Wal-Mart's entry into the organic food market has, as was predicted, lowered standards for these products by demanding low prices from suppliers and sourcing supplies from factory farms and overseas suppliers.
Many believe that the industrialization of organics threatens the ability of consumers to be certain that products were raised and produced according to true organic standards.
Ever since Wal-Mart decided to significantly increase its organic offerings, they have been bombarded with accusations of selling substandard organic food, produced at factory farms, rather than small, organic farms as consumers are led to believe. The accusations, it turns out, are well-founded.
Now the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is calling on consumers to boycott Wal-Mart for degrading the organic standards.
As always, your best source of food will be from local farmers, not huge superstores. You can also use some common sense no matter where you shop by remembering that processed food is still junk food, even if it's labeled "organic."
If you are still skeptical about Wal-Mart you might want to view the excellent video Wal-Mart the High Cost of Doing Business, which is now free up on Google Video. I had always found it curious that collectively the Waltons are wealthier than Bill Gates or Warren Buffett but their charitable donations are relatively minimal.
Makes you wonder what the Waltons do with all their "savings."
On Vital Votes, biochemist Russ Bianchi from Soquel, California adds:
"I strongly recommend everyone see the documentary on Wal Mart entitled: THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICES before you patronize Wal Mart again ... of all the top billionaires on the Fortune 400 list, the children of Sam Walton, founder of Wal Mart, are by far the least charity/good works giving, by any measure. "It is extremely hard, if not impossible, to argue that value for money is not delivered by Wal Mart. "It is extremely hard, if not impossible, to argue the vast majority of America has benefited in consumer goods prices as a direct result of the Wal Mart model. "However, in the terra-forming of a stable middle class, the strength of any democratic society, or as in the case of America, a representative republic, when you watch this film, you can only come away from it a little more enlightened, sad, and perhaps, just perhaps, willing to JUST SAY 'NO'."
"I strongly recommend everyone see the documentary on Wal Mart entitled: THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICES before you patronize Wal Mart again ... of all the top billionaires on the Fortune 400 list, the children of Sam Walton, founder of Wal Mart, are by far the least charity/good works giving, by any measure.
"It is extremely hard, if not impossible, to argue that value for money is not delivered by Wal Mart.
"It is extremely hard, if not impossible, to argue the vast majority of America has benefited in consumer goods prices as a direct result of the Wal Mart model.
"However, in the terra-forming of a stable middle class, the strength of any democratic society, or as in the case of America, a representative republic, when you watch this film, you can only come away from it a little more enlightened, sad, and perhaps, just perhaps, willing to JUST SAY 'NO'."
Other responses to this article can be viewed at Vital Votes, and you can add your own thoughts or vote on comments by first registering at Vital Votes.