Tag Archives: factory farming

Tom Laskawy: Food Monopolies and the Antitrust Legacy of Robert Bork

In the words of Robert Bork, the controversial legal scholar and one of the fathers of modern anti-trust law who died this past December 19th at age 85, “Courts that know better ought not . . . to make rules unrelated to reality.” Well, the reality that Prof. Bork and his fellow originalists strived for has manifested itself in a monopolistic food system that keeps prices low and our waistlines bulging. This week’s guest on Sea Change Radio, food writer Tom Laskawy, tells host Alex Wise why he believes that Bork’s ideas of linking economics to antitrust gave us cheap meat and dairy as well as massive quantities of processed food – and why that’s a problem. Here’s a link to Laskawy’s piece in Grist discussed at length on this week’s show.

Organic Milk and Factory Farming

Dean Foods’ Horizon Organic Milk brand is under fire for its industrial farming model. Mark Kastel of the Cornucopia Institute and Steven Heim of Boston Common Asset Management speak about the shareowner engagement they’ve been conducting with the company, asking why Dean would want to endanger the reputation of its Horizon brand by sourcing milk from factory farms.

George SiemonGeorge Siemon, CEO of Organic Valley, a cooperative that competes with Horizon nationally, talks about the difference between the family farm organic model and the industrial farm organic model, as well as noting some positives that corporations can bring to the sustainability movement. Francesca Rheannon of Writer’s Voice co-hosts this edition with Bill Baue.

Cornucopia Institute

Boston Common Asset Management

Dean Foods Stock Drops 12% on Concerns About Organic Brands – Investors Challenge Dean Foods’ Investment in Organic Factory Farms at Annual Shareholders Meeting

Organic Valley