232 Tomeboy responds to Fairly Traded article, #230

Your story re: Fair Trade Terms and Labels raises some very interesting issues. I've learned, though I am not a scientist, that much of the rhetoric about "eco-friendly/organic food" is simply not based on any scientific data.

Labels are another huge issue with food. The label "organic" can still be used if pesticide/herbicide was used in its production. Confusion is also used deliberately to mislead consumers, a recent case being a dairy farmer in Maine that produces "hormone free milk". Of course this is untrue, all milk has hormones. I believe in the "organics" right to market their products, however I am concerned that scare tactics are now a part of their marketing strategy.

The comment I had with your piece was the conditions of workers regarding organic farming. Organic farming requires much more labor intensive than traditional farming with pesticides/herbicides. Many organic farms have seen their market share grow, and have expanded operations and land because of organics lower yield. Of course, more labor is needed which usually comes in the variety of migrants with very poor pay. Many are illegal aliens to boot. There we have the conundrum of what truly is a socially responsible food product.

IMHO, it's ironic that genetically modified foods may serve as the best way to protect the environment and lives. Less tillage, less chemical, better yield, less land used, less fossil fuel guzzling tractors, etc... And contrary to what our European cousins may say, there is no scientific evidence that gmo foods are dangerous to consume. Nor are they an environmental hazard as well compared to traditional farming methods. Americans have been eating gmo's for 7 years.

Regards
tomeboy

You can check out his other thoughts and writings at his webpage: http://webpages.charter.net/tomeboy/t1.html