I'm writing to comment on three articles in the Sept. Community News issue, all pertaining to a change of flour use by the Deli from organic to inorganic. The article, “Are the Co-op's Visions and Values Reflected in the Store's Products and Practices?”, by Gary McFarlane, engages me to learn more about aspects of the food growing, processing, and delivery chain. It stimulates questions: how really local is local, are local products possibly shipped far away for processing, what are the pros and cons of no-till farming? The author didn't offer pat answers, but extended an invitation to us all to become more informed about our food choices. He concludes, "I believe more information should be gathered, members informed and consulted, and this decision reevaluated." This puts responsibility to educate ourselves on individuals, and encourages us to investigate facts, take responsibility, and make informed choices.

The article, Local versus Organic: Certified Naturally Grown, by Ken Bunzel, presents information about another label for the consumer to consider, which may span the best of both worlds, making distinctions between large-scale organic and small farm production by taking farm size and location into account. This article ends by encouraging the reader to investigate further, with "To learn more about the Certified Naturally Grown program, you can visit the website at www.naturallygrown.org."
The commentary by Bill London, Organic is the Answer?, addresses the same topic. It brings up some interesting points, such as the changing nature of the meaning of "organic,” due to involvement of multinational corporations in organic products. That certainly sounds like an interesting topic to learn more about. But then, the author concludes with: "In some situations, perhaps the easiest answer is to trust the Co-op. The Co-op staff spends lots of time researching the sources, balancing the options and making the choices." This sounds familiar. The book 1984 and Big Brother come to mind. You can trust...(fill in the blank: your government, your doctor, your insurance provider, your employer, etc)...to make decisions for you; it's easier than learning about the issues for yourself. Do not worry; your...(government, doctor, insurance provider, employer, etc)... holds your best interests first and foremost, has all the facts, and knows better than you do, what's best for you. The article concludes, "I think it is a reasonable choice and I am glad I didn't have to bother weighing all the pro's and con's." I see a vision, hear a voice, from the past; a manly man, looking down into the bright clear eyes of a naive young woman, says, "Don't you worry your pretty little head none about that complicated and unpleasant business, darlin'. Just let me take care of all that for you." It doesn't matter who is telling you to rely on someone else instead of learning about an issue for yourself. No matter how trusted and respected the source is, whether a Chairman Mao or a President Bush or a personal friend, surrendering your freedom to make informed decisions is never a good idea. No one has all the answers, and we all should cherish and utilize our freedoms and responsibilities to learn, and to make choices, for ourselves. The outcome of researched choice may be the same, or not, as what someone else thought best. But it's never in the best interests of individual freedom to give the making of that choice away.