field Farm. “GM alfalfa was a perfect example. If they had heard from millions of
people, we might have seen a different outcome.”
Thus, a group currently called The Organic Voices Collaborative was formed
to bring concerned stakeholders and new organic constituents together to build a
louder consumer movement. Founding Advisory Committee members come
from a diverse group of stakeholders including manufacturers, retailers, NGOs
and consumer groups such as Rodale, the Center for Food Safety, the Union of
Concerned Scientists, the National Organic Coalition, National Cooperative Gro-
cers Association, Amy’s Kitchen and Allergy Kids.
The first initiative of the group is to achieve the policy objective around GMO
labeling, but the long-term goal, Nancy Hirshberg says, “is to create a voice that
will be able to advocate for organic on any number of issues.” One of these projects may include working to get politicians on record about the GMO issue during the upcoming election.
The Voices Collaborative will work with the Organic Community Council; as
the Council decides the policy or action to focus on—for example, GMO labeling—the Voices Collaborative will trigger grassroots campaigns to mobilize consumers to get the message out. The Collaborative is calling all of the organic
community—and any groups that are concerned about the future of our food system—to get involved. In the interim of hiring a campaign director, questions can
be directed to Nancy Hirshberg at nhirshberg@stonyfield.com.
“Right now, more than any other time I’ve seen during my involvement in the
organic world, we’re really working together to synergize our efforts—from the
Right2Know March to labeling initiatives in California. We’re all taking cues from
the policy group, which is a very diverse group of industry and NGOs working to
craft a policy platform and trying to work together hand in hand,” says Hirshberg.
Robyn O’Brien, founder of Allergy Kids and author of The Unhealthy Truth, sees
her organization as an “onramp,” she says. “We are so little, yet people come to
find out the information about the broken food system through many different
entry points. People come to my organization for a different reason than they
come to an organic organization, yet we are all vehicles to share the message.”
When people come to Allergy Kids, O’Brien says they aren’t usually looking to
be activists—they are just worried about the health of their children. “But once
people learn about what is making their child sick, they want to create change,”
she says. “It may start with baby steps in the kitchen or being an informed con-
sumer, and sometimes it leads into more.” For example, O’Brien is currently
working on webinars to teach parents how to reach out to local media and write
to Congress. “That is the power of mothers protecting their children,” she says.
All in all, the fight is about organizing our efforts and getting the message out.
“We’re up against a highly organized and funded group,” says Organic Valley’s
Siemon. “We can’t fight it the way Monsanto fights it. We don’t have a multimillion dollar public relations or lobbying arm—but the hope is that if we work collectively, we can make change happen.” o
GMO-Free Food (continued from page 37)
Kat Schuett is the editorial director for Organic Processing Magazine. You can reach her at
kat@organicprocessing.com.
Editors Note: Special thanks to all who helped bring this article together including Ken Rose-boro who is the editor and publisher of the “Organic and Non-GMO Report,” “The Organic
and Non-GMO Sourcebook” and a regular contributor to Organic Processing Magazine.
You can check out this publication for regular news on GMOs at www.non-gmoreport.com.
AD INDEX
A.M. Todd • www.amtodd.com................................ 21
Big Tree Organic Farms • 209.669.3678
www.bigtreeorganic.com...................................... 51
Ciranda, Inc. • 715.386.1737
www.ciranda.com.................................................... 17
Evergreen Packaging • 866.575.4250
www.evergreenpackaging.com............................. 3
Flavor Producers, Inc.• 661.257.3400
www.flavorproducers.com.................................. 49
Florida Crystals/Domino Sugar • 800.446.9763
www.dominospecialtyingredients.com............ 52
Global Organics, Ltd. • 781.648.8844
www.global-organics.com.................................... 41
GloryBee Foods Inc.• 888.240.4586
www.glorybeefoods.com...................................... 51
J.M. Swank • 800.593.6375
www.jmswank.com................................................. 51
Jedwards International, Inc. • 617.472.9300
www.bulknaturaloils.com..................................... 25
Jirah Group • 450.829.1025
www.jirahgroup.com.............................................. 27
Marroquin Organic International • 831.423.3442
www.marroquin-organics.com............................ 31
Multiple Organics • 415.482.9800
www.multipleorganics.com................................. 23
Natural Flavors/Elan • 973.344.8014
inquiry@flavor.com................................................. 19
Nexcel Natural Ingredients, Div of Spectrum Foods
217.391.0091 • www.nexcelfoods.com................ 51
Oregon Tilth • 503.378.0690 • www.tilth.org...... 25
Organic Partners International, LLC •
503.445.1065 • www.organic-partners.com...... 11
Organic Trade Association • 413.376.1219
www.ota.com.................................................... 45, 47
Organic Valley Family of Farms • 888.444. MILK
www.organicvalley.coop......................................... 5
RIBUS, Inc. • www.ribus.com..................................... 13
San Francisco Herb & Natural Food Company LLC
800.227.2830 • www.herbspicetea.com............ 51
Savoury Systems International, Inc.
888.534.6621 • www.savourysystems.com....... 39
SK Food International • 701.356.4106
www.skfood.com.................................................... 43
SunOpta Inc. • 800.297.5997 ext 116
www.sunopta.com/foods.....................................15
SupplySide West • www.supplysideshow.com..... 2
Suzanne’s Specialties, Inc. • 800.762.2135
www.suzannes-specialties.com........................... 33
Taylor Brothers Farms, Inc.
www.taylorbrothersfarms.com........................... 43
The Organic Summit
www.theorganicsummit.com.............................. 42
TIC Gums • 800.899.3953
www.ticgums.com/chat..........................................7
USDA • www.ams.usda.gov/NOPCostSharing......37
Van Drunen Farms • 815.472.3100
www.vandrunenfarms.com................................... 51
Wholesome Sweeteners • 800.680.1896
www.organicsugars.biz............................................ 9
