Tony -
Below, look under "six hats comments" and you will see that they say "GMO
and nonGMO." This worried me. I found another site, NovoTrade, a Dutch
company that helps people in Latin America and Africa market their
products. They used the term "sustainable/organic" and their whole site
looked very good. I e-mailed someone there, Sasha Courville, who
specialized in labeling and her comment is under the Kellogg site quote. If
you put "sustainable label" into your search engine, there are a number of
ecoagriculture sites that use the word "sustainable" with its real meaning
and not as newspeak. I'm afraid the USDA will support companies like W. K.
Kellogg rather than ecoagriculture people. I hope my fear isn't justified.
When I brought this up in the meeting with the Idaho State Administrator of
Plant Industries and the Director of the Idaho Organic Program, they just
made a general comment about the whole gamut of labeling and let it go.
They wouldn't talk about it, but there was definitely a reaction. (This is
Idaho. It's very conservative.) All the organic growers felt really good
that the administrators had come up to Sandpoint and we had been able to
talk face to face. On the whole, I was encouraged. I liked the
Administrator of Plant Industries. He was intelligent and he was Mexican,
I think.
I enjoyed stirring up the mix. I've been very troubled about the misuse of
"sustainable."
Merla
W. K. Kellogg Initiative Food and Society. <public.iastate.edu/~food and
society/conceptpapers/foodlabel.html>
Sustainable Food Labeling
A Proposed Action
DRAFT concept paper
Submitted by: Elisabeth Schafer, Clark Ford, Shellie Orngard
THE PROBLEM:
Developments in science and technology translated into exponential growth
in farming productivity over the Twentieth
Century. Farmers in the second half of the century have been justifiably
proud that the products of their labor "feed the
world." But by the latter decades of the century, farmers, scientists,
educators, and citizens have grown increasingly
concerned about the negative side effects of such growth, manifest as
environmental damage, human health problems,
and rural social depletion. The term "sustainable agriculture" has found
its way into the everyday lexicon, yet few people
agree on what makes agriculture sustainable. Consumers are familiar with
the term, but perplexed about the implications
for their daily food buying. Yet, research shows that 52 percent of
consumers would buy sustainable products if they
just knew what they were and how they contribute to a better living
environment.[
Iowans are frequenting local farmers markets in increasing numbers, under
the assumption that there they will find
locally grown, healthy food. In reality, often the produce has traveled
across state boundaries and with no assurance as
to the chemicals used in their growing. Whether at farmers markets or
supermarkets, a label certifying that products are
grown locally (within the state) in a manner sustainable to the local
community and environment would give consumers
greater confidence and quality assurance, as well as a way to contribute to
the sustainability of the local agricultural
economy. For producers, a commercially recognizable label would increase
the market share of sustainable products.
THE PROPOSED ACTION:
Under the auspices of the W.K. Kellogg initiative Food and Society (FAS),
the authors of this document propose to
establish easily recognizable, sustainable food labeling in Iowa. For this
purpose, we would create a statewide
partnership to:
(1) authorize criteria for sustainable labeling,
(2) identify a process by which producers can qualify for labeling,
and
(3) educate consumers about the labels.
OBJECTIVES:
Within eighteen months, this group proposes to lay the groundwork for
statewide sustainable labeling. To this end, they
will invite partners from across the state to:
1) establish criteria for sustainable food labels
2) create a process to authorize labeling
3) initiate a program to educate the public about the labels
4) identify an organization to administer the labeling program once
the grant period has been
completed
METHOD:
The grant recipients will seek partners among existing organizations to
speed achievement of the grant objectives. For
example, potential partners might include Practical Farmers of Iowa,
Neimann Ranch, and The Wallace Foundation. The
West Coast Food Alliance and the Midwest Food Alliance have already
established criteria for determining sustainability
in pest and disease management, soil and water conservation, and community
and human resource development. By
building on the foundations of these organizations, the grantees could move
more quickly through the organizational
phase, freeing valuable time and money for the publicity phase of the
project. Working with known entities is also
beneficial from a public relations standpoint because it capitalizes on
established public recognition.
LOCATION:
During the eighteen-month grant period, the grant would be administered
through Iowa State University or an
organization deemed appropriate by the grantees. Partners and participants
would be invited from across the state of
Iowa.
PROPOSED PARTNERS:
Wallace Foundation (Lewis, Iowa)
Practical Farmers of Iowa
Leopold Center
The Food Alliance (Portland, Oregon)
The Midwest Food Alliance (Minnesota)
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
North Central Institute for Sustainable Systems
Niman Ranch
Iowa Department of Health Promotion
Iowa Department of Economic Development
IDLES
OUTCOMES:
After eighteen months, the grantees will have:
1) established qualifying criteria for sustainable labeling in Iowa
2) provided a process for farmers and producers to qualify for a
sustainable label
3) created a plan to educate the public on the meaning and
implications of the label
4) designated a body to administer the labeling program once the
grant period has been completed
CONSISTENCY WITH KELLOGG GOALS:
The outcomes of this proposal would be supportive of stated Kellogg goals
in the following ways:
1.It would raise the profile of sustainable food systems
2.It would broaden the Kellogg agenda beyond production to include
community welfare, partnerships and
collaborations, environmental benefits, and would have an impact
upon the entire food system, from producers
to businesses such as restaurants to consumers.
3.It would inform the public in a defined region (Iowa) about important
consumer and environmental stewardship
issues.
4.It would build on the foundations of the West Coast Food Alliance and
the Midwest Food Alliance, both
Kellogg-supported endeavors.
5.It would promote sustainable farming in Iowa by fostering and
teaching responsible practices by producers,
creating markets for sustainable products, and promoting public
awareness.
6.It would have a beneficial impact upon the health of Iowans and their
communities.
Six Hats Comments
Sustainable Food Labeling
A Proposed Action
Core Team Six Hats Comments - November 6
Submitted by: Elisabeth Schafer, Clark Ford, Shellie Orngard
Benefits/Feasibility:
Positive awareness of locally grown food
Links urban and rural interest
Identity - preservation -
- both GMO and non - GMO
- easily identified traits
Foundation for education and advertising (public messages)
Build on what European/Canadians have done - using web tech to
identify producers and go beyond
Product differentiation (rather than commodities)
Potential to raise income on farm
Potential to raise consumer confidence in agriculture
Environmental benefits
Do-able
Information:
Design uniform labels (logo)
Research on premiums that consumers will pay
Review organic standards
process for standardization
GMO standardization - problems leaving
Where other labelings are going
- Taste of Iowa to National FFA
Partner shareholder viewpoints/perceptions - object look
� Presentation - using this information in final proposal writings
What vision would be - integration of long - term proposal. If so or
how?
Look at consumer studies about labeling
Caution, Difficulties, and Problems:
Some producers don't want additional labeling - government
intervention
Farm Bureau against this
Unless promotion is linked to other agricultural activities, may
promote something that doesn't exist
Hurdle - "Sustainable" definition (substitute "local foods")
Measurable criteria
Information overload vs. need and education for labels
- consumer apathy about labels
Benefits to all - from producers and employers to processors to
consumers
Not replicating TFA, but building on
- adding to, expanding to expanding to include more
Innovation:
Food production - enlarging food system - not just growing
Ecological (Canada) to socio - eco + economic label
Creative partnership with IPTV & Iowa broadcasting - programming
- Joanna Lund - spokesperson
Recipes - Karen Strobein (perennial gardener)
Proxy identifier "Made in NC Iowa"
(pull instead of push)
Intuition and Feelings:
Must elicit feelings
Consumer is not interested
Great idea/excited - educator
Likes it
Positive - national scale (more markets on coasts)
Like it - clarifies - symbol not label = global
- K.I.S.S. (2 words)
Worry - used as marketing strategy or as imitators
Revelations need to be part
Neutral to position
* This is one part of a complex problem!
Still must be other pieces divided
Good idea
Cold - no boundaries
* Key is to have a small business development to help groups to
create their own label.
Too broad
Bonding ? need help; need research practice
Marketing staff to help individuals or group of marketers create
labels or brands
Need bottom - up help, not top - down
Research to practice
� College of Business - open up to producers
- Sustainable Business Development
* * * * * * * * * *
Sasha Couville of NoveTrade wrote:
My understanding of a sustainable label is one that incorporates social
justice and environmental considerations. Certainly not a way to sneak GMO
products into the market, certainly not a euphemism for conventional
chemically-oriented products. However, if other people are using the term
"sustainable" for their own benefit, this is possible. I mean the GMO
industry could be saying that GM crops are more sustainable because they
will reduce the amount of agrochemicals used, etc.., blah blah blah. But I
haven't heard anything about attempts to disguise this through a
"sustainable label".
There are a number of people within the organic movement who are working to
address social justice issues (fair trading relations between producers and
buyers, fair working conditions, occupational health and safety issues,
risk sharing in the supply chain, etc...) in different ways. I am
coordinating a large project between the fair trade movement worldwide
(FLO), Social Accountability International, Sustainable Agriculture Network
(formerly Conservation Agriculture Network) and IFOAM to examine how to
improve social auditing processes and how these four main certification
initiatives active in agriculture can work closer together. I attach a
short 2 page summary of the project for your information. This is a
project administered through NovoTRADE.
I also attach an article I wrote for the Organic Standard on social justice
issues that may give you an idea of what is going on globally.
In the USA, there is a group of people who are developing social standards
for sustainable/organic agriculture. Contact Richard Mandelbaum for more
information: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Anthony Nelson-Smith wrote:
> Marla - as an occasional contributor of news items to a UK organic
> gardening magazine (as well as personally) I'd be very grateful to learn
> more about the possibility of GMOs being peddled under the 'sustainable'
> label, should this come up at your meeting. Tony N-S.
