Soil Health

Air, Energy & Climate

Waste Reduction

Farmworker Welfare

Water Conservation & Protection

Ecosystems & Biodiversity

Pest Management

But some organic farmers are raising concerns that the supermarket behemoth, with annual sales around $15 billion, is giving short-shrift to their own efforts in the process.

According to the Cornucopia Institute, an organization that promotes economic justice for small-scale farming, five veteran organic US farms have penned a letter to Whole Foods, saying the certification devalues the certified organic label.

For years, many small farmers have opted out of the USDA certified organic program because the paperwork and the standards are too onerous, even though most— if not a majority— of their practices would qualify them for certification if they chose to undergo the process. Chad Forsberg of Sparta, Wisconsin's Footjoy Farm is a small-scale vegetable farm providing produce to many of our area's best restaurants. He says his farm would qualify, but he chooses not to go certified organic because "It's a huge pain in the ass." He says he buys seeds from so many different sources, that just cataloguing the seeds alone would be too rigorous and time-consuming for him, who physically does the large majority of his farming himself.

The program at Whole Foods could potentially highlight farms like his, and he says he thinks that's great. However, he can see the validity of the points being made by organic farmers who say that farms participating in Whole Foods' labeling campaign are not subject to regular inspection or audits of their product, and that failure to comply to standards don't lead to fines or sanctions— which could potentially lead to all sorts of abuse of the label.

The Cornucopia Institute also highlighted photos of produce displays in a California Whole Foods wherein conventionally grown asparagus, imported from Mexico, was labeled as "Best," while a nearby display of organic asparagus, grown locally, was only labelled as the lesser "Good." Additionally, the conventional asparagus was priced at $4.99 a pound, while the organic product was $7.99 a pound.

"Why would a customer pay three dollars more per pound for the certified organic asparagus when they could buy what a trusted retailer has labeled 'Best'?" asked an analyst with the Cornucopia Institute.

However, most toxic agrochemicals are still available for their conventional growers to use based on the company's "Responsibly Grown" protocols, while such chemicals are banned in certified organic growing.

Perhaps most concerning is that suppliers must pay Whole Foods for inclusion in the program, which Whole Foods has reported as about $100 per year for small scale, local growers, and about $500 for national-scale suppliers, but one of the medium-scale organic farmer who signed the letter said that his costs to comply with the program could cost up to $20,000. And it goes without saying that the pay-to-play system raises direct conflicts of interest.

But Whole Foods insists it is simply trying to reward farming practices that do not fall under the auspices of certified organics, like protecting bees and butterflies, or paying special attention to soil erosion. And, they say, they are as committed to certified organic as they ever were, pointing out that they helped with the development of the original USDA National Organic Standards, and continue to advocate for its integrity.

So, what do you think? Would you buy a "Best" bunch of asparagus over a certified organic one if it were cheaper? If so, why?

Check out this marketing vid that aims to explain the plan, from Whole Foods.