Iconic Organic Industry Giants Missing in Action

Major players in the organic food market have been conspicuously silent in what has become the food fight of the decade. This November, voters in California will have the opportunity to approve a ballot initiative (Proposition 37) that would require the labeling of all food products containing genetically engineered (GE) ingredients, commonly called GMOs.

Numerous smaller companies and organizations involved in organic food production – which, by law, is prohibited from using GE ingredients – have responded with their own campaign in support of the right-to-know initiative, raising over $3 million. However, this amount is dwarfed by the $23.5 million raised by the agribusiness and biotechnology corporations. But many organic industry observers are most puzzled by the failure of some of the giants of the organic industry to throw their support behind the initiative, which reflects the values held by their most dedicated customers.

The Cornucopia Institute has developed a chart and graphic that has gone viral on the web, illustrating the surprising involvement in fighting the right-to-know campaign of the corporate owners of many popular organic brands. General Mills, Kellogg and Dean Foods own iconic organic brands, like Cascadian Farm, Kashi and Horizon Organic, in addition to their much larger stable of conventional food brands.