Oh Organics, My Organics

“Organics” have arrived. They are more popular than ever, but what exactly is organic food? How does organic farming differ from conventional farming? How does the organic labeling process work? And, what does it all mean to you, the well-intentioned consumer? You might be surprised by some of the answers.

Over the past few decades, organics have moved from the “lunatic fringe” to the red carpet. Literally. This paradigm shift was most evident at the 2004 American Music Awards held in Los Angeles. Each year, celebrities, usually accustomed to receiving gaudy gift bags brimming with fancy fragrances and trendy technology, were instead presented with a more natural offering: “ecogift bags” filled with organic treats like Annie’s Homegrown Organic Macaroni and Cheese, Taylor Maid Farms organic coffee and organic cotton tote bags from Patagonia.

Organics are not only en vogue among luminaries and de rigueur among foodies, middle America is going organic, too: the 2002 Organic Consumer Trends Report found that thirty-nine percent of the U.S. population uses organic products.

Organic food production is a $16 billion-a-year industry, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA) – and it is rising precipitously. Even though organic still accounts for a mere 3% of overall food sales, it is growing at a sizzling rate of 17-20% per year as compared to glacial 2-3% for conventional foods.

“Once you have Kraft marketing an organic product, albeit through another brand, you really can't be more part of the mainstream than that,” said Don Montuori, editor of Packaged Facts, an industry publication.

More people eating healthier food produced in safe and sustainable ways is all good, right? Well, not necessarily.

Double-digit growth can be a double-edged sword. Organic food production is growing so rapidly that it is straining the system: there are not enough organic farms and organically raised animals in the United States to meet demand.

When demand outpaces supply, things can go awry. For example, in 2006, The Cornucopia Institute, an organic watchdog organization, filed a legal complaint before the USDA against Dean Foods, the largest milk bottler in the United States. The complaint alleged that Horizon Organic Milk came from cows reared in factory farms that violated organic standards, specifically that Horizon’s dairy cows did not have sufficient access to pasture and are kept in inhumane conditions. That case is still pending.

“As organics become more mainstream, the standards are at risk,” says Ronnie Cummins, a national director for the Organic Consumer Organization. “Mass market and organics aren’t always compatible,” he adds.

First, let’s get clear on the differences between organic and conventional farming -- and how and why the distinction was originally drawn.

In 1990, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Bill included The Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA). This was created to establish uniform national standards for the production and handling of foods labeled as “organic.” The Act authorized a new USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to set national standards for the production, handling, and processing of organically grown agricultural products.

The NOP now oversees mandatory certification of organic production. The Act also established the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) which advises the Secretary of Agriculture in setting the standards upon which the NOP is based. Producers who meet standards set by the NOP may label their products as “USDA Certified Organic.”

Here is the technical definition of “organic food” according to the USDA National Organic Program website:

“Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled ‘organic,’ a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.”

Fairly clear cut, right? Unfortunately, things aren’t so clear.

The ability to emblazon a food product with the word “organic” is a valuable marketing advantage. And, when a subtle advantage can be leveraged for financial gain, it’s a breeding ground for situational ethics -- and compromised standards.

Organic certification is intended to protect consumers from misuse of the term, and to make buying organics more straightforward. However, as the demand for organics rise, some large food manufacturers are attempting to weaken organic standards. Even the slightest downgrade in those standards can represent a financial windfall to large food companies.

Some believe that the U.S. government is also seeking to undercut organic standards. For example, Congress passed a $397 billion spending bill that contained a buried provision which could jeopardize U.S. organic standards. The provision, which was slipped into the bill at the last minute without debate, would “permit livestock producers to certify meat and dairy products as organic even if the animals had been fed non-organic or genetically engineered grain.” The provision would override the NOP’s requirement that 100% organic feed be used to produce organic meat products.

While many forces seek to soften organic standards, others go above and beyond to safeguard, and uphold, them.

“The notion that any food entity puts profits over people by whittling away at the very standards that protect those people is downright disgraceful,” says Dr. Jack J. Singh, founder of Organic Food Bar, Inc. the best-selling organic bar in the world. “We’re talking about people’s health here; health is our most precious asset. Food companies should protect that at all costs!”

“Would the managers of these companies put food of questionable quality or unknown origins into their children’s mouths? Of course they wouldn’t. When you run a food company, you are feeding families with children. It is incumbent on everyone in this business to do everything they can to protect people’s health -- particularly now as we face a health care crisis in this country.

We go to extraordinary lengths and allocate enormous time and expense to ensure that every ORGANIC FOOD BAR is positively 100% organic and pure. For example, we only use ingredients from trusted sources in the U.S., Canada and Europe. What the big companies don’t quite grasp is that unflinching integrity is good for customers – and good for business, too. Our customers love us, and we set a good example for the other food companies. That is why ORGANIC FOOD BAR goes above and beyond.”

According to Dr. Singh, here are some tips when shopping for organic food:

- If you want to eat purely organic food, the label should read: “100% organic” and nothing less. Only products made entirely with certified organic ingredients and methods can be labeled "100% organic.”
- Products with at least 95% organic ingredients can use the word "organic" and can also include the USDA organic seal. The other 5% can be conventionally-grown ingredients.
- A third category, containing a minimum of 70% organic ingredients, can be labeled “made with organic ingredients.”
- In most cases, the word “natural” on a product label means very little because, unlike the designation “organic,” the word “natural” has no legal definition.
- Whenever possible, buy food produced closer to home. That way, you know your food is fresher -- and you know where it comes from! The recent food scare with China, while unsettling, has compelled many Americans to examine the origins of their food. This is good. The fact is that locally-produced food is better for you, it’s better for your community -- and, it’s better for the planet.

To learn more about organics, visit The Organic Trade Association at: http://www.ota.com/.

Taking Part, Taking a Stand and Taking Action in Washington

My four-year-old daughter is a lobbyist. A bonafide Washington lobbyist. And, I could not be prouder of her.

In her first visit to “the hill,” Vivienne joined over 400 people from 39 states in Washington, D.C. for the national conference of CARE -- a leading global humanitarian organization -- to discuss poverty, hunger and the climate crisis with members of Congress.

In this election year, lobbying carries a heavy stigma. The candidates are systematically purging their campaigns of anyone who even peripherally lobbied in their lifetimes. Lobbying conjures up images of unctuous tobacco, gun and insurance agents in surreptitious, back-slapping meetings over scotch-rocks with members of Congress, as they carve out more for the powerful at the expense of the marginalized.

But, when it comes to lobbying, it’s not the what that matters; it’s the who and why. As Bill Clinton said in defense of Hillary’s reception of lobbyist money: “What gives the lobbyists influence is the people who hire them to work for them. It's all the people they represent.” Lobbying is merely the act of meeting with our elected officials to ask them to support something in which we believe.

Vivienne believes in Disneyland princesses, the violin and lemon sorbet. She also believes in feeding the hungry, keeping girls safe and protecting our planet.

Vivienne is only four years old, but she does not like that 850 million people are chronically hungry in the world -- and that many of those people are children. She does not like that violence against women and girls is on the rise. And, she does not like that our planet is heating up and that that is hurting poor people the most.

So, Vivienne proudly took her place in history alongside hundreds of thousands of intrepid, compassionate souls who, over a span of six decades, have forged CARE into a global superpower for change -- defending dignity and fighting poverty.

CARE was founded in 1945 and helped rebuild an embattled Europe by rushing over 100 million “care packages” to the survivors of World War II. Today, CARE gives special focus to working alongside poor women because CARE has found that when women are equipped with the proper resources, they have special power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. CARE allocates 91% of the money it receives directly to people in need on the ground. This is one of the highest percentages in the industry.

To do my part to support CARE, I collaborated with them in creating the I am Powerful Workout, a campaign to empower Americans with better health as they empower women and girls worldwide. For every hour people exercise, and record on www.care.org/workout, I donate $5 to CARE. I believe that when we have an emotional reason to exercise, we will do it more -- and we will get more out of it. And, I believe that when we empower ourselves with better health, we have more power to change our world – and we have a greater inclination to do so.

The people who work with CARE are precisely the role models I want my daughter to be around. They embody Mahatma Gandhi‘s idea to “be the change you want to see in the world.”

So, Vivienne joined us and CARE in Washington, as its youngest participant, to discuss three urgent issues with members of Congress:

The Global Hunger Crisis

A new hunger crisis is upon us. According to the World Food Program, food prices have increased 55 percent since June 2007. And, the situation is likely to worsen in the coming months. When food riots occur -- as they have in Haiti, Africa, Asia and parts of Europe -- it means people have reached a breaking point.

There are many reasons for the increase in food prices. Among them: rising oil prices, increased demand for food and a record number of food crops being converted for use as biofuel.

“Food crises are not isolated events that happen unexpectedly,” says Dr. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE. “People are plunged into crisis due to a number of interrelated factors, including poverty, poor access to markets, insufficient agricultural production, and social marginalization. A disaster only makes a systematic problem worse. Unless we address the reasons why people are vulnerable to hunger in the first place, we will not succeed in overcoming widespread food insecurity over the long term.”

Most Americans can cope with fluctuations in food prices; we have adequate buffers. But, imagine for a moment that you are one of the billion people on Earth who live on one dollar a day. How would you budget for rising food prices? What would you tell your children?

We conveyed to members of Congress that traditional food aid does not work the way it should. The strategy thus far has been to ship huge amounts of food overseas to be given to needy people or sold in open markers. This is emblematic of American goodwill, but it does not prevent hunger and its underlying causes.

The key is to provide short-term emergency food aid in such places as Myanmar, as we help communities build better systems to protect themselves against food insecurity over the long-term.

So, we asked members of Congress to support provisions in the FY08-09 Supplemental Appropriations Bill to provide increased funding for emergency food programs and to bring reform to the U.S. approach to hunger by supporting a regional and local purchase program.

Violence Against Women and Girls Worldwide

Violence against women and girls is at epidemic proportions in many of the world's poorest countries. According to CARE, at least one out of three women globally will be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime, with rates reaching 70 percent in some countries.

Reading that is one thing. Bringing it home is another. For me, it’s a thing of beauty to watch my wife and daughter delight in one another’s company in a safe, enriching environment full of love. I cannot imagine these two women being abused and held back from thriving. Repressing the majestic and beautiful power of a woman is a crime against humanity.

It also cripples humanity. Violence against women is inextricably linked to poverty, because a woman who has been the victim of abuse is limited in her ability to work and provide for her family. It also reduces women’s educational opportunities, and it tears at the very fabric of society -- because women play a central role in strengthening communities everywhere in the world.

Fortunately, like any societal scourge, violence against women can be prevented -- if enough people care.

There is landmark legislation in the works to do just that.

On October 31, 2007, Senator Joseph Biden (D-Delaware) and Senator Richard Lugar (R-Indiana) introduced The International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) in the U.S. Senate.

We asked members of Congress for their support on IVAWA. If passed, it would mark the first time in U.S. history that ending violence against women would be a diplomatic priority. That means the U.S. government would be required to respond to outbreaks of gender-based violence in armed conflicts -- such as the mass rapes now occurring in the Democratic Republic of Congo -- within six months. (It is befuddling and ludicrous to me that we don’t already do that).

Women are the biggest catalyst for change in communities around the world. We cannot possibly move forward as a civilization until women and girls are protected. This is a non-negotiable point. And, we can’t go part of the way on it. This is an all-the-way issue.

We found solid support for IVAWA, particularly among Senators Boxer and Feinstein. At the conclusion of our meetings, Vivienne gave their staffers big, warm hugs and heartfelt “thank you’s.” It was the perfect close.

Climate Change

We have heard so much about climate change that we have grown slightly desensitized to it. But, we had better get re-sensitized to it. And, quick.

Just last week, James Hansen, a top NASA scientist – known as “the godfather of global warming science” -- told a U.S. congressional panel that the world would be “toast” if we didn’t take drastic action on global warming. Hansen said the world has long passed the "dangerous level" for greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

This is no longer an “environmental issue”; it’s a people issue. As the planet grows hotter, people in the poorest countries suffer the most, because farmers there are already operating at razor-thin margins. A little less rainfall can transform a life-sustaining harvest into loss of life.

And, if left unchecked, global warming will affect us all -- in ways that we can hardly imagine. The parable of the frog in hot water applies: it is said that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but the frog can be boiled alive if the water is heated slowly enough. The lesson is that whether it comes to our personal health or our planet’s health, we must wake up to gradual change or we may suffer catastrophic loss.

We asked members of Congress to support initiatives to reduce poor people's vulnerability, to give them the resources and tools to adapt to a warmer climate – and to support a mandatory cap on greenhouse gas emissions, as voluntary measures do not go nearly far enough.

We pressed hard on this issue as the time for talk has long passed. The time for action is now.

Lessons Learned

Four things struck me about this illuminating foray into the world of political advocacy:

First, I went to the hill with absurdly low expectations. Over the course of the current Administration, I have become fatalistic. I presumed, like many, that these politicians would be cynical, partisan robots who would nod approvingly, but not hear a word we said.

In fact, the opposite was true. For the most part, these are good people intent on doing the right things. They merely differ on how to do it. If you are willing to take the time to meet with them, they will take the time to listen. The system may be slow and ceremonial, but the system works.

Next, the “one person/one vote/one voice can’t make a difference” excuse is not remotely valid. If a four-year-old with zero political experience can travel to Washington, D.C. and make a difference, then each of us can make a difference in our own way. Put aside your excuses, doubts and suspicions about politics and take part, take a stand and take action. One person can tip the balance and make all the difference.

Third, CARE has clout. Striding into these offices wearing CARE badges commanded respect among members of Congress. CARE is a serious organization with a serious history, led by serious people who produce serious results. And, members of Congress knew it.

Finally, I was moved that over 400 CARE volunteer advocates traveled to Washington D.C. on their own dime to push for issues that do not directly affect them. These people were not lobbying Congress to bring down the price of gasoline or to lower the cost of their health insurance. They were putting in 14-hour days on behalf of people a world away.

At the conclusion of our hill visits, a worn-out Vivienne said: “Papa, did I do a good job as a loppyist? I’m tired. Can we be done now?”

I said, “Yes, honey, you helped people who you will never meet -- and who cannot help you back. That is the best kind of help to give. I could not be prouder of you. Now, let’s get some lemon sorbet.”

Eric on CBS "Weekend Early Edition"

CARE PRESS RELEASE: Sweating a way to a better world

Work out on the Mall in solidarity with marginalized women and girls. Every hour you exercise, Eric Harr will donate $5 to CARE

Contacts: Rick Perera, 404-457-4649 / rperera@care.org or Allen Clinton, CARE, 404-457-4635 / clinton@care.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 11, 2008) – Professional triathlete and fitness author Eric Harr says getting in shape can be the easiest way to help fight global poverty.

Harr is leading a 7 a.m. workout session, to express support for marginalized women and girls worldwide, on the Mall on June 18. He’s also sponsoring the I Am Powerful Workout, through which Harr donates $5 to the poverty-fighting organization CARE for every hour each participant exercises.

All you have to do is sign up at www.care.org/workout and log your hours via e-mail. Work out five hours this week and you will have automatically raised $25, towards the goal of $1 million in support for CARE from Harr.

Members of the public are invited to join CARE supporters from across the U.S. for Thursday’s workout. All participants will be entered in a drawing for prizes -- two winners will get 12 months of personal fitness coaching by Harr. And he’s keeping his own personal pledge by training for the Ironman Triathlon World Championships, to be held October 11, 2008.

Harr was inspired to launch the I Am Powerful Workout when he traveled to Mozambique with CARE to visit health and nutrition programs, meeting women who are struggling against huge obstacles to pull themselves and their communities out of poverty.

“Here in the US, we are facing an unprecedented health crisis in the form of obesity and physical inactivity,” he says. “At the same time women in the developing world lack access to basic services to improve the health of their families. This workout addresses both of these issues in a very special and emotional way.”

The Warm Up

On June 18^th and 19^th, Harr will join other supporters from across the country at CARE’s National Conference in an effort to engage policymakers in the fight against global poverty. Harr kicks off the conference with the Thursday morning workout – encouraging participants to log their hours in support of CARE.

About CARE

CARE fights global poverty by empowering marginalized women and girls to bring lasting change to their communities. Visit www.care.org for more information.

What It Means to Care

I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF MYSELF AS a compassionate and charitable person. I was raised in a sheltered, upper-class environment in Marin County, California, but my parents instilled an unshakable sense of social justice in me. From an early age, I felt compelled to give a voice to those without one: whether it was a stray animal or a homeless person.

Recently, I discovered a deeper, more authentic meaning of the word “care.”

I spent eight days touring remote communities in Mozambique with CARE, to observe their work and to meet the people who benefit from it.

Now, it’s one thing to hear about the state of affairs in places like Africa and to care about what’s going on. It’s another thing altogether to sit with these people and to look into their eyes when they talk about their dreams of a better life for themselves and their children. I can never again ignore this problem or be glib about how profoundly and viscerally poverty affects people. I now know what it truly means to care.

With that, CARE and I created the I Am Powerful Workout, which couples the issues of personal health and worldwide poverty in a most unique and uplifting way.

This campaign helps each of us elevate our own health (in a time when we really need it!) as we elevate marginalized women and girls around the world (in a time when they really need it!). What makes the I am Powerful Workout so powerful is the unique nature and win-win dynamic of the gift. In “gifting” yourself with better health, you are gifting others with a better life. Literally, every step you take to get into better shape is a step on behalf of marginalized women and girls worldwide. When you finish a workout, you feel stronger literally. And, knowing you did something for people a world away is empowering, too. Look good, feel good … do good!

Those women I met in Africa have awe-inspiring strength, power and courage to endure every day against impossible odds. I am hoping to empower them by competing in professional triathlons to support CARE; I know they are empowering me. Whenever I am unmotivated to work out or exhausted by the pain of an Ironman, I think of what these women endure each day. I gather myself up, I take a deep breath, I shake off the doubt and I forge on in their honor.

Please log on to www.care.org/workout and join me today.

And, feel deep in your heart what it really means to care – for yourself and for others.