By
Rebekah Wilce
The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD)
broke the story that the
$12.9 billion-a-year
natural and organic foods retailer Whole Foods Market had a policy of
"don't ask, don't tell" when it comes to "conventional" -- or
non-organic -- produce being grown in fields spread with
sewage sludge,
euphemistically called "biosolids." Certified organic produce cannot be
fertilized with sewage sludge, which is the industrial and hospital
waste and human excrement flushed down the drains and later -- in some
cases -- spread on some crops.
Since this story broke, nearly 8,000 activists and
PRWatch readers have sent emails to Whole Foods executives
asking the company
to require its suppliers to disclose this information and to label
produce grown in sewage sludge so that customers can make informed
decisions.
Mario Ciasulli, a semi-retired engineer and home cook living in North
Carolina whom CMD profiled in December 2012, blew the whistle on Whole
Foods' don't-ask, don't-tell policy. As soon as he found out that
shopping at Whole Foods was no protection against this potential
contamination unless he could afford to buy only certified organic
produce, he worked extensively to engage Whole Foods on this issue. He
has insisted that management address his concerns about potential
contamination of non-organic produce, price barriers to organic produce
for those who are concerned, and the difficulty of finding out what
non-organic produce may have been grown in soil fertilized with sewage
sludge without labeling and accountability.
In late 2013, Whole Foods announced a
new set of standards for the fresh produce and
flowers it sells. Sewage sludge was not mentioned in the announcement,
but Ciasulli received word from the company that "[p]rohibiting the use
of biosolids will be part of our core requirements. All of our suppliers
will be compliant with the core requirements by the time we roll out
the program." A follow-up email to Ciasulli indicated, "This initial
release was meant to be high-level. There are far too many nuances to
include on a press release."
This month, Whole Foods Market spokesperson Kate Lowery confirmed to
CMD that the new standards will eventually prohibit the use of
"biosolids."
