Thanks, NaturalWisdom. :)

: Organic industry in shock as Whole Foods pushes new rating
: system that promotes chemical agriculture as better than
: organic

My impression is that the Good, Better, Best "Responsibly Grown" program is more about nudging small conventional farmers in the direction of organic - and nudging everyone toward a more holistic approach to agriculture in general.

I note that the "Organic" label standards remain and will continue.

Not too long ago, I was "shocked" when Whole Foods stopped accepting checks. I recognize it as a move to trim certain costs and also to do away with "bounced" checks. But it may also have included an idea that all those checks amounted to one heck of a lot of paper, which banks would have to store and at some point dispose of in some fashion. An argument could be made that use of checks is not "environmentally friendly or sustainable in the long term". (Yes, it could also be part of a move toward a cashless society, an idea many of us are quite suspicious of, so far.)

And not too long ago, I was "pleasantly shocked" when Whole Foods ceased offering the option, "Paper or plastic?" because they had stopped using plastic grocery bags. Meanwhile, the last several times I've gone to Kroger for something, no one offered me a choice either - they just used plastic bags. :) In Kroger's case, I see that as a cost-saving measure. Their arrangement with the plastic bags means the cashier can also be the bagger, quickly and easily. But it accounts for a heck of a lot of plastic; the Whole Foods approach does not.

Whole Foods' Good, Better, Best "Responsibly Grown" idea is a way to provide some incentive to farmers for "being good stewards of the land", I think, and I don't have a problem with that. I'd grant that the system and its measurements might need some 'tweaking', and I'd hope Whole Foods is earnestly listening to the concerns being expressed by farmers as mentioned in the Natural News article.

Here's what's measured by that program:

What We Measure
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/responsibly-grown/what-we-measure

--hobie