a page to proclaiming that it is against GMOs and is for the “right to know” labeling initiative?
We bet you want to know what’s in your food—unfortunately, that’s not always as easy as it should be. As a food company, we know it’s our responsibility to make that information simple, accessible and easy to understand.
That’s why we’re big supporters of Just Label It, a national initiative encouraging the clear and accurate labeling of foods containing GMOs. Under the Just Label It guidelines, food companies would be required to declare the presence of GMO ingredients in their products. These days, it’s called “transparency in labeling.” But we think it’s just common courtesy—and common sense.
Deception, my friends, deception. Keep your eyes on the right hand while the left hand spreads GMOs. That’s the ticket. Coexistence. That is White Wave’s specialty, and apparently, the specialty of most of the supposed anti-GMO forces in the headlines today.
Make no mistake about it – coexistence is a fancy and politically correct term for GMO takeover. The people who are really and truly working steadfastly for a ban on GMOs are few and far between, and rarely in the headlines. They are sidelined, kicked to the curb, and marginalized while the labeling camp strolls arm in arm with the likes of White Wave Foods down the coexistence lane to a complete GMO takeover.
©2013 Barbara H. Peterson
Tags: alfalfa, Barbara H. Peterson, coexistence, earthbound farm, Farm Wars, farmwars, forage genetics, GMO, gmo ban, gmo labeling, land o lakes, organic takeover, right to know, white wave
Thanks , Barbara
Exactly – if it had been banned there would be nothing to measure.
In 2011, I was at the Bioneers conference where I attended a presentation by Jeffery Smith and others who were involved in the Labelling initiative prop 39 in California. I urged them to call for banning but they insisted that labelling is the way to go
Thank you, Joan! You have to have a problem before you can provide a solution. And if the problem is solved, your solution is no longer required and you go out of business…
I neglected to mention that Dr. John Fagan invented Genetic ID – for identifying GMOs. He is a colleague of Jeffery Smith at the maharishi university It sounds as though Jeffery Smith is quite comfortable with co-existence within the same extended company.
In 1997 Dr. John Fagan came to Victoria Canada and gave a presentation, decrying the disastrous consequences of genetically engineered food and crops. I went to the microphone and said we should demand that governments invoke the precautionary principle and ban GE food and crops. He responded that the campaign was labelling. Subsequently , a scientist from the federal government told me that Dr. John Fagan had in 1996 developed a method for distinguishing between GE and GE-free food and crops. I surmised at that time that he would benefit not from banning but from labelling.
labelling does not address the equity issue- not everyone can afford to buy GE-free food and crops, or the environmental issue- genetic drift/contamination
The institutional Collusion, in relation to genetically engineered food and crops, among corporations, governments, universities and regulatory agencies has been endemic; this collusion has sadly spread to certain scientific publications. For the sake of food security for present and future generations: (i) this collusion must end; (ii) the precautionary principle must be invoked, (iv) genetically engineered food and crops, banned; (v) the charters of Monsanto et al, revoked; and (vi) charges of gross/criminal negligence against these corporations, levied.
Please support the petition for a global ban
http://www.change.org/en-CA/pe.....-and-crops
Do these fools know biology I doubt it or they wouldn’t have come up with this GMOs in the first place.
Well, the Institute for Responsible Technology answered my “why are you sponsored by Silk” question… sort of. Yeah, it’s a non-answer:
“Hi Barbara,
Thank you for contacting the Institute for Responsible Technology with your questions about the sponsors for our Non-GMO Shopping Guide. The company you mention is a subsidiary that supports labeling of GM foods, while the parent company of the subsidiary has opposed GMO labeling. I’ve attached a file from Silk that should answer your questions on this matter.
In the meantime have you subscribed to our Spilling the Beans Newsletter?”
Diane, IRT Education and Resources
Institute for Responsible Technology
P O Box 469
Fairfield, IA 52556
Office: (641) 209-1765
http://www.responsibletechnology.org
So, the bottom line according to the IRT is that it’s okay to be supported by a company that is owned by a pro-GMO company that also owns the world’s first and largest producer of GMO alfalfa, just as long as it supports labeling too. Can we spell out COEXISTENCE any clearer? Thank you, IRT, for making it perfectly clear just exactly where you stand.
That’s wishful thinking IMO, r. It also does not taking into account the various GMO animal feeds that are grown that make up for much more than the human food. Sure, people might start rejecting them in their canned goods, but the filth will continue to spread via acres and acres of GMO feed and biofuel. Labeling is a bandaid on an arterial wound. It’s simply not good enough. A ban is the answer.
I think in the future we will have a very hard time finding anything in the way of grown food that has not been patented and is “owned” and I think that is the intention. People simply do not understand this. When you try to explain it to the average person their eyes go blank. Of course it is hard to understand how the corporate interests could be so nefarious. Why has the popular phrase “It’s all good.” taken hold of society? I hear it everywhere. This is to blind the people to the reality of what is going on and to de-rail common sense.
I fear it’s already too late to stop it. The pollen is loose in the environment and we have no way of knowing where or taking it back.
Yet another great and informative article! Thanks!
Ultimately coexistence with GMO’s is impossible. GMO pollen will contaminate all conventional and organic crops as time goes on, then it will be impossible to separate out the two. This is a very dangerous deception folks and we must NOT let this continue. GMO’s are poison for both animals and humans. It is my opinion that the powers responsible for spreading GMO foods and seeds are in fact conducting a eugenics policy upon the planet.