During the combined agm's of BFA and NASAA in Lismore a dinner speech by Michael Burlace contained the provocative statement that "we will know when organics has made it when we have automatic drink dispensers containing organic soft drinks."

Is this a true manifestation of the organic dream?

This may be success for organics as a business like all other businesses but not for organics as healthy life or organics as environmentally friendly food systems. Conventional economic activity works on supply and demand and efficiency of production marketing and seduction techniques. When organics has to compete it has the addition of environmental efficiency to disadvantage it. Things like soft drink dispensers could be described as environmentally inefficient.

The reason people buy organics is its reputation as friendly food. When you put friendly food into a robot dispensor it becomes unfriendly.

I could be completely wrong here, but if I am right, what would be a relevant sign that organics had made it?

-- David Roby (robyalst@nrg.com.au), December 04, 1997

Answers

Well, I don't so much think about "made it" as a single milestone, where organics is either not there yet, or past it.

What I do HOPE to see is a steadily increasing percentage of our food, shelter, transport and other needs being met in environmentally friendly ways.

As far as organic food is concerned, I see it as a positive step that mainstream supermarkets now have some organic products (certified) alongside the conventional ones, and the range seems to be increasing slowly. I would consider an organic option in vending machines a positive too.

Don't get me wrong. I do prefer a friendly person handing me a drink and receiving my money, rather than a vending machine. But if I was rushing to catch a train and there was a long line at the friendly person's counter, the vending machine would be useful. I don't think the choice between the two is particularly relevant to organics though.

Much more important, in my view, is that more producers can farm organically _and_ a make a reasonable living doing it, and more consumers can buy organic produce wherever it suits them, at an affordable price.

-- Julia Hazel (jhazel@ozemail.com.au), December 04, 1997.