Go Organic... Or Maybe Don't

Over the past decade or so, the agricultural world has been infused with outsider views of what the "right" way to to farm is and what "healthy" food actually is.  When looking into trends, you will shortly find a long, detailed list of the many trends which are being used as a way to manipulate the general public into believing the supreme basis of agriculture and farming (what the entire country of the United States was built up with) is a hoax.  But when did we ever stop to think about that maybe agriculture isn't the problem here.  Maybe it's the countless people who are just looking to earn an extra dollar with a new idea.  Maybe it's the numerous souls who are dragged into every new fad at the hope of becoming what every person dreams of becoming, whatever that is.  Or maybe it's the millions of consumers who are being tricked into thinking that nothing is healthy unless there are "non-GMO", "organic", "antibiotic free", "all natural", "pesticide free", and "home grown" labels on their products.

Today, we are so caught up in the labeling of our materialistic items that we are forgetting and missing the main point at hand.  The concept of positioning a product or service into the existent marketplace is beneficial when it has something worthy to offer.  Through positioning, the ideas of organic and vegan foods and diets are being given more credit and attention than they deserve.  But that is the whole idea of positioning a product, is it not?

When one uses positioning to get a product into the marketplace, they are grasping that the thing that will make this product stand out from the rest.  They want the media, the consumers, even other markets and businesses to hold their attention on these products.  For example, if one person so much as looks at an organic food in a grocery store, their attention is held and drawn into that food.  Without them realizing it, that person is soon wondering what makes it organic in the first place?  Is it truly better for me?  Which leads to questions of should I be buying this for myself instead? And right there, is how positioning can entrap a person into this new product. 

It's rather genius, in a way, but this brings us back to organic in itself.  Although marketed to be better, healthier, more nutritious, and so much more, the one thing a consumer lacks the most of is information.  Most people will see the product, read what they are given, and make their opinion based on what the product gives them.  But to find the hidden truths, you have to dig deeper into the product.

Organic, yes may seem like a better choice.  They brag about their ways of growing their produce like their system is the greatest ever made.  However, if one were to look more into depth on organic, one would find their tactics are impractical and simply a way to gain more money.

• If we look at the products in a grocery store setting, you will find every single product with the "organic" label on it, is higher in price.  Why?  The "organic" label creates this vision that consumers are paying a higher price for a better product.  But why is it better?
• Labeling: organic foods are often fitted with other labels such as "all natural", "antibiotic free", "non-GMO", and "cage free".  But let's break down each of these labels for you, the consumer, to understand.
• All Natural: The USDA does not define all natural any different from the labeling natural, telling you right then and there, that it is used exclusively for marketing tactics, especially since the USDA does not regulate this labeling: meaning it can be put on anything!  Natural labeling then is defined as not containing any artificial ingredients or preservatives.  So I hate to burst your bubble, but your "all natural" popcorn that you paid five extra dollars for, is no different than the one that was two dollars.
• Antibiotic Free: everyone's favorite run-to for buying food, especially meat.  Well, here's the kicker for you, EVERY FOOD THAT IS PACKAGED AND SHIPPED TO THE STORE OF YOUR CONVENIENCE IS ANTIBIOTIC FREE!  Consumers do not realize the amount of testing that is done to ensure their foods are safe for them to eat.  Antibiotic free labels are not regulated by the USDA because everything put into the market has already been tested multiple times.
• Non-GMO: my personal favorite labeling.  The one thing people fail to understand is almost every food has at some point been genetically modified.  Better yet, even some of the seeds used in organic farming, were first genetically modified.  How do you think seedless grapes and watermelon came to be?  They didn't just appear, no, they were genetically modified to be that way.  The new labeling system that the USDA came out with didn't even bother to mention the requirements for something to be labeled as a non-GMO food.  Are we seeing a pattern yet?
• Cage Free: in order for a product to be labeled this, the animals cannot be contained or confined to a specific space.  Here's where the grey lines start to form.  For example, just because a chicken is cage free, does not mean it can see the sun.  Cage free simply means it is able to roam.  Until you physically go to that farm and see for yourself what "cage free" looks like a consumer will never understand.
• Now, organic loves to claim the attribute that they are pesticide free, meaning they do not use any pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides on their crops to maintain a healthy production.  So how then, do these farmers keep the bugs away?
• First, you must remember, the use of pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides is beneficial when they are used in the appropriate amounts, contained, and watched carefully, as is done in conventional farming.
• Second, around two million Americans have a garden of their own.  How do they keep their bugs from eating their plants?  Do you let the bugs eat them and hope for the best? For those who don't have a garden, do you have a plant in the house?  What happens when you find a bug on it? Or what if there are rodents or termites in your walls?  Are you going to tell me that you wouldn't call an exterminator to come get rid of them using their chemicals?  This is the same thing, whether people realize it or not.
• Third, when we use these words: pesticide, herbicide, insecticide, right away, we are brought under an imaginary shelter to get away from those "unpleasant" words.  Here's what the general public doesn't realize; these words aren't the problem, it's the picture that the media has portrayed with these words that people are so scared of, which brings us back to the idea of positioning.  These words were positioned in a way to get consumers not to like them, thus creating a problem in the world of agriculture.
• Healthy.  Nutritious.  Better.  These are words we like to use to make ourselves feel better about buying the more expensive product.  But, is it actually better for us?
• Organic & Vegan Diets
• The thing everyone is trying right now is diets, and more specifically, ones that are organic and vegan.  Anything that claims to help you lose weight, look better, feel healthier, people are more than willing to try, and that right there is the problem.
• Not only are consumers believing that dairy and proteins are bad for consumption, we are believing that they are bad in their entirety.  
• Milk: filled with calcium for stronger bones and teeth
• Red Meat: filled with iron and protein to keep your metabolism up
• Eggs: filled with Vitamin D and iron AND all 9 essential amino acids which are needed in your everyday diet to survive
• Organic substitutes the necessities of red meats and eggs with the use of protein powders which the public believe to be just as good but they're not.  I cannot stress this enough but getting REAL protein into one's diet is essential.  The use of protein powders which are often put into shakes and drinks can only mimic the idea of your red meat and eggs but they do not qualify as the same thing, nor will it taste the same. 
• Easy example: Oreos versus chocolate wafer cookies.  Although, similar in looks, nothing can beat the great taste of a true Oreo cookie, especially when it's dipped in real, whole dairy milk. 
• Almond, Coconut, & Soy Juices
• Coming from an agriculture background, I refuse to give these nut juices the pleasure of being called milk for the simple reason of they aren't.  Milk as defined is an opaque, white fluid, rich in protein and fat, SECRETED BY MAMMALS for the nourishment of their young.  The above juices are man made, not naturally made by the body, and therefore, cannot even qualify in the general definition that comes up in any Google search bar.
• The use of positioning in marketing has decided the best place for these juices to make their appearance is in the dairy isle, because they're supposed to be replacements for the better of society.  But has anyone cared to look at how much "healthier" these products are?  None of these juices can even compete with the amount of protein, calcium, and potassium that is in whole dairy milk.  
• Better yet, the amount of energy, time, and wasted products that are used to create these nut juices isn't worth the loss when it is so much easier and more natural, for those of you who still appreciate that word, to simply use real dairy milk.

I dare you, the next time you hear or read the word "organic", to stop and actually take the time to look into the product a little more as you already should be.  This marketing scheme is simply to get you to buy the product, but the benefits aren't as big and bright as one might originally think.  When one truly knows the behind-the-scenes of what goes into a product, maybe then they'll stop and put the more expensive, filled with false labels product back on the shelf, and realize they don't need that in their lives.

In the marketing world, we are all about getting our product out on the market and getting people to see it.  We want it to catch the attentions of every soul we can find.  But at what cost?  A product can be put into a market and so strategically positioned that the average consumer could not find a single detail wrong with it.  But all you have to do is peel back the labels and realize it's no different than the rest.

The choice is yours.  What label will you choose?