Organic Valley launches online calculator

Organic Valley, America's largest cooperative of organic farmers and one of the leading organic brands in the USA, has launched the first online calculator that shows consumers the toxic burden prevented by their choices of organic vs. non-organic and "natural" foods. The calculator is available here. The Organic Valley calculator invites visitors to put their favourite Organic Valley dairy products into a simulated shopping basket to weigh the positive impact of their organic food choices. As each food product is placed in the basket, the calculator automatically adds up and displays the amounts of pesticides and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers avoided by that product, as opposed to a comparable conventional product. The numbers are derived from a calculation of USDA conventional agriculture data compared with twenty years of parallel data from Organic Valley member-farms.

"We did this to show our customers that they really do make a difference when they buy products from our farmer-owned co-op, and they should feel good about it," said George Siemon, chief executive officer and founding farmer at Organic Valley. "The numbers add up quickly, and every bite counts. These metrics are real, just as the threat to our health and environment is real. That's why we have always been, and will always be organic." Using the calculator is simple and educational. At any time during the simulated shopping experience, the visitor can explore the colorful, illustrated display and discover a great deal of information about the health, social, and economic benefits of organic agriculture and organic food, as well as the risks of using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers to produce food. The calculator also provides extensive references to scientific research and links to sources for more information.

Organic Valley