We've got an article about this in our newsletter, which needs to get to the printer. Well, not Horizon specifically, but whether the FDA standards have made it easy to subvert the intent behind organic farming.

On one hand at least you know you're not eating chemicals but as you point out the issues are a little more complicated and unfortunately, boil down to ideology. Essentially, are we all in this together and should be helping each other out, or should we all try to get as much as we can for ourselves, shoving others out of the way.

Hmmmm.... I know what side of the fence I'm on.

Thank you for the investigative report; I will switch brands if I think Horizon is no longer what I would ethically call organic.

Great post, Kate.

Your post has been cited in my Weekly BlogScan, this week titled "The Organic Diet". To read the citation or comment, please visit my blog, or go to

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/06/24/192232.php

--DrPat

Love your site!! So, what is the final word? Is Horizon just getting around the labeling and not really organic? You would think Wild Oats would be all over this in research because that is one of the main brands they carry. I'll stop buying it if the above information is proven true.

Dean foods is just another horrible conglomerate who has no interest whatsoever in organic farming and the family farm, they have only one thing in mind ---making the almighty dollar--whatever it takes. it is an organic fraud and should be removed from store shelves as it does not adhere to the organic standards.. all supermarkets particularly those who sell mainly organic items should refuse to purchase anything from Dean Foods until they clean their act up and likewise all organic farmers should refuse to sell their milk to Dean Foods as well and join a reputable co op such as Organic Valley who treats their farmers with respect. A boycott of horizon products would definitely be a way to show our dissatisfaction with Dean Foods and the fraud that they perpetrate

Hi! Thank You for the article! ...though I too agree with "haddok" that we should support one another!

...sorry, I meant to say "haddock"

Let's see, the Cornucopia Institute is really: Organic Valleys own "secret squrrel" lobbist, promoting "Organic Valley" and dissing Horizon.
Bet you didn't know that!
Horizon has MANY many farms who ship their milk to them, they do not rely on their own dairys to supply all!
I should know, we have shipped our Certified Organic milk to them for quite a while now.
Our cows are let out 12 MONTHS a year, and cared for very well!
What about the small organic milk company in the northeast who is trying to get approval to buy organic milk from Argentena?
Boy I bet the state will have a heck of a time policing dairy farms outside this country.

The problem with organic is that it has created two mostly imaginary categories for all of agriculture, regardless of size, method, or product, one side presumed to be everything good, the other to be everything bad.

Any threat to public health and safety involving food should be eliminated, not merely labeled and made into a personal consumer choice. There was a time when our national commitment was to safe nutritious food for all - including the poor, including the non-activist, including the counter cultural lifestyle impaired. A system of safety and inspection and abundance grew from this commitment that worked, before political zealots started dismantling it and giving control of the system to a handful of corporate agribusiness giants.

Organic is a wonderful goal and a terrible method for achieving that goal. The practical effect of the organic movement is to drive vegetable production for example, to Mexico where it is grown on corporate factory farms with little or no inspection if any kind, then shipped back to the US where an organic label is slapped on it and it is given a home grown sounding brand name. Displaced indigenous people forced off of that land then come North to work on farms here. All so that upscale consumers can pay a premium for this supposedly “better” produce and indulge their princess and the pea fantasies.

Standardized inspection and standards – here, not overseas – assistance and support for small scale family farming, restored funding for the land grant agricultural colleges, and research support are the time-honored and traditional way to manage agriculture for everyone's benefit, not a quasi-religious lifestyle movement of consumer “choices” and scare campaigns tailored to raise funds for the non-profits above actually educating the public about the complexities and traditions of agriculture.

Pushing for organic is extremely selfish. It is based on one's personal buying choices rather than the public good. It puts a black hat by implication on thousands of safe and progressive family farmers, and it is eroding and undermining our agricultural infrastructure. All of that is leading to more domination by corporations, not less, and more food safety issues, not less, and more destruction of regional food systems and family farms.

Hello,

As a concerned consumer, I ask how Organic Valley and other Organic Dairy suppliers stand side to side with other competitor's practices of Organic Standards, such a Horizon Organic?

The recent news about Horizon's practices involving Organic Standards left me appalled to say the least. This news was upsetting. We have trusted their products.

One organic and natural foods retailer went out to one of Horizon's facility to investigate.

Apparently, that plant met the store's standards... I don't think they got to interviewed the cows, however, the fact that they passed and met the store's standards, puzzled me.

I wondered, ... well, how strict are these standards some of these stores base their decisions on, and does it apply to every other organic approved foods?

I just read the news on this today. My guard is going to be up from now on. Dont like it at all.

I just read the news on this today. My guard is going to be up from now on. Dont like it at all.

If Horizon is so bad, why is it allowed to use teh organic label. I am currently researching the different organic companies, and I am curious which one have you found to hold up to the standards of organic-basically I look at them as free range, vegitarian feed. Not cows that had once been owned by a non-organic company that fed there cows with remains of another animal.

I have done a lot of work with cattle in my short life, but I know that the so called "organic" products we buy only have to be 95% organic to become certified. the other 5% is under strict guide lines. But think about it people-- the earth has been around for how long??? Dont you think that every inch of soil has been contaminated with something at one point? Soil is not a very renewable sorce- and secondly- if the organic lovers out there did some research they would discover that some of the very vitamins they buy products for are actually hormones extracted from animals. the whole "no hormones" especially in milk is a lie- hormones are a part of any person or animals biological make up- therefore when meat is cut or a cow is milked hormones are passed thru unto who ever consumes the product. It doesnt affect humans and our bodys- our bodys dont react to the animal hormones. Before someone thinks that something is completely hormone or pesticide free- think about yourself, the air you breath, the other food you eat and the place it all came from- Youll be suprized how much isnt what it says it is.

Very interesting perspective Alisha.

Now, about Horizon, I am actually glad to see this article because I had some concerns of my own after try Horizon's Organic Whole Milk.

I have tried other brands such as Stonyfield and Organic Valley and noticed a distinct taste that differs form regular non-organic milk.

So when I tried Horizon "Organic" milk, I noticed that it... get this, tastes EXACTLY like regular milk, and does not have this distinct taste the others brands have. (Huh?) I thought that was kind of strange, so I began to have my doubts whether it was really organic, but it says "USDA Certified Organic" so it must be, right? Thought about it again today, which led me to do a little research to confirm my suspicions.

I figured what the heck I'll just do a google search, and then BAM, I found this article. I think I can safely say I will think twice before buying Horizon again.

Great post; points up two things. The difficulty (I find this in spices) of authenticating some producers who use the term organic. And the lack of support organic has in the current culture of the federal government. Thanks, I've forwarded your post on to others.

Sean stated that Horizon tastes exactly like other milk. I would disagree. I recently started purchasing Horizon, and may not continue to do so because of the taste. Previously, I purchased hormone-free milk, which tastes much better than milk "with hormones." Horizon reduced fat milk, however, has a latex or rubber taste. I might give it one more try, though. Maybe there was a bad batch...

Wow I don't even know where to start I had my concerns about their cheese slices. Organic is supposed to taste better and I find that their milk and again cheese slices do but how can their individual wrapped slices not cost much more then conventional. I am concedering becoming a natural/Organic dog food maker and opening a natural/organic store I had went to the Horizon web site you can't even send them an email like I have been able to do with Organic valley as well as many small farm or retailers of organic items which really is what sent me looking further today 9-5-07. I know one thing I am up set with all the extra money I have spent if they are not Organic. Not to mention the reason I was willing to pay the higher price was because I thought it was going to small farmers to help keep them around for all of us. I thought the higher prices were for the farmers to take care of their farms in and organic maner and now I find that THE LARGEST producer may have gotten away with this total desptions well I for one am mad, but it is the GOVERNMENT who are supposed to be doing the inspections. I do remember a couple months ago one of the big night new prgram doing a report about somehting like is organic really better for you, back when they were doing all kind of reports like what do the replace carbs with in low carbs food and as well as for like low fat or fat free foods but I sure never seen anything about them ever reporting on weather organic was organic. Why is this I wonder. YOU DO have to watch spices they can say all natural and not well that really goes for anything. all natural is even more misleading then organic. Thing is the only thing I know that the Government inspects is the land were food is grown for like 3 years here here in Ohio 7 in other states but Cal. is pushing for 10 for all of Xal. Another thing I find funny farms are certified organic in states were ther are nuculor plants ahhh . If thing do keep going on like this what will the market place be like the poor get feed all the bad stuff. I will say one last final thng I wil certainly be watching this site. If I migth ask when was this site started if it has been ove 2 months before this postign it has ben to long sense it has been decided oen way or the other they either are ort heir not ok it might be possible for them to be all natural and not be organic. Why it there not more reporting going on about this? With the way we have internet these days farmers company business should have to make web site about the items they grow from soil to the market ok ok I know I said I was going to say one further thign and stop but think of this many thigns that are certifed organic does not coem in Organic rapper packages and as one of the post before mentioned this would eb next to impossible but it should be clearer wehave rating on our movies and music these day but not a clear program for our foods? So for everone out there looking for a new caree area look at this one but stand frim to what you believe in.

What if that is the only "organic" milk available in your area? Would you still buy it? I live in a VERY small town, and would rather not give my children the added hormones in regular milk, so I'm just wondering.....isn't it still better than milk from cows injected w/hormones?

I would not buy Horizon or Organic Valley. Before the news was out that these companies were not exactly organic I could tell by how I felt when I consumed any of their products. Organic Valley also makes the same claims to organic but yet they add Lactate, acorbic acid, citrus acid, and soy lecithin ALL ARE GENETICALLY MODIFIED far from organic and I will not touch their toxic waste foods.

That stuff is Organic Dogfood. Do yourself family and friends a favor and buy local. Even if it doesn't have an organic stamp "natural" or "biological" is just as good. Probably means that the small farmers couldn't handle the paperwork. Going to stores and buying organic products made in Mexico and China is a waste of money, because you can't trust their standards. Support Local.

I was surprised to learn recently about Horizon being owned by Dean Foods. Guess I need to pay more attention; I've been buying Horizon for over two years thinking I was supporting small family-owned organic farms, but instead my money was lining the pockets of a $12-billion corporation. And, to top it off, much of Horizon's 'organic' dairy products are from factory farms. Even if Horizon made the best organic milk around, the fact is that their parent corporation also produces more conventional milk than anyone else. See the blog I started about this at http://www.jeremygoodell.com