the dirt on the clean fifteen
by Django Zeaman and Dorothy Finnigan
Imagine if McDonald’s called their 15 lowest calorie items the “Fit Fifteen.” Would you be impressed? Would you think that McDonald’s had finally gotten serious about providing healthy food? Or would you recognize it for what it is: a marketing trick.
The food doesn’t become any healthier because they call it the “Fit Fifteen;” it’s just the best of the worst. The “Clean Fifteen” is based on the same principle.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) publishes a list each year based on USDA testing of 48 popular fruits and vegetables. The 15 items with the lowest pesticide levels are called the “Clean Fifteen.” The 12 with the highest pesticide levels are called the “Dirty Dozen.” [1]
It doesn’t matter what the actual pesticide levels are: if pesticides on all produce doubled next year, the EWG would still say that 15 of the 48 are “Clean.”
In fact, a researcher looked at the numbers and found that:
“Overall, the two lists don't look that different from the standpoint of pesticide use: 26.2 lbs/acre for the Clean Fifteen and 29.8 lbs/acre for the Dirty Dozen."
- Mother Jones, June, 2011 [2]
In other words, there is a minimal difference in pesticide use between the "Clean Fifteen" and the "Dirty Dozen." And not only does the "Clean Fifteen" expose consumers to pesticide residue, the workers who grow and handle it may experience serious health consequences:
“Pesticide residues pose a real threat to consumers, [but] it’s the farmers, farm workers, and residents of rural communities who are really most at risk from pesticides…While these folks are exposed to pesticides from food like the rest of us, they also must contend with pesticide fumes drifting out of fields, exposure from working directly with pesticides, and pesticide-coated dust and dirt tracked into their homes from the fields.”
- Mother Jones, June, 2011 [2]
Also, by supporting conventional produce and agricultural practices, we’re hurting the organic economy and small farmers who grow without pesticides.
In short, the "Clean Fifteen" is marketing speak for conventional, pesticide-grown produce that harms consumers, the people who grow it, and the larger ecosystem.
A Tangled Web
La Montañita Co-op, under the guidance of GM Dennis Hanley and with the support of the board, launched the "Clean Fifteen" program in Albuquerque earlier this year.
They didn’t survey member-owners to ask if we wanted conventional produce. Instead, they started selling poorly labeled pesticide-grown fruits and vegetables, which shocked many long-time Albuquerque workers:
“When the ‘Clean Fifteen’ was first introduced, we noticed that they were trying to slip it by our customers. They weren’t labeling it properly and they encouraged us to not tell people what it was. This attempt to deceive our members and shoppers has been a theme ever since.”
- La Montañita Worker [3]
“I didn’t agree with the shady tactics that occurred to get the 'Clean Fifteen' in. I expressed that this was going to be a big problem…There was no transparency for owners, but no transparency for staff members either…This is a microcosm of how Dennis does things.”
- La Montañita Worker [4]
In an attempt to accurately inform customers, some workers created signs that explained the produce was conventional, not organic:
“Someone made signs that said “Conventional Clean Fifteen” and Jason, the Operations Manager, came and tore them down and said ‘you can’t say that.’”
- La Montañita Worker [5]
Other workers took it upon themselves to have conversations with customers, to make sure they were aware of what they were purchasing:
“Dennis sent people to our store and they intentionally bought the 'Clean Fifteen' and presented it to our cashiers. The cashiers are well versed in what they do and they know what our customers’ needs are. So the cashier said, ‘Did you know this is conventional produce?’ And the woman [sent by Dennis] said, ‘you can't say that.’ They kept bringing people through our lines early in the morning to see how cashiers would talk about it with member-owners. The cashiers were afraid. That cashier was almost written up.”
- La Montañita Worker [6]
Leadership’s desire to “push through” conventional produce without involving—or even informing—member-owners, raised a red flag for many workers:
“It wasn’t listed or identified as conventional. When it was first presented, they said, it’s the 'Clean Fifteen,' it was grown with pesticides, but we don’t want to tell the customer that it’s conventional. And we said, ‘but that’s what it is.’ And we thought, ‘if this guy is pulling the wool over the customers’ eyes, what else is he doing?’ So we had many meetings with him to explain that we have customers who are sick and if you don’t tell them [that the 'Clean Fifteen' has pesticides], they could get really sick.”
- La Montañita Worker [7]
Numerous workers felt that the rollout of the “Clean Fifteen” in Albuquerque represented a shift in Co-op values and leadership. They felt the board and GM were ignoring their suggestions and concerns. The workers at La Montañita’s Rio Grande store grew so worried about the lack of transparency and worker input, they decided to unionize:
“Unionization came about partly because of the 'Clean Fifteen,' which really should have been handled a different way.”
- La Montañita Worker [7]
How did the Co-op leadership respond to the Albuquerque worker and member-owner concerns? They brought the "Clean Fifteen" to Santa Fe.
What Were They Thinking?
The "Clean Fifteen" must be making money for the Co-op, right? Otherwise, why would they do it?
In fact, the opposite seems to be true. Our previously profitable produce departments now appear to be struggling financially:
“Under Dennis’s leadership, profit margins have become terrible. So much waste is being generated it’s mind-boggling. Hundreds of dollars of produce are being thrown out on a daily/weekly basis. We toss what we can't sell, which affects our bottom line: the actual money the Co-op makes.”
- La Montañita Worker [3]
“If the Co-op's goal is simply to increase revenue, while losing profits, anyone could have done that before. The fact is, if our profits have dropped significantly, even just in one department, that is poor business.”
- La Montañita Worker [3]
But why keep pushing the "Clean Fifteen" and other conventional produce if it’s hurting the Co-op’s bottom line and taking away our primary differentiator in the marketplace?
Unfortunately, in the months since the GM began making these fundamental changes, concerned member-owners and workers uncovered a larger pattern that extends beyond La Montañita and involves an outside consulting group and a publicly traded corporation. [8]
It appears that a revenue-driven agenda without regard for profit is hurting the financial wellbeing of our Co-op, and causing us to abandon our values.
The Secret Mission
For years, La Montañita has employed workers who care deeply about health, the local food shed, and the planet. We had a Produce Mission Statement on our website that reflected those values. As of April 27th 2016, it read:
“Certified organic produce is purchased whenever possible (no pesticides, herbicides, irradiation or GMOs). If organic is not available, an attempt will be made to purchase pesticide-free produce. Conventional produce will be purchased only when organic or pesticide-free is unavailable, or when organic options are simply too expensive. Preference is always given to local and regional growers.
At the Co-op, we only use the term "pesticide-free” to indicate produce that has never been sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. Many times we use “pesticide-free” to label produce from local farms or gardens which follow organic practices but are too small to afford organic certification." [9]
By May 26th 2016, without member-owner involvement or notification, it was replaced with:
“La Montanita Co-op is a full-service natural and organic food market offering a wide selection of products, allowing all of our customers the opportunity to make purchasing decisions that meet their needs. We are working on becoming the leader in organic produce in New Mexico by strengthening our produce quality, assortment and price points." [10]
Just a bit different, isn’t it?
Instead of focusing on organic and pesticide-free produce, it elevates the term “natural”—a word often used to promote non-organic food in a greenwashed way.
But It Gets Worse!
The high-quality organic and local pesticide-free produce at our stores was one of the hallmarks of La Montañita Co-op. It’s why so many of us shop there. It’s what differentiates us and makes us unique.
For over 20 years, the majority of the organic produce in our stores that is not local has come from one company: Veritable Vegetable. They are a woman-owned B Corp based in San Francisco. They work with small to mid-sized organic farmers. They only handle and distribute organic produce. They have a 5-1 pay ratio, so that the highest paid employee makes no more than five times what the lowest paid employee earns. They pay above the livable wage. [11] They have an award winning fleet of vehicles that operates with near zero emissions. 99% of all waste is diverted from landfills and 70% of their electricity comes from solar panels on their roof. [12]
As of September 2016 we will cease all purchases from Veritable Vegetable.
Our new produce distributor is C.H. Robinson: a publicly traded Fortune 500 trucking and shipping company. [13] In 2011, C.H. Robinson’s biggest customer for produce was Walmart. [14] In 2014, they were named Driscoll’s US Carrier of the Year. [15] C.H. Robinson formed Robinson Fresh in 2014 to sell organic and conventional produce (85% conventional, 15% organic). They have exclusive marketing rights to Welch's, Tropicana, and Green Giant. [16]
We’ve heard that a high-level person at Robinson Fresh is a friend of our GM, Dennis Hanley.
A two-decade relationship with a produce company that matches our values has been wiped out and replaced with a trucking company that launched a new brand two years ago because they saw the potential for profit.
What Can You Do About It?
A lot.
Next: Sign the Petition and How We Take Back Our Co-op
References:
1: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php
2: Mother Jones; http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2011/06/update-dirty-dozen-pesticides-and-farm-workers
3: http://www.takebackthecoop.com/inside-the-co-op.html
4: Worker interview #1.
5: Worker interview #2.
6: Worker interview #3.
7: Worker interview #4.
8: http://www.takebackthecoop.com/corporate-takeover.html
9: La Montañita Co-op website; “Produce Mission Statement” as of April 27th, 2016
10: http://lamontanita.coop/produce/; “Our Produce”
11: http://www.veritablevegetable.com/our-values.php
12: http://www.veritablevegetable.com/sustainability.php
13: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._H._Robinson
14 http://www.perishablepundit.com/index.php?date=02/09/11&pundit=2
15: https://www.chrobinson.com/en/us/Newsroom/Press-Releases/2014/12-08-2014_CH-Robinson-Receives-Driscolls-US-Carrier-of-the-Year-Award/
16: http://www.fruitnet.com/asiafruit/article/161512/fresh-produce-focus-for-ch-robinson
Imagine if McDonald’s called their 15 lowest calorie items the “Fit Fifteen.” Would you be impressed? Would you think that McDonald’s had finally gotten serious about providing healthy food? Or would you recognize it for what it is: a marketing trick.
The food doesn’t become any healthier because they call it the “Fit Fifteen;” it’s just the best of the worst. The “Clean Fifteen” is based on the same principle.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) publishes a list each year based on USDA testing of 48 popular fruits and vegetables. The 15 items with the lowest pesticide levels are called the “Clean Fifteen.” The 12 with the highest pesticide levels are called the “Dirty Dozen.” [1]
It doesn’t matter what the actual pesticide levels are: if pesticides on all produce doubled next year, the EWG would still say that 15 of the 48 are “Clean.”
In fact, a researcher looked at the numbers and found that:
“Overall, the two lists don't look that different from the standpoint of pesticide use: 26.2 lbs/acre for the Clean Fifteen and 29.8 lbs/acre for the Dirty Dozen."
- Mother Jones, June, 2011 [2]
In other words, there is a minimal difference in pesticide use between the "Clean Fifteen" and the "Dirty Dozen." And not only does the "Clean Fifteen" expose consumers to pesticide residue, the workers who grow and handle it may experience serious health consequences:
“Pesticide residues pose a real threat to consumers, [but] it’s the farmers, farm workers, and residents of rural communities who are really most at risk from pesticides…While these folks are exposed to pesticides from food like the rest of us, they also must contend with pesticide fumes drifting out of fields, exposure from working directly with pesticides, and pesticide-coated dust and dirt tracked into their homes from the fields.”
- Mother Jones, June, 2011 [2]
Also, by supporting conventional produce and agricultural practices, we’re hurting the organic economy and small farmers who grow without pesticides.
In short, the "Clean Fifteen" is marketing speak for conventional, pesticide-grown produce that harms consumers, the people who grow it, and the larger ecosystem.
A Tangled Web
La Montañita Co-op, under the guidance of GM Dennis Hanley and with the support of the board, launched the "Clean Fifteen" program in Albuquerque earlier this year.
They didn’t survey member-owners to ask if we wanted conventional produce. Instead, they started selling poorly labeled pesticide-grown fruits and vegetables, which shocked many long-time Albuquerque workers:
“When the ‘Clean Fifteen’ was first introduced, we noticed that they were trying to slip it by our customers. They weren’t labeling it properly and they encouraged us to not tell people what it was. This attempt to deceive our members and shoppers has been a theme ever since.”
- La Montañita Worker [3]
“I didn’t agree with the shady tactics that occurred to get the 'Clean Fifteen' in. I expressed that this was going to be a big problem…There was no transparency for owners, but no transparency for staff members either…This is a microcosm of how Dennis does things.”
- La Montañita Worker [4]
In an attempt to accurately inform customers, some workers created signs that explained the produce was conventional, not organic:
“Someone made signs that said “Conventional Clean Fifteen” and Jason, the Operations Manager, came and tore them down and said ‘you can’t say that.’”
- La Montañita Worker [5]
Other workers took it upon themselves to have conversations with customers, to make sure they were aware of what they were purchasing:
“Dennis sent people to our store and they intentionally bought the 'Clean Fifteen' and presented it to our cashiers. The cashiers are well versed in what they do and they know what our customers’ needs are. So the cashier said, ‘Did you know this is conventional produce?’ And the woman [sent by Dennis] said, ‘you can't say that.’ They kept bringing people through our lines early in the morning to see how cashiers would talk about it with member-owners. The cashiers were afraid. That cashier was almost written up.”
- La Montañita Worker [6]
Leadership’s desire to “push through” conventional produce without involving—or even informing—member-owners, raised a red flag for many workers:
“It wasn’t listed or identified as conventional. When it was first presented, they said, it’s the 'Clean Fifteen,' it was grown with pesticides, but we don’t want to tell the customer that it’s conventional. And we said, ‘but that’s what it is.’ And we thought, ‘if this guy is pulling the wool over the customers’ eyes, what else is he doing?’ So we had many meetings with him to explain that we have customers who are sick and if you don’t tell them [that the 'Clean Fifteen' has pesticides], they could get really sick.”
- La Montañita Worker [7]
Numerous workers felt that the rollout of the “Clean Fifteen” in Albuquerque represented a shift in Co-op values and leadership. They felt the board and GM were ignoring their suggestions and concerns. The workers at La Montañita’s Rio Grande store grew so worried about the lack of transparency and worker input, they decided to unionize:
“Unionization came about partly because of the 'Clean Fifteen,' which really should have been handled a different way.”
- La Montañita Worker [7]
How did the Co-op leadership respond to the Albuquerque worker and member-owner concerns? They brought the "Clean Fifteen" to Santa Fe.
What Were They Thinking?
The "Clean Fifteen" must be making money for the Co-op, right? Otherwise, why would they do it?
In fact, the opposite seems to be true. Our previously profitable produce departments now appear to be struggling financially:
“Under Dennis’s leadership, profit margins have become terrible. So much waste is being generated it’s mind-boggling. Hundreds of dollars of produce are being thrown out on a daily/weekly basis. We toss what we can't sell, which affects our bottom line: the actual money the Co-op makes.”
- La Montañita Worker [3]
“If the Co-op's goal is simply to increase revenue, while losing profits, anyone could have done that before. The fact is, if our profits have dropped significantly, even just in one department, that is poor business.”
- La Montañita Worker [3]
But why keep pushing the "Clean Fifteen" and other conventional produce if it’s hurting the Co-op’s bottom line and taking away our primary differentiator in the marketplace?
Unfortunately, in the months since the GM began making these fundamental changes, concerned member-owners and workers uncovered a larger pattern that extends beyond La Montañita and involves an outside consulting group and a publicly traded corporation. [8]
It appears that a revenue-driven agenda without regard for profit is hurting the financial wellbeing of our Co-op, and causing us to abandon our values.
The Secret Mission
For years, La Montañita has employed workers who care deeply about health, the local food shed, and the planet. We had a Produce Mission Statement on our website that reflected those values. As of April 27th 2016, it read:
“Certified organic produce is purchased whenever possible (no pesticides, herbicides, irradiation or GMOs). If organic is not available, an attempt will be made to purchase pesticide-free produce. Conventional produce will be purchased only when organic or pesticide-free is unavailable, or when organic options are simply too expensive. Preference is always given to local and regional growers.
At the Co-op, we only use the term "pesticide-free” to indicate produce that has never been sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. Many times we use “pesticide-free” to label produce from local farms or gardens which follow organic practices but are too small to afford organic certification." [9]
By May 26th 2016, without member-owner involvement or notification, it was replaced with:
“La Montanita Co-op is a full-service natural and organic food market offering a wide selection of products, allowing all of our customers the opportunity to make purchasing decisions that meet their needs. We are working on becoming the leader in organic produce in New Mexico by strengthening our produce quality, assortment and price points." [10]
Just a bit different, isn’t it?
Instead of focusing on organic and pesticide-free produce, it elevates the term “natural”—a word often used to promote non-organic food in a greenwashed way.
But It Gets Worse!
The high-quality organic and local pesticide-free produce at our stores was one of the hallmarks of La Montañita Co-op. It’s why so many of us shop there. It’s what differentiates us and makes us unique.
For over 20 years, the majority of the organic produce in our stores that is not local has come from one company: Veritable Vegetable. They are a woman-owned B Corp based in San Francisco. They work with small to mid-sized organic farmers. They only handle and distribute organic produce. They have a 5-1 pay ratio, so that the highest paid employee makes no more than five times what the lowest paid employee earns. They pay above the livable wage. [11] They have an award winning fleet of vehicles that operates with near zero emissions. 99% of all waste is diverted from landfills and 70% of their electricity comes from solar panels on their roof. [12]
As of September 2016 we will cease all purchases from Veritable Vegetable.
Our new produce distributor is C.H. Robinson: a publicly traded Fortune 500 trucking and shipping company. [13] In 2011, C.H. Robinson’s biggest customer for produce was Walmart. [14] In 2014, they were named Driscoll’s US Carrier of the Year. [15] C.H. Robinson formed Robinson Fresh in 2014 to sell organic and conventional produce (85% conventional, 15% organic). They have exclusive marketing rights to Welch's, Tropicana, and Green Giant. [16]
We’ve heard that a high-level person at Robinson Fresh is a friend of our GM, Dennis Hanley.
A two-decade relationship with a produce company that matches our values has been wiped out and replaced with a trucking company that launched a new brand two years ago because they saw the potential for profit.
What Can You Do About It?
A lot.
Next: Sign the Petition and How We Take Back Our Co-op
References:
1: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php
2: Mother Jones; http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2011/06/update-dirty-dozen-pesticides-and-farm-workers
3: http://www.takebackthecoop.com/inside-the-co-op.html
4: Worker interview #1.
5: Worker interview #2.
6: Worker interview #3.
7: Worker interview #4.
8: http://www.takebackthecoop.com/corporate-takeover.html
9: La Montañita Co-op website; “Produce Mission Statement” as of April 27th, 2016
10: http://lamontanita.coop/produce/; “Our Produce”
11: http://www.veritablevegetable.com/our-values.php
12: http://www.veritablevegetable.com/sustainability.php
13: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._H._Robinson
14 http://www.perishablepundit.com/index.php?date=02/09/11&pundit=2
15: https://www.chrobinson.com/en/us/Newsroom/Press-Releases/2014/12-08-2014_CH-Robinson-Receives-Driscolls-US-Carrier-of-the-Year-Award/
16: http://www.fruitnet.com/asiafruit/article/161512/fresh-produce-focus-for-ch-robinson
