>From Gianni Ortiz: This is really important.
These charlatans have artificially kept the price of milk down to half of what it costs to produce it in order to starve out organic dairies. That strategy has been working well. Now, they are creating another pseudo-category of milk, "natural", that an uninformed consumer will want to believe is on a par with certified organic (which they originally were), even though it is one third the price. In addition to the myriad of corporately sponsored, destructive legislation that is in the pipeline, this tactic will further contribute to undermining small, organic farms. There needs to be an immediate and total boycott of all Dean Food products including their big selling, toxic, misleadingly marketed, Chinese soy based product Silk. Would an informed consumer trust a company with such a profound lack of ethics to manufacture foods for their children? The challenge will be to get the word out to the Wal-Mart crowd. Please pass on widely. Gianni From: Mark A. Kastel - The Cornucopia Institute [mailto:kas...@cornucopia.org] Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 12:33 AM To: Organic Integrity Project Subject: CORNUCOPIA: Shame! Dean Foods/WhiteWave Sells Out Organic Dairy Farmers Hello all, The rumors have now been confirmed. Dean Foods’ WhiteWave division has now announced that they will bring out "natural" (conventional) dairy products under the Horizon label. This at a time when organic dairy farmers around the country are in financial crisis due to a glut of milk. They are in essence creating a new product category, "natural dairy products," that will directly compete with certified organic farmers and the marketers they partner with. This move comes on the heels of the recent decision by Dean/WhiteWave to switch almost the entire product offerings of their Silk soymilk and soyfoods line to "natural" (conventional) soybeans. They made the switch to conventional soybeans, in Silk products, without lowering the price. Sheer profiteering. The likelihood is that they will create this new category and enjoy higher profits than they currently realize having to pay those pesky organic dairy farmers a livable wage. The news story below, from the Natural Foods Merchandise quotes Dean Foods/WhiteWave officials saying these products will be "easier on the pocketbook." Yes, they will be designed to undercut certified organic on price. Horizon is the largest, in terms of dollar volume, organic brand in the marketplace. Silk holds the leading market share in soyfoods and was once, prior to Dean Foods’ acquisition, a 100% organic company and brand. SHAME! Stay tuned. Dean Foods has just declared war on the organic industry. Although the first shot has been fired it will not be the last. The organic farmers, consumers and ethical business people who built this industry did so in effort to create an alternative food system with a different set of values. We will all work hard to defend what so many good people spent so many years to create. Mark A. Kastel Senior Farm Policy Analyst The Cornucopia Institute Horizon Organic Introduces Two New Natural Products June 29,2009 By: Angela Cortez Natural Foods Merchandise Horizon Organic, the Broomfield, Colo.-based company known as one of the first certified organic dairies to distribute nationwide, is adding one new product in July and testing another in August, and for the first time in the company's history, the products geared toward children are not organic but natural. Next month, Horizon Organic will launch Little Blends, a yogurt for toddlers. Milk Breakers, single servings of milk, will undergo a regional market test in the area of southeast Florida in August. These products are the first the company will distribute that are not certified organic. They are natural, don't contain growth hormones and will be easier on the pocketbook, said Sara Loveday, marketing communications manager for Horizon Organic. "We've only been organic in the past and the majority of our business will remain organic," she said. "They are new, separate offerings. These are our first natural offerings in the marketplace, and Horizon always tries to provide great-tasting products for moms and for families. We've always been focused on innovation that satisfies a broader range of consumer needs." Little Blends is a yogurt with a fruit and vegetable purée that comes in combinations of banana and sweet potato, strawberry and carrot, and apple and butternut squash. The recommended retail price is $3.39 to $3.59 for a four-pack of 4-ounce cups. Milk Breakers, which will be available in vanilla and chocolate and are fortified with added protein, are geared to 4 to 10 year olds. The suggested retail price is $3.79 for a six-pack of 6-ounce servings. Being natural but not organic means the company can sell the new products at a lower price and tap into a larger market. As the gap between conventional and organic widens and shoppers look to save money during recessionary times, companies are looking for ways to compete, ride the trends and offer value-priced products, said Michelle Barry, a retail and cultural trends expert and senior vice president of The Hartman Group, a research and consulting firm. "I suspect it may be unusual, but [Horizon Organic] may be on the leading edge of companies that are struggling and in competition with other companies," she said. "I'm not surprised they've done this. Their competition and consumers have been heading in this direction for some time. "There may be some core brand loyalists that will be upset, but at the same time, they could be expanding to a much dense population and the strategy may expand their reach into more households," Barry said. But the move away from purely organic is a trend that doesn't settle particularly well with Matthew McLean, vice president of the Organic Trade Association and owner of Uncle Matt's Organic in Clermont, Fla. Still, McLean said he understands that now is a difficult time for companies and they have to do what it takes to stay in business. "As an advocate of organic, I hope organic holds firm and continues to grow, but each company has its own mission and vision," he said. "Anybody in this economy, in any industry, is looking at ways to continue to grow the company and keep the light bill paid. I can only hope the organic consumer will continue to support organic, based on the quality of the products we put out. But I hope the companies stay true to organic, as well." Mark A. Kastel The Cornucopia Institute kas...@cornucopia.org 608-625-2042 Voice 866-861-2214 Fax P.O. Box 126 Cornucopia, Wisconsin 54827 <http://www.cornucopia.org/>www.cornucopia.org --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Mark Crispin Miller's "News From Underground" newsgroup. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to newsfromunderground-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com OR go to http://groups.google.com/group/newsfromunderground and click on the "Unsubscribe or change membership" link in the yellow bar at the top of the page, then click the "Unsubscribe" button on the next page. For more News From Underground, visit http://markcrispinmiller.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
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