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The Certified Organic Associations of BC provides support for this site: encouraging organic and alternative food production in Canada by improving accessibility to organic farming content online. |
Who Owns What in the Organic food industry
Phil Howard, author of these charts, is assistant professor at Michigan State University's Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and ResourceCyber-Help for Organic Farmers HOME PAGE
See how ownership of organic companies has transitioned from 1995 to 2007, in an animated sequence [9MB], produced by Phil Howard in collaboration with Skye Bender-deMoll,.an author of SoNIA (Social Network Image Animator).
See also charts showing:
- Acquisitions by the top 30
- New brand introductions by the top 30
- Major independents and their brands
- Private label brands
- Seed Industry Structure 1996 - 2008
COMMENTS? Click here to read chart author Phil Howard's comments and discussion in our forum - and make your own comment.
List of assets owned by food companies (Wikipedia)
MORE ON CORPORATE ORGANIC FOOD:
What Happens When Big Corporations Take Over Green Companies
It is a fairly familiar story in business. Someone has an idea, a passion. He or she builds a spectacular small business around that idea, builds a reputation for creating something really unique, and people love the business. Then, the owner sells the company to a large corporation.
FULL STORY
Organic, Inc. - Natural Foods and How They Grew
By Samuel Fromartz
Fromartz, a business reporter who focused on startup companies in publications like Inc. and Fortune Small Business, writes in the introduction to "Organic, Inc.": "I was particularly interested in people who sought to manifest their values in their businesses. ... The intersection of idealism and business was not an easy place to stand, since one usually trumped the other." The following statistics -- "Sales of organic food had shot up about 20% per year since 1990, reaching $11 billion by 2003" -- indicate that the organics industry, which has its roots in utopian ideologies, is in for an interesting ride. - San Francisco ChronicleWho's Really Behind Organic Food Brands Like Amy's and Odwalla?
Over the past decade many small organic food brands have been snapped up by giant corporations. Clearly, this can be bad for standards and quality.
FULL STORYThe battle for the soul of the organic movement
"It's now no different from conventional farming - producers are being squeezed, products are over-packaged, let alone the numbers of air miles that are used to fly organic goods around the world."
FULL STORYThe Organic Myth
As food companies scramble to find enough organically grown ingredients, they are inevitably forsaking the pastoral ethos that has defined the organic lifestyle.
FULL STORYMega-producers tip scales as organic goes mainstream
"I think organic is not quite what people think at this point," said Michael Pollan, a UC Berkeley journalism professor whose new book, The Omnivore's Dilemma; takes a hard -- and ultimately critical -- look at what he calls "industrial organic." From Green Giants in the San Francisco Chronicle
NEWS ON CORPORATE ORGANIC FOOD:Ari Le Vaux, Denver Post - July 26, 2009
Organic goes down a slippery road
Even as the demand for organic food continues to explode, organic farmers in America are getting thrown under the very beet cart they helped build.
Full textSamuel Fromartz, Huffington Post - July 7, 2009.
Is Organic in an End-Game?
In short, though some are controversial, you would be hard-pressed to find any processed organic food business arguing for a blanket dismissal of all synthetics.
Full textThe Cornucopia Institute - October 13, 2008.
Collateral Damage: Organic Farmers Being Squeezed Out
They claim the acquisition of major brands by corporate agribusiness, and their dependence on factory farms, threatens to force families off the land and deprive consumers of the superior nutritional food they think they are paying for.
Full text.Michael Valpy, Globe and Mail - May 30, 2007.
Has big business turned organics into 'yuppy chow'?
Organic food is being taken over by big business, marketed as 'yuppie chow' for the privileged, and increasingly packaged with as little concern for the environment as conventional food production, says a York University academic researcher.
Full text.Kylene Kiang, Cox News Service - September 26, 2006
Big business accused of corrupting organic label
Once the symbol of foods produced by environmentally friendly means, the organic label in the United States has with time cheapened into a gimmicky marketing tool, some organic farmers and activists say.
Full textAnn Cooper, Kate Adamick, San Francisco Chronicle - August 6, 2006.
An organic foods dilemma
They're mass-produced by agribiz but better than eating poisons
Full text.Curly Weeks, CanWest / Edmonton Journal - April 17, 2006.
Food Inc. swallows organics
Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart and the corporate owners of cigarette giant Phillip Morris Companies Inc. might seem an unlikely match for organic and natural food.
Full text.Hillary Lindsay, The Dominion Paper - November 24, 2005
Is corporate organic changing the organic landscape in Canada?
Phil Howard, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, notes that according to one estimate, 40% of the packaged organic foods on the shelves of natural food stores are produced by some of the biggest companies in the world.
Full text
MORE ORGANIC FARMING NEWS
Organics Goes Mainstream - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation:
Today, organic food is a $14 billion-a-year industry in North America, and growing. Every major supermarket chain carries organic fruits and vegetables, frozen foods, dairy and packaged goods, and some have developed their own in-store organic brands
Full textThe Question: How do I decide where to buy?
If you can't find local suppliers or businesses that you know and trust, here's a little help:
Responsible Shopper - provides a track record for major companies
Related articles
- When Organics Go Mainstream Vijay Cuddeford
- Who Owns Organic? The Global Status, Prospects, and Challenges of a Changing Organic Market. [PDF - 1.5MB]
- Big Business Enters the Organic Market Place Paul Tick
- Corporate Double-Speak on their Organic Food Lines Mark Kawar
- What We Need to Know About the Corporate Takeover of the "Organic" Food Market Cynthia Resnick
- Behind the Organic-Industrial Complex Michael Pollan
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