"A lively, highly informative exposé" -Kirkus Reviews
His investigative zeal is spurred by the 'obsessive secrecy' of Trader Joe’s PR response to his inquiries about the identity of the Kazakh farmer whose spoiled walnuts got him thinking about the compromises that 'make every package of food certified organic suspect.' ( Publishers Weekly) The question of whether the walnuts from Kazakhstan or the beans grown in Bolivia came to Laufer’s table in Oregon without a boost from pesticides and chemical fertilizers becomes an examination of the $27 billion organic food business. It’s a testament to Laufer’s skill as a writer and reporter that he can make an interesting and edifying book out of idle musings on the origins of some organic walnuts and black beans he bought at Trader Joe’s and a local health food store. "synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title. The answers will stun readers, who have been sold a questionable, highly suspect, and even false bill of goods for years. The book examines what constitutes organic and by whom the definitions are made. Laufer investigates so-called organic farms in Europe and South America as well as in his own backyard in the Pacific Northwest. The organic environment is like the Wild West: oversight is virtually nonexistent, and deception runs amok. Globalization has allowed food from highly corrupt governments and businesses overseas to pollute the organic market with food that is anything but. With organic foods readily available at supermarket chains, confusion and outright deception about labels have become commonplace.
Along the way he learns how easily we are tricked into taking “organic” claims at face value. After eating some suspect organic walnuts that supposedly were produced in Kazakhstan, veteran journalist Peter Laufer chooses a few items from his home pantry and traces their origins back to their source. It is also a wakeup call about the dubious origins of food labeled organic. Part food narrative, part investigation, part adventure story, Organic is an eye-opening and entertaining look into the anything goes world behind the organic label.
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