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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/14/organic-food-walmart-new-line-not-just-yuppies-anymore
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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Organic food: it's not just for yuppies anymore | Organic food: it's not just for yuppies anymore |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A man who applies pesticides to Iowa | A man who applies pesticides to Iowa |
| fields for $14 hour might not seem a likely organic enthusiast. But when I met | fields for $14 hour might not seem a likely organic enthusiast. But when I met |
| Jim Dreier last fall, and he mentioned the backyard patch he and his wife had | |
| planted with vegetables in the spring, he told me he didn’t use any pesticides. When I asked him why, Dreier surprised me: “I don’t want to eat that shit,” he said. When I went grocery shopping with his wife, Christina, she surprised me, too, by picking out a bag of organic grapes even though she was paying with | |
| Snap – food stamps – for exactly the same reason. | Snap – food stamps – for exactly the same reason. |
| I thought about Jim and Christina last | I thought about Jim and Christina last |
| week, and my surprise at their organic habits, after Walmart announced it | week, and my surprise at their organic habits, after Walmart announced it |
| will be adding 100 new organic products to its shelves this | will be adding 100 new organic products to its shelves this |
| month. For as long as I can remember, "organic" has been synonymous with | month. For as long as I can remember, "organic" has been synonymous with |
| affluence and conscious consumption. Partly, that’s because organic foods are | affluence and conscious consumption. Partly, that’s because organic foods are |
| typically 30% more expensive than conventional items. But | typically 30% more expensive than conventional items. But |
| part of it is our assumption about who exactly buys organic and why. | part of it is our assumption about who exactly buys organic and why. |
| Typically, it hasn’t been families like the Dreiers, who are raising three kids | |
| on Jim’s $14 an hour and can't really afford it. So we tend to think that people who buy organic | on Jim’s $14 an hour and can't really afford it. So we tend to think that people who buy organic |
| food are part of a select group: urban, well-meaning, affluent, educated | food are part of a select group: urban, well-meaning, affluent, educated |
| “foodies”. | “foodies”. |
| This is a pernicious myth. In reality, | This is a pernicious myth. In reality, |
| the poor actually consider organic food more | the poor actually consider organic food more |
| important than the rich, according to top researchers – and organic isn’t a “select” phenomenon at all. | important than the rich, according to top researchers – and organic isn’t a “select” phenomenon at all. |
| Three-quarters of American shoppers buy organic food at least occasionally | Three-quarters of American shoppers buy organic food at least occasionally |
| and more than a third do so monthly, according to | and more than a third do so monthly, according to |
| industry analysis by the Hartman Group. When researchers asked why shoppers | industry analysis by the Hartman Group. When researchers asked why shoppers |
| didn’t buy organic more often, two-thirds said it was because of the higher price. | didn’t buy organic more often, two-thirds said it was because of the higher price. |
| And yet the myth that only the rich buy organic persists, driven by a kind of circular logic | And yet the myth that only the rich buy organic persists, driven by a kind of circular logic |
| that conflates preference (valuing organic) with behavior (actually buying it). The | that conflates preference (valuing organic) with behavior (actually buying it). The |
| cost of organic food keeps the poorest families from buying it often, and since | cost of organic food keeps the poorest families from buying it often, and since |
| only the wealthy can easily afford organic food, the only people we see buying | only the wealthy can easily afford organic food, the only people we see buying |
| it are wealthy. That, in turn, makes organic food into a norm for the rich, and | it are wealthy. That, in turn, makes organic food into a norm for the rich, and |
| a treat for the rest of us. | a treat for the rest of us. |
| Organic enthusiasts rarely help to clarify the | Organic enthusiasts rarely help to clarify the |
| situation, with some of the most prominent leaders making painfully tone-deaf | situation, with some of the most prominent leaders making painfully tone-deaf |
| comments about shoppers’ priorities. In 2008, just as the economy began to | comments about shoppers’ priorities. In 2008, just as the economy began to |
| tank, respected chef and food advocate Alice Waters argued that shoppers | tank, respected chef and food advocate Alice Waters argued that shoppers |
| make the choice between organic grapes and “Nike shoes – two pairs”, arguably | make the choice between organic grapes and “Nike shoes – two pairs”, arguably |
| adding to the perception that the poor simply do not prefer organic food. | adding to the perception that the poor simply do not prefer organic food. |
| As Walmart’s market researchers well know, the | As Walmart’s market researchers well know, the |
| poor actually do care about organic. The biggest supermarket chain in America, | poor actually do care about organic. The biggest supermarket chain in America, |
| Walmart has a customer base among the country’s poor and working class. The company | Walmart has a customer base among the country’s poor and working class. The company |
| estimates that 18% of Snap is spent in its stores, according to a recent | estimates that 18% of Snap is spent in its stores, according to a recent |
| series by | series by |
| Slate and Marketplace on the retailer – enough that it currently lists changes | Slate and Marketplace on the retailer – enough that it currently lists changes |
| to public assistance programs as a | to public assistance programs as a |
| potential liability for investors. | potential liability for investors. |
| Meanwhile, organic food has been one of | Meanwhile, organic food has been one of |
| the retailer’s strongest categories of sales, says Marketplace’s Krissy Clark, who reported the Walmart series. “It | the retailer’s strongest categories of sales, says Marketplace’s Krissy Clark, who reported the Walmart series. “It |
| makes sense to focus on the growth area,” she told me recently. And with cuts to public | makes sense to focus on the growth area,” she told me recently. And with cuts to public |
| assistance from the farm bill going into effect, Clark added, the new organic | assistance from the farm bill going into effect, Clark added, the new organic |
| line could attract “higher income consumers who are also feeling a squeeze, and | line could attract “higher income consumers who are also feeling a squeeze, and |
| maybe have reasons they wouldn’t shop at Walmart. This gives them incentive.” | maybe have reasons they wouldn’t shop at Walmart. This gives them incentive.” |
| While Walmart made a failed bid at | While Walmart made a failed bid at |
| going upscale a | going upscale a |
| few years ago, its new organic line might have better luck. That’s because the | few years ago, its new organic line might have better luck. That’s because the |
| new products will be branded under Wild Oats, a longstanding natural foods | new products will be branded under Wild Oats, a longstanding natural foods |
| brand that Whole Foods bought and then resold in the 2000s. (Whole Foods sold | brand that Whole Foods bought and then resold in the 2000s. (Whole Foods sold |
| the brand after a federal court ruled the merger violated anti-trust laws.) With the glimmer of brand-name recognition | the brand after a federal court ruled the merger violated anti-trust laws.) With the glimmer of brand-name recognition |
| that Wild Oats could inspire, middle- and upper-income shoppers may be | that Wild Oats could inspire, middle- and upper-income shoppers may be |
| persuaded to take a closer look at Walmart. And the prices seem low enough to fit the modest shopper's budget: a can of | persuaded to take a closer look at Walmart. And the prices seem low enough to fit the modest shopper's budget: a can of |
| Whole Foods’ 365 organic corn sells for $1.29 at my local Brooklyn store, but Walmart plans to sell Wild | Whole Foods’ 365 organic corn sells for $1.29 at my local Brooklyn store, but Walmart plans to sell Wild |
| Oats vegetables for 88 cents a can. | Oats vegetables for 88 cents a can. |
| Where I live, I can pick | Where I live, I can pick |
| from Whole Foods and farmers markets, not to mention food cooperatives that offer organic food affordably, so Walmart’s move doesn’t mean much for folks like me. And | from Whole Foods and farmers markets, not to mention food cooperatives that offer organic food affordably, so Walmart’s move doesn’t mean much for folks like me. And |
| precisely what the new line will mean systemwide – how Walmart’s massive scale | precisely what the new line will mean systemwide – how Walmart’s massive scale |
| will affect for organic farmers and prices throughout the market – remains | will affect for organic farmers and prices throughout the market – remains |
| to be seen. But for families like the Dreiers, who – like an estimated 15% of Walmart’s own workers – work hard and yet still need Snap to pay for food, it offers | |
| something new: an organic option they can afford. And it reminds me that I never should have been surprised that they’d want one in the first | something new: an organic option they can afford. And it reminds me that I never should have been surprised that they’d want one in the first |
| place. | place. |