True quality organics cannot be factory farmed due to the nature and real cost of what it actually takes to succeed with this type of farming. I expect some of wal-marts so called organics to be found from organically grown farms using GMO (genetically modified organisms) crops or farms that were not organic at all.

Monsanto and Dow have a big presence in South America and other agriculture spots and will likely attempt to manipulate agencies certification wording to get GMO based crops, grown organically labeled as organic. This is only one piece of wal-marts attempt to capitalize on sustainability and organics. You can be certain they will use every gimmick possible for market share regardless of an integrity to true organic farming that they can never own.

Not too long ago, Walmart predictably announced that they’d start carrying organic food. A few days ago, the NY Times ran an interesting piece by Michael Pollan, journalism professor at UC-Berkeley, in which he discussed some of the broader implicatio...

Good point on Whole Foods as a shopping experience. I think the same is true of Wegmans, which people simply rave about even though it is mostly an overpriced Safeway.

I buy a lot of stuff at Costco, including a lot of wine, bottled teas and waters, most of my frozen food, and various other things. I'm not really a seafood person but I'll mention it to the wife next time we're there, as she's a big fan.

The article was also very US-centric is that it avoided all discussion of the European market for organic goods, which is greater than the USA (see German demand for example). For this reason alone, it is very suspect. This article is filler.

Meanwhile (and disclaimer) as a long-term WFMI shareholder, I must thank James for shopping at Whole Paycheck. Meanwhile, I've been buying Copper
River sockeye at Costco for $10/lb, vs $17 at Whole Foods (We can argue river sources forever, but my taste buds say farm raised is not wild salmon).

Apparently, this is at least one area where price checking and saving is not in force?

James Joyner has an interesting critique of a whiny piece from the New York Times Magazine on Wal-Mart’s entry into the organic foods market. My general sense of the whole “organic foods” craze is that, like the $3 cup of coffee at Starbucks (or,...

Perhaps the dilution of benefits of organic produce by a mass-produced supplier won't be enough to dismantle those who can distunguish themselves from the masses (and those who can seriously discern the difference in flavor from the shiny alternatives).

Perhaps having even a lesser-organic but much better than pesticide-rich product will actually benefit consumers, "rich" and "non-rich" alike?

Given that everyone else can now afford such, it no longer serves that purpose. Therein lies the backlash against WalMart... and in more than Organic food.... Think about it;

If the average Joe and Jane can afford to have fairly nice things at a price they can afford, of what value is it to be rich?

Think about the objection to WalMarts being built in given areas... At any given time Wal-Mart is suffering from the fool's surrounding any number of give and town boards, city councils, or planning commissions, going over the extra hurdles involved every time Wal-Mart or another low cost retailer wants to go into a particular neighborhood. The reason for all of these extra riddles is simple; The Elite in the area don't want all those low income types in their neighborhood, even if it's only for shopping... The mark of a low income neighborhood is to have an affordable store at the middle of it.

....or, so the thought process goes. It's really not all that hard to ferret this stuff out once you understand the basic motivation of people who consider themselves to be "elite".

And, would the niche organic products now available still be available for those willing and able to invest in ensuring that the animals grown to be killed and eaten have enjoyable lives? If so, what's the harm?

When you buy meat from the grocery store, do you ask who the suppliers are? Don't think so. When Wal-mart starts carrying organic meat (from mono-cultured big feed lot) at a much lower price than Wholefoods (which buys from some small poly-cultured farms), Wholefoods will have the price pressure to source more of their meat from big feed lots. The end result is - the small poly-cultured farms will be driven out of business for their higher cost of maintaining the farm. That is the harm!

I am all for greater organic product accessibility. But if it means bankrupting farmers and growers who respect the land and respect who "organic" stands for, then I think we are heading the wrong direction.

OTOH, this issue has almost religious overtones to a number of people, so perhaps I should just behave. :)