Dave Murphy’s Posts

• So You Want Health Care Reform?

  Boycotting Whole Foods won’t help 27

  Posted 2 months, 4 weeks ago

  Two weeks ago, Whole Foods founder and CEO John Mackey added his own musings to the list of crazy opinions on health care, with an editorial in the Wall Street Journal condemning “Obamacare” and any government health care option in the U.S.

• Calling for Real Reform

  Food safety in the 21st century 1

  Posted 5 months ago

  Just when America thought it was safe to go back into the grocery store, another food outbreak wakes us up to the fact that there is something seriously wrong with its food safety system. This time it's Nestle Toll House cookie dough with E.coli, a treat that nearly every kid in America reaches for a few times a month during the summer. This is yet another reminder why it’s important to get the new food safety legislation, currently winding its way through Congress, right.

• Farm Crisis 2009

  Stand up for rural America while you still can 4

  Posted 5 months, 1 week ago

  For the past six months, dairy farmers across the country have suffered a historic drop in milk prices while operating costs remain high. This is impacting mainly conventional and small to mid-size family dairy farmers -- the worst crisis most dairy farmers have faced in their entire careers. Without immediate action from Congress and the Obama administration, this current crisis could be the launching point for the final liquidation of the independent family farmer.

• Serious about change? End the Jungle 2.0

  We need to reform America's food safety system from the farm up 0

  Posted 8 months, 2 weeks ago

  Another day, another disaster...

  In 1906, Upton Sinclair published his classic book The Jungle, awakening America's consciousness to the horrors of corruption in the U.S. meatpacking industry with the story of Chicago's stockyards. The Jungle so shook the American people's confidence in how their meat and food was processed, that President Roosevelt created the Food and Drug Administration to quell public outcry.

  Fast-forward a hundred odd years later and all evidence points to the fact that we are living in an era of food crisis that rivals that of the turn of the last century. Regretfully, America's modern food… Read More

• Change we can believe in at USDA?

  All eyes on ag chief Vilsack's undersecretary pick 3

  Posted 10 months, 1 week ago

  There have been whispers recently from Washington, D.C., that indicate that the wheels of change are grinding to a halt even before the Inauguration of our next President takes place.

  The recent nomination of former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Ag was a disappointment to many in the sustainable ag and family farm community because of Vilsack's close relationship with agribusiness and his penchant for promoting biotech and corn-based ethanol. Despite some positive comments during his confirmation hearing regarding nutrition, local foods and climate change, many in the sustainable ag community remain skeptical, while some remain hopeful.

  … Read More

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Dave Murphy’s Recent Comments

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  Not sure if every one who shops at Whole Foods and those who now won't shop there are as "committed" to local and organic as you claim. A lot of people shop at WF for a variety of reasons, the main one being they can afford it and they might also be interested in buying food they believe is healthier.

  Whole Foods carries a lot of natural and organic labels that stores like Kroger, Safeway and others do not carry. By refusing to buy at WF, less people will buy these products and this could have a trickle down effect. The family farmers that provide food for those labels can't afford to lose any market share in a recession where family farm income is down 38% this year alone.

  Because of the terrible economy, farmers I've talked to believe a boycott will hurt the farmers more than it will hurt Mackey.

  People have a right to shop where they want for whatever reason. However, John Mackey is not Whole Foods and vice versa. Mackey is the CEO of a publicly traded company. His editorial was irresponsible. My main concern is that at the end of the day a boycott won't bring us any close to health care reform than people showing up at a townhall meeting and shouting down a member of Congress. But it could end up hurting organic and sustainable farmers - something Michael Pollan is concerned with as well.

   

  On Boycotting Whole Foods won’t help posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago 27 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

   

   

  On Boycotting Whole Foods won’t help posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago 27 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  Not sure if every one who shops at Whole Foods and those who now won't shop there are as "committed" to local and organic as you claim. A lot of people shop at WF for a variety of reasons, the main one being they can afford it and they might also be interested in buying food they believe is healthier.

  Whole Foods carries a lot of natural and organic labels that stores like Kroger, Safeway and others do not carry. By refusing to buy at WF, less people will buy these products and this could have a trickle down effect. The family farmers that provide food for those labels can't afford to lose any market share in a recession where family farm income is down 38% this year alone.

  Because of the terrible economy, farmers I've talked to believe a boycott will hurt the farmers more than it will hurt Mackey.

  People have a right to shop where they want for whatever reason. However, John Mackey is not Whole Foods and vice versa. Mackey is the CEO of a publicly traded company. His editorial was irresponsible. My main concern is that at the end of the day a boycott won't bring us any close to health care reform than people showing up at a townhall meeting and shouting down a member of Congress. But it could end up hurting organic and sustainable farmers - something Michael Pollan is concerned with as well.

   

  On Boycotting Whole Foods won’t help posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago 27 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  Cultivating friends

  This is an important moment in our nation's history. We all have something to be proud of, those who volunteered during the campaign and those who supported him during the caucuses and primaries.

  Now we must go forward together. It will be important to be vigilant and mindful in our efforts to create  the change we advocate. As President Obama said today, "the ground has shifted."

  It is our job to plant the seeds and cultivate them along the way.On All eyes on ag chief Vilsack's undersecretary pick posted 10 months, 1 week ago 3 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  Keep Hope Alive

  Consensus is never easy to build, but we share a lot of common ground. It's about moving forward together in a positive direction and creating change where we can.

  One of the places you can voice your concerns on these issues is Food Democracy Now!

  Thanks for your support.On Coming together to work toward a sustainable food and farm future posted 10 months, 2 weeks ago 4 Responses