Organic Milk is a metaphor for so much that is messed up in our society.
We buy and eat organic food. We doubled down when we had a kid; we wanted to give her every opportunity to experience healthy, local, nutritional food that tasted as Mother Nature intended it to taste - not like the generic colored version of what is offered in most grocery stores - or in all convenience foods outlets. We eat full fat dairy - butter, cheese, milk. As athletes and generally physical people we believe in the benefits of slow-burn calories, the appetite-satisfying nature of fat, and the flavor it brings to everything.
When people come to our house, they notice the flavor of things. When we get into a conversation about organics, full fat, etc. we listen to the apologetic argument that “organic costs more” and that’s why “they” don’t buy it. Sometimes it does, and often times it does not. The real issue seems to be the thought and effort one must commit to eating an organic diet. To us, it is worth it; exponentially worth it. It did not keep my daughter from developing allergies, but she does know what food tastes like - the real flavor of ingredient.
So, wherever I travel and wherever I eat, I select the organic options, if not for my own preference, then for the revenue I contribute to the organic food industry. As mainstream food companies acquire organic brands one may suspect they are ‘blending’ or even passing non-organic for organic. I am sure this occurs - I’ve been in global supply chain my entire career, so I have seen what happens in the land of raw materials- but generally, there are clear and verifiable standards and protocols that makers must practice, and verify, that make it challenging to fully dupe the system, or the customer.
But still, people like to debate with me which organic dairy farm, in particular, has been acquired by which mainstream dairy and why the acquisition negates that veracity of thier ‘organic-ness’. Rather than applauding the organic farmers for sustaining and achieving an ‘exit’ to a bigger company that may put money in their pocket to start another venture, we scrutinize their motives - and the net result. And, rather than support the organic food industry revenue generation overall, we quibble about the degree-of-organic-ness. How about we turn our energies toward the resolute non-organic food producers? Industrial dairies are sights of anguish, filled with distraught, abused animals. Industrial meat production is even worse.
We who #resist mainstream industrial food production need to align with our kin and focus on the true ills of food production and consumption. Again, a metaphor for so much going on these days. Align. One doesn’t have to agree in order to align (#TriumGroup); one needs to decide that the bigger picture and the larger principle is one that one can stand with and behind, as if it was one’s first choice. Then we can align our focus on the issues needing to be solved, like the healthy treatment of animals in our food supply chain.