If Organic Produce Is Good, Then Why Does It Look Bad?
It seems that crass commercialism as applied to vegetables has some benefits that are right in front of our eyes. Topics: Demand Pull; Markets Responding; A Small Wrinkle; Look Before You Eat
Demand Pull
Most mainstream supermarkets today have an ‘organic’ produce section, but most of the offerings look somewhat wanting when compared to the presumably non-organic counterparts. With all the fuss and claims of the wholesomeness of the former, the inference is that the latter come from a chemical factory right next to a steel mill, with an open pit coal mine across the street. Why the organic section is considerably smaller, both in area and product depth, is somehow overlooked or pointedly ignored.
Markets Responding
The supermarkets are responding to market forces in having these organic sections, but whether they actually have a positive ROI is their business. Maybe these things are loss leaders for the other items on sale, which for the average supermarket in the US is around 15,000 SKUs or so.
A Small Wrinkle
From what I’ve seen in virtually all the stores I’ve been to in Orange County, California, the organic produce offerings could certainly do with a makeover. One item in particular is typical of the packaging: Cauliflower. Both product types are wrapped in plastic, with two major and obvious differences. The non organics packaging has the origin very plain and visible, and the vegetable itself can be seen in its entirety. In contrast, the organics packaging has virtually no information (perhaps more accurately, only generic info), and the vegetable itself is covered and cannot be inspected. We stopped buying the organic cauliflower after a while because they always had some really ugly discolorations that looked like mold. Right or wrong, we equate discolored vegetables with spoliation, and would not have bought any if we could have inspected it. Maybe the discolorations are ‘natural’, and therefore presumably good. We’re not from Missouri, but if they are good then someone will have to show us.
Look Before You Eat
Hiding produce under an opaque wrapper doesn’t lend itself to the warm and fuzzies, and we have determined to pass on taking veggies on faith. Whatever their source, produce has to look decent, and the packaging cannot obscure a reasonable visual inspection. This is something that the non organics providers seem to have figured out a long time ago.
Tags: organic produce