WAL-MART GOES GREEN

Organic and Wal-Mart may not seem like a likely combination. With the retail giant’s announcement that it plans to sell much more organic food and products in its more than 6,000 stores, the two are now firmly connected. What that means for a movement rooted in local farms remains to be seen.

On the positive side, many more people will have easy access to organic foods. Wal-Mart plans to price its organic offerings no more than 10 percent higher than conventional foods. This is much less than the usual 20 to 40 percent organic premium. Wal-Mart says it can do this because of its huge volume of purchases and extensive supply system, not because it will pay farmers less. Because Wal-Mart buys only large quantities of produce and products, it is unlikely that Maine farms, which are small, would benefit.

To be labeled as organic under U.S. Department of Agriculture standards, food must be grown without chemical fertilizers, pesticides or antibiotics and it cannot be treated with artificial preservatives, flavors or colors. There has been much pressure to weaken these standards. It would be a travesty if Wal-Mart, which acknowledges it is dramatically increasing its organic offerings to lure more affluent shoppers to its stores, joined this effort.

Organic farming is better for the environment because pesticides and fertilizers don’t run off into rivers and animals are not fed antibiotics to make up for cramped pens. However, some organic farms now cover thousands of acres and their produce is trucked or flown thousands of miles to stores. These farms may be better for the environment, but they are a far cry from most people’s idea of an organic farm. For those who want to know where their carrots were grown or their beef raised, farmers markets and farm stores are still the best alternative.

If, however, Wal-Mart’s entry into the organic realm encourages more farmers to stop using pesticides and to allow their chickens to be truly free-range, this will be a major positive step. Because of its sheer size – 4,000 stores in the United States and 2,200 internationally – when Wal-Mart enters a market, its dynamics change.

The company recently announced that all its wild fish purchases would come from sources certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as caught in a sustainable way. The council is made up of the World Wildlife Fund and consumer products company Unilever, certifies that fishermen use methods that don’t harm the aquatic environment and avoid overfishing. Whole Foods Market, the nation’s largest chain of organic stores, sells about 18 MSC certified items. Wal-Mart plans to sell 200 to 250 items.

As the new giant in the organic market, Wal-Mart must be sure it doesn’t so dilute the philosophy – not just the practice – behind organic farming that it becomes meaningless.