In 2003, I was at a PR firm in Chicago working on several food company accounts. That work required that I travel to Colorado on a regular basis. I loved Colorado. Open skies, big mountains, lots of sunshine. I loved it so much that I began looking for a new job. Outside of location, though, I had one requirement: the company needed to be honest about food and honest about its story. Then I read a profile about Horizon Organic.
An opportunity presented itself and before I knew it, I landed a job with Horizon, tasked with the responsibility of helping tell the company’s story. I was thrilled, and quickly came to find out that people across the company shared a common desire to do better, and in Horizon’s case that was to change the world one organic acre at a time. I loved talking to the press, who at the time felt we could do no wrong – vocal advocate for organic agriculture, proponent for the humane treatment of animals, partner to family farmers, champion for healthy foods for kids. Anyway you sliced it our story was positive and it felt good to tell.
During that time Horizon was owned by Dean Foods, a parent company that had a pretty hands off approach to its individual divisions – at least that’s what it felt like where I sat. About a year later, Dean decided to merge Horizon with some other national Dean brands (International Delight) and also with WhiteWave Inc. (makers of Silk Soymilk). At that point WhiteWave Foods was born. During that process the spotlight was on us and all of a sudden we were now “Big”. I’d worked with “Big” food companies before, and seen first-hand the negative association. Admittedly, that made me a little nervous. But looking back, it’s interesting to see that since then our story hasn’t only evolved it’s gotten better. And a lot of it has to do with being “Big”, combined with what we learned when we were “Small”. Balancing the two has been one of the most interesting, challenging and energizing aspects of my career.
Back then, Silk purchased renewable energy certificates to offset the electricity used in the production of the product. And now our Horizon, International Delight brands and WhiteWave’s corporate headquarters have followed suit – all now purchase renewable energy certificates and carbon offsets to help balance the electricity usage and emissions created by doing business.
Back then, Silk and Horizon offered recycling programs in the buildings in which they were housed. At WhiteWave we take that to another level by partnering with Eco-Cycle and A1Organics to institute a state-of-the-art Zero Waste Recycling and Composting Program at our Broomfield headquarters. (From recycling and composting alone, we’ve diverted more than 386,000 pounds of waste from landfills to date.)
Back then, recycling and the impact of our carbon footprint was not top of mind for our manufacturing facilities. Today, our plants reduce their impact on the environment. Take our Bridgeton, New Jersey, location – in 2008 that plant reduced its annual waste by 21 percent. Another example took place last year when our plant in City of Industry, Calif., conducted a water audit. As a result of the findings, the team implemented several water saving measures that will save more than 11 million gallons of water annually.
These are just a few examples. It’s not all we’ve done, but it gives you an idea of what we’re about and how things started changing once WhiteWave was created. Can we do better? Absolutely. I’m proud to work for a company that struggles with the issues we have – from where we procure our ingredients to how we transport our products to the packages in which we sell them. The discussions we have across this company continue to energize me. I love that we struggle to find the “and” as we like to say. How can we be a profitable business AND do what’s right for the planet? We don’t get it right all the time, but we’re constantly challenging ourselves. That’s a story I can get behind.
My friend and co-worker Luana loves food, food culture and France. So we thought it fitting that her first post on the Grazing Mind cover all three. Enjoy… – JB
Anyone who knows me knows that I love good food. I hate to say that I’m a foodie because there’s something that sounds so snobby about that. Good food in my mind doesn’t have to be fussy – but I do believe in fresh and seasonal ingredients that are grown responsibly, prepared thoughtfully, and shared with close friends or family.
I guess you could say I have a European sensibility in that regard. My favorite meals are multi-course, filled with color and variety, involve lots of wine (preferably from the Rhone), last for hours and involve lively conversations about world news, politics, travel, music and…well, food.
So it probably comes as no surprise that I love the French culture. I spent my junior of college year studying in Lyon, France. And Lyon is, arguably, the culinary capital of France. While much – OK, some – of my time over the year was spent studying, I learned to eat and appreciate food in ways I never had before. That experience forever re-shaped how I think about and eat food.
So when I saw a recent story in Time Magazine about school lunch programs in Paris, I was reminded of everything I love about France’s food culture. It’s no wonder why food is so central to their identity as a people – their “education” starts at the earliest of ages—even before, as the article states, they can lift a fork.
What makes the French school lunch programs so special, you ask? Here are some highlights:
- No single meal is repeated over the 32 school days in the period
- Every meal includes an hors d’oeuvre, salad, main course, cheese plate and dessert
- Kids are sent home with a brochure that carries the title “Suggestions for the evening” that changes daily to nutritionally round out what they’ve eaten at lunch time
- Most, if not all, key ingredients come from France
- Kids always sit down at a table and are encouraged to take their time eating
- Snack and soda machines are banned from school buildings
I’m a realist. We can all acknowledge that France has some serious tax dollars behind these programs that we don’t (that’s a whole other topic); however, it’s remarkable to me how simple yet critical the concepts behind this program are: ensure kids eat a wide variety of fresh foods throughout the day, take time to sit down and eat, and don’t provide easy access to junk and processed foods.
While the program itself may seem a bit regimented to many Americans, I think we can and should appreciate the statement it makes—that there is long-term value in investing in food (not just the food itself but also how, when and with whom it’s consumed), and its power to influence people’s overall health and well being. I get frustrated when people don’t see or want to see the simple brilliance in that.
But I have glimmers of hope that the tide is finally turning in America. I see people like Jamie Oliver try to stir up a food revolution, and frankly, I think that’s what it’s going to take to get people thinking about food in entirely new ways. While we may never have the kind of food culture that France does, I think if we can work together to create new relationships with our food, we’ll be well on our way to becoming not only a healthier but also happier America.
I’m a huge movie buff. Huge. Stop by my cube and I can easily spend 30 minutes instructing you on which movies to add to your Netflix queue and why. Which is why it’s surprising, even to me, that this year was my first time attending the Sundance Film Festival.
I saw 11 films over three days, and to be honest the movies were hit and miss (it’s not like you’re able to check Metacritic for reviews ahead of time). However, one of the 11 was truly fantastic – “GASLAND”. An incredibly powerful and compelling documentary that explores the impact of natural gas extraction and the environmental consequences that can come from the quest for this “clean” energy source.
Similar to “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Food Inc,” “GASLAND” exposes viewers to a topic that might sound boring at first blush–what the heck is fracking? – and examines the hydraulic fracturing drilling process used by natural gas companies (aka “fracking”).
This process lets natural gas companies drill away with impunity, pumping toxic chemicals into the ground as they release the natural gas, chemicals which produce huge pools of toxic waste that kill cattle and vegetation, and pollute drinking water to the point that residents can literally light their tap water on fire.
We’ve seen how other films can compel people to organize and enact change, and I think this will be one of them. I hope so anyway. “GASLAND” hasn’t been bought for nationwide distribution yet, but I’m sure it will be. Word of mouth is already building. For more information, visit www.gaslandthemovie.com or become a fan on Facebook.
The smell of fresh cut grass takes on a whole new meaning in this instance, but if it’s good enough for Google, it’s good enough for us. My memo begins now.
Kelly Shea, Vice President for Government and Industry Relations
Well, we’re still pretty excited about it. So we thought it’d be cool to track down Kelly Shea, the WhiteWave representative who’s been our face in Washington throughout the long process, and get her thoughts on the new ruling and what it means.
TGM: This pasture ruling has been in the works for more than five years, what took so long?
KS: This is very important issue as it relates to organic farming, so it was crucial to ensure that great care was taken and all voices were heard. It took a long time, yes. But if you look at what’s being said about the ruling, it was worth well worth the wait. As an industry we’re all in agreement that the new regulation is a win-win for cows and consumers.
TGM: What is the biggest change implemented with the new regulations?
KS: At WhiteWave, we always believed that being an organic dairy means that you graze your cows, and that a substantial portion of the cattle’s feed comes from grazing. But until this ruling, the USDA was unable to enforce that. Now pasture based dairy farming is required, and the USDA has promised to be vigilant on ascertaining compliance.
TGM: What does this mean for our company-owned farms? Will we have to change anything?
KS: Nope, this is something that we’ve been dedicated to at our own farms throughout the process. This ruling is exactly what we, and the broader organic dairy community were hoping for.
TGM: How will this new Rule impact Horizon Organic’s 492 farmer partners?
KS: The farmer partners have been aware of the soon to come changes for the past few years. The Horizon team has been holding meetings with the farmers to explain the new pasture requirements, helping them create their pasture plans and making sure that we support organizations that bring information to them on this key issue, such as the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA).
TGM: How will this new Rule help bolster consumer confidence in organic?
KS: I think this ruling takes a big step forward in that department; there has been concern about “factory farms” achieving organic status… truth is, they can’t. And the new pasture rule will eliminate that rumor. But while I’m at it, organic buyers also need to know that organic is a form of agriculture that is truly revolutionary in its ability to improve soil and water quality, reduce erosion, lower greenhouse gases, and improve rural economies. The ruling brings greater oversight to this growing business sector, and gives consumers more clarity about what “organic” really is. I think it gives them the confidence they deserve given the premium prices they’re asked to pay. It’s all about integrity.
TGM: Thanks for your time, Kelly. Anything else you’d like to add?
KS: I really want to say thanks to all the farmers that left their cows and traveled to Washington over the years to provide public comment and testimony on why USDA needed to ratchet up the regulations and ensure that organic milk is from pasture based farms. You all know who you are and my hat’s off to you.
It’s been about five months since we launched The Grazing Mind, and over the course of that five months, and aside from developing our own posts, we’ve been paying close attention to some other blogs and outlets that we think make a lot of sense. Here’s a list of who we’re reading…
Just came across a great article, from the Atlantic, that’s really relevant to Farrah’s post from Wednesday. Without spoiling it too much, I’ll let you know that it’s about Wal*Mart and the steps they’ve taken to compete with Whole Foods by bringing more organic and natural foods to more people.
“IN AN IDEAL WORLD, people would buy their food directly from the people who grew or caught it, or grow and catch it themselves. But most people can’t do that…”
I’d like to introduce everyone to another WhiteWave face, Farrah, who after seeing the Oscar nominated documentary, Food Inc., took a deep look into how her family was eating. Here’s what she had to say about it… – JB
Seeing Food Inc. scared the living daylights out of me, specifically making me re-think one thing in particular – where does the meat my family eats come from? I already patronize my neighborhood farmers market for local, seasonal and organic produce, but unfortunately the markets closest to me are limited on meat selections… and by limited, I mean one guy manning a tiny booth offering German sausages.
Nothing against German sausage, but variety is important. We are a meat-eating household, thanks in large part to my husband, who believes that all meals should include an animal protein. But after watching chickens with breasts so big they’re unable to support their own weight, and learning that much of the nation’s ground beef now contains an ammonia-based filler to help kill e-coli (is this really the best solution, meat industry?), I started to think hard about what I was buying, and how I could buy better.
However, buying organic, grass-fed and/or pasture-raised meat from a natural grocer is a pricey proposition – $10-20 a pound or more. For a budget-conscious shopper like me, that’s just not going to happen. While discussing my dilemma one evening with friends, they mentioned an acquaintance whose daughter raised cows for 4-H and noted she might be open to making a little extra money by selling one to me. One thing led to another, and the next thing I knew, I was the proud owner of half a cow and a freezer full of pasture-raised, grass-fed, hormone-free roasts, ground beef, ribs, steaks and stew meat… all for the low, low price of approximately $3.50 a pound. Price aside (although $3.50 a pound for local, grass-fed filet mignon?? Come on people!), the taste difference is incredible – this is by far the most moist and flavorful beef I’ve ever cooked with.
Farrah’s story raises a lot of important issues, none more important than the real challenge families face in finding healthy affordable food sources. In many ways, this is the work our company is committed to: Making more good food more accessible to more people. - JB
Becoming the Earth’s favorite food company means more than just making food responsibly. It takes inventiveness, consistency and quality, and a dedication to doing it better. Most of all, it takes people who love food…
In other words, it’s now official: It’s good for cows to stand around in fields and eat grass. At WhiteWave, we’ve known this to be true for quite a while now. The reason is we spend a lot of time working and managing a number of organic dairy farms, large and small, and letting our cows stand around in fields and eat grass is what’s best for their health. It’s what makes for great tasting and nutritious milk.
So why did the USDA have to clarify the rule regarding time cows spend grazing on organic farms? Well, basically for too long too many farms, organizations and companies have been applying their own standards as it relates to pasture and grazing. Even with the best intentions, this level of inconsistency was hurting the organic farms, organic food consumers and the organic food industry.
The publication of the Final Rule on Pasture is great news for organic farmers because it means that all certified organic dairy farmers will be held to the same clearly defined and enforceable standards for pasture. One set of strict rules for all—no exceptions. No room for different interpretations (Click here for the details).
It’s also terrific news for organic consumers because it means that they can trust that all certified organic milk and dairy products are produced with integrity and animal welfare in mind. According to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, this final rule will assure consumers that the organic milk they are buying “comes from cows raised on pasture.”
Additionally, and this is the really exciting part to me, it’s fantastic news for the organic industry as a whole because it is proof positive of what can happen when we all work together. Petitioning for stronger, more enforceable pasture regulations was a truly collaborative effort between farmers, manufacturers, retailers and non-governmental agencies such as the Organic Trade Association (OTA), the National Organic Coalition (NOC) and the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA). And the resulting success has been embraced by the entire industry. For once, everyone is in agreement—clarifying the regulations around access to pasture is an important step in the continued success of organic agriculture.
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The Grazing Mind is a blog about current and social events related to the products, culture and business of WhiteWave.
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