Pure Imagination- Chipotle's Scarecrow

One thing we can all agree on: Chipotle’s latest ad, “The Scarecrow” is depressing. 

Kudos to their amazing marketing company- you achieved your purpose, using purely imagination to sway choices outside the realm of fact. 

In this video we see a factory worker getting brief glimpses behind the curtain.  He sees chickens tripling in size after an injection and dairy cows trapped in boxes being milked nonstop.  Each task is completed by red-eyed robots, hidden from the public.  At every turn he is confronted by a crow (generally used to signify deceit or death.) But wait! There is hope- the scarecrow sees a pepper growing on a real live plant!  He is inspired and prepares vegetables into a burrito, which he sells from an alley in the city.

To me this video is sad because it will captivate millions of people into believing flat out lies, created through pure imagination.  Facts that disagree with many ideas suggested in this video:

1.      Dairy cows are milked 2-3 times per day because they MUST be.  If they are not, they will be in pain.  Just ask the breastfeeding mother of any newborn what it feels like when their baby doesn’t want to eat- not good. 

2.     Chickens are bigger than they used to be due to more efficient diets and improved genetics.  These genetics are obtained through practices as old as Mendel’s peas (if you recall jr. high biology.)  Just as a child fed nutritional food grows better than one fed candy and empty sugars, so does a chicken. No chicken you ever eat will have been injected by antibiotics or hormones.

 Improvement in diet have resulted in dramatic improvements in growth
Source: J. Sell, Iowa State University (See more information at http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/ag101/printpoultry.html)

3.     Pesticide use has decreased since the introduction of biotech crops.  Biotech crops have been bred to be more resistant to problems chemicals would otherwise be used to control.

4.     98% of farms are owned by families who use technology in order to get their job done safely, efficiently, and to provide the safest food supply in the world.

5.     Economically, one person showing up with a truck bed full of vegetables to sell one burrito out of an alley cannot make a living to support himself, let alone a family.  If he is, the little boy buying the burrito better have really deep pockets.

Is agriculture really hidden?  For those that want to be informed, the information is readily available.  Check out Tyson’s website which details specifics on how their food is produced.  http://www.tysonfoods.com/Our-Story/The-Making-of-a-Meal.aspx . They are not alone in publishing their practices. 

Yes, agriculture today is automated.  But is that bad?  There is an idea that agriculture should just be “like the good old days.”  In a world that has evolved so drastically, do we really expect producers to isolate themselves from the benefits of technology?  How would you feel if someone said you couldn’t use the copy machine at work anymore because it “wasn’t like the good old days” when we wrote everything by hand?   

This video was created to play on people’s emotions.

If you want facts, watch a video that was created to inform such as this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCmWQcyAN5U, not one meant to sell you something.

The song used in the video,  “Pure Imagination” with an added somber twist, is an interesting choice.  This song came from the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and was probably selected due to its haunting melody and association with a “factory.”  

Personally, I remember the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and specifically this song as inspiring, not devastating.  It is a song about ingenuity and creating a world of prosperity.  (It is played during the part of the movie when they first see the candy room where everything is edible.) 

This is a perfect song to depict today’s agriculture- exciting and inspiring and full of wonder.  Production has increased 360% since 1950.  That takes creativity, ingenuity, and inspired people working hard for a purpose they believe in: feeding the world.  

What Organic is NOT

We hear the term thrown around a lot these days.  We see it in the produce aisle, on cleaning products, and these days, even on clothes.  But just what does it mean?  Often the discussion of what organic is, derives to what organic is NOT.  The term organic is associated with no fertilizer, no chemicals, no sprays, no Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s), and no antibiotics.  If that is what it is not, that leaves me pondering, what is it?! 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines organic as:

 “Organic is a labeling term that indicates that the food or other agricultural product has been produced through approved methods. These methods integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not be used.”_{http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/NOPConsumers}

     While I have been interested in the idea since high school- I did my senior research project on organic standards- the term has become much more real for me this summer, interning on a peach and berry orchard.  While I have only been working here a month, I cannot count the number of times people have asked me if this farm is organic.

     Media tells us there are innumerable things to consider when selecting our food: methane from cows the carbon footprint of the semi bringing the food to the store, the conditions animals are raised in, super weeds, water quality, how the animal is slaughtered or as some prefer, “harvested,” and on down the list to the chemical makeup of fertilizers and pesticides.  We are bombarded with concerns about the production of the food and fiber products we use on a daily basis.  All too frequently, we lump all of these concerns under one umbrella that can be defeated by one generic, misleading term: organic. 

     The root of the problem is the word itself.  Organic means different things to different people.  To some it simply means home-grown, to others, grown with minimal inputs, and to others, a misconstrued vision of the old fashioned farmer putt-putting out to his field on his open cab tractor to single handedly pick his rows of corn.  But what does it really mean?  Knowing the potential for miscommunication of this word can put you ahead of the game.     

The term organic was first restricted on food packaging in 2002.  This was done in an attempt to clarify the meaning of organic.  Clearly, we still have a long journey ahead of us.  The USDA has a mile long list of specifications of what is organic and what is not.  If you have a keen interest, they can be perused here:

 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=3f34f4c22f9aa8e6d9864cc2683cea02&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title07/7cfr205_main_02.tpl

However, for those of us who like to skim, these standards can be summed up in this seal. 

This seal guarantees the product you are buying is organic by the USDA’s standards. If all these standards are met by the farmer, they can become certified and sell their product with the label “organic.”  If you have questions about other confusing packaging terms such as “natural,” “humane,” or “no added hormones,” check out their definitions here: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/NOPConsumers

Some Common Organic Myths

1. Organic means no chemicals.

•  Organic producers use chemicals to control pests and weeds just like any other producer. 
• Without the use of these treatments (fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides) (vaccinations in the case of livestock), there would be little to no crop to harvest. 
• Organic farmers are allowed to use a specified list of chemicals.  If these chemicals are not sufficient, they are then allowed to step up to another set of chemicals.  Some allowed chemicals for organic production include arsenic, potassium bicarbonate, isopropanol, and sodium hypochlorite.
• Chemically, plants cannot tell the difference between the forms of nutrients          they take up.  To a plant, phosphorous is phosphorous, whether it comes from manure or from diammonium phosphate.  To a plant, one form of fertilizer is just as good as another.

2.  Organic is better for the environment.

• Both organic & conventional farmers use practices to benefit the environment. 
• There are far too many variables to conclude that organic farming is morebeneficial for the environment.

3. Organic food is better for you.

• Many sources shout the benefits of organic food.  Few share what organic food actually is.  Refer to http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-food/NU00255 for specifics. 
• Organic food does not have more nutrients or different nutrients than other foods.
• Local food does have fewer preservatives than food that is processed and shipped.

4. Organic is the way all food should be grown.

• When comparing organic to conventional methods, organic methods produce less food.
• By 2050, our world population will reach over 9 billion. This will require us to produce more food than we have produced since the beginning of agriculture, all combined.  We will not be able to do this without advanced technology and science. 

      First and foremost, I suggest we all trust the producers who put in long hours to provide us with the safest food supply in the world.  But, if you have preferences for how your food is produced, don’t assume you have the same definition of “organic” as the person you bought it from.  Before you jump on the organic bandwagon, know your facts.  Take a moment to read the label, ask the producer at the farmer’s market, or do a little research your self.  Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food is one way the USDA helps make it easy for you to find out exactly how farmers produce their crops and livestock.  Check it out here: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KNOWYOURFARMER

Organic is not free of chemicals or better for you and the environment.

Organic IS an option available to us as consumers.  And as with any decision, we must take a close look at the facts before following the crowd.