Travel the organic food circuit and through its history in Samuel Fromartz's book, Organic, INC. Natural Foods and How They Grew. It's a smooth, easy-reading narrative peppered with the key events, science and politics that define the organic food "industry" or as some would prefer "movement".

Fromartz chronicles his experiences with a few of the pioneers of the organic food market. Meet the central figure in the creation of California's organic strawberry industry. Then, travel to Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. to encounter a couple who have become the largest organic produce sellers in the nation and are propelling the nation's regionally produced organic food movement. Learn about the soy milk guru who created the largest packaged organic food brand.

Along these journeys, we learn some amazing and some more horrifying facts about the food we eat. For example, "Strawberries rank second after apples in fresh fruit sales to Americans". Or "the one child out of the hundreds studied who didn't have pesticide residue in his body was from a family that ate organic food almost exclusively." Brace yourself, "Sixty percent of municipal sewage sludge is spread on conventional farm fields". And "Chemicals are up to ten times more toxic in the developing bodies of infants and children than adults." Fromartz stitches it all together so well that it is as enjoyable as it is informative. And if you're the type who has to know more, see the "notes" section at the end of the book where Fromartz clearly cites his sources. Watch your "Books To Read" list triple overnight.

As unifying as this may sound, this book illuminates the conflict within the organic food industry; stay small and adhere to the ideals of organic growing or go commercial but make organic natural foods a more powerful competitor in the world food market. No matter which side of the fence you end up on, you'll certainly think carefully about your food choices after reading Organic, INC: Natural Foods and How They Grew.

Book description:

Customer reviews:

Educational and interesting, but sometimes dry
I'm not much of an organic food purchaser, but I've always wondered why people bought it and whether it really made any difference. From his descriptions about organic farming techniques, the origins of the organic food movement and the schisms that continue to threaten to pull the movement apart, Samuel Fromartz's book certainly helped answer those questions and more.

I am always a fan of books written by journalists, who often know better than others the importance of interviewing real people and capturing all sides to a story. I thought, however, that Fromartz's writing style could have used more of an edge. The book read like a 275-page newspaper article, was dry at times as a result, and failed to create the urge to "read one more page."

That said, I would recommend Fromartz's book to anyone who is interesting in the past and present issues about the organic food industry.

informative, enjoyable, a quick read
This book paints an excellent picture of what the business side of organic farming looks like and where it came from. It is a quick and easy read that I recommend. Goes well with a dose of Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle.

Educational, informative read on the organic industry
This book is an educational read on the nooks and crooks in the organic industry and how it has evolved over the years. The history of "Organic" is very interesting and its evolution from a grassroots, local, green movement to a behemoth industry that (almost) bastardizes the root idea. As with most things in life, a major portion of the organic industry is very political and subjective. This book clarifies a lot of the confusion with labeling and classifications. I've never thought that organic food was worthwhile but am now re-thinking it and am now more educated about the realities of it.

Insight into the organic movement
"Organic Inc" by Samuel Fromartz offers a good introduction to the natural food movement. Written primarily for a popular audience, the book combines research with short histories, case studies and profiles of prominent personalities and companies that have shaped the industry. Although the author's frequent interjections about his own personal experiences and infatuations with organics becomes somewhat annoying, overall the book succeeds in granting insight into the organic movement, its foundational ideals and the possibilities for the future.

Mr. Fromartz provides a brief history of organic farming as an alternative to a deeply flawed agro-industrial production system. We learn that organic methods were developed for ideologically diverse reasons but tends to produce nutritionally superior foods when compared with conventional farming practices. Although yields are usually smaller, the author discusses how organic strawberry farms in California are an example of how organics can outperform when allowing for decreases in energy and fertilizer input.

Mr. Fromartz profiles some of the small organic farmers whose deference to health, environment and community were shaped by the 1960s counterculture. A small but vital network of farmers, distributors and retailers supported a fledgling movement that defined itself by remaining outside the conventional food system. The author describes how such farmers often devised creative marketing strategies by catering to specialty restaurants or selling their produce directly to the public at farmer's markets. As health and safety concerns about pesticides and rBGH growth hormones caught the public's attention, organic farming has become more widespread, emerging as an increasingly important survival strategy for more and more beleagured family farmers.

Mr. Fromartz traces the rise in popularity of pre-packaged salads and refrigerated soy milk to discuss how mass market success has created divisions within the organic community. The development of large-scale organic enterprises has intensified competition and shut down smaller, less efficient producers. Regulation has become a contentious issue, with small farmers seeking to hold large farmers accountable to maintaining high standards. As supermarkets such as Safeway and Wal-Mart have begun to add organic sections to their stores, issues of local production, fair wages and sustainability are heightened. Yet, the author is upbeat in his assessment that small farmers can continue to find their niche by satisfying the needs of the more sophisticated organic consumer.

I recommend this highly readable and informative book to everyone.

Organic as an Industry
I have been very ambivalent about the organic culture and wanted to understand more about the origins of the organic movement, its significance, and the trends I observe it to be following.

Samuel Fromartz's account of the organic industry (as I have come to see it) was a solid introduction that I will have to probably reread to fully take in. Peppered with facts, figures, vignettes, anecdotes, and opinions, it is clearly the writing of the converted, rather than a deliberately skeptical examination. Nonetheless there is room for reflection and critical analysis - I flagged dozens of pages that gave me points to ponder and further examine. The book touches on related topics like local agriculture without straying too far from the topic at hand.

My one criticism, after moving on to other books about food agriculture, is that this book, when it was dealing with facts and figures, seemed get weighed down, but at the same time, seemed to leave identifiable voids of information. How a book could be both occasionally tedious, and occasionally too light, I'm not entirely sure.