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| CANADA'S SOURCE FOR ORGANIC HUMOUR, PARODY, AND SATIRE
SOME SUBURBAN MARKET-- The owners of Wild Things, a local organic grocer, are concerned about their farm-fresh natural produce. Strict regulations are making it tough for distributors of natural food products to compete with larger retailers.
Raoul Green, a local home-grown resident, wishes there was a way to keep his produce fresher, longer. As the owner of an organic grocery, he is having problems preserving the freshness of his stock. "Our challenge is that we have to move the produce quickly," said Raoul. "Sometimes we only have a matter of days before the plums ferment or the carrots wilt, and then we're left with a vegetable sludge that's only good for the compost." "If only there was a way to maintain the freshness of our fruits and vegetables," said Raoul, "I dunno, like something we could spray on our natural-grown products to make them last longer, or some sort of additive that could prevent our chemical-free produce from spoiling." Presently, organic grocers are finding it hard to compete with the big-name retail supermarkets, despite the increased public interest in organic agriculture. Although the demand for chemical-free foods is growing, the customer base is still smaller, which makes buying huge quantities impractical. "We can't buy in large bulk," said Raoul. "Most of it will just go bad...unless there was some compound that could be added to increase the shelf-life--something that would preserve our wholesome garden-fresh products in some way. That could definitely be an advantage for all the organic grocers." Barbara Witherspoon, a grocer at the Organic Rainbow Revolution, agrees. "There's also the threat of pests," she said. "We need some sort of repellant--perhaps a spray--that would kill the bugs that infest our untarnished peaches, pears, and potatoes. It would be nice if the farmers could put something on their fruits that would kill aphids and those other icky little black bugs that like the lettuce. That way our organic produce will look more presentable and inviting when we lay it out in the store." "If they sprayed this stuff early enough, whatever it might be, and I don't claim to know what it could be," continued Barbara, "then they could probably kill whatever causes blight and those funny scars on the apples. We could move more apples if they looked nicer. Maybe there's a polish available that could make them look even more natural." "Organic produce suffers from the perception of being smaller and not as perfect-looking as the additive-riddled, pesticide-washed and petro-chemically waxed fruits and vegetables you can find at the mega-supermarket," said Raoul. "If we could find some way to make our vegetables larger, perhaps some sort of natural bio-engineering to improve upon our wholesome grown products, I think we'd have it made." "It's already tough enough trying to naturally enhance our products without using chemical-based fertilizers, or special radiation," said Barbara. "If there were some natural antibiotics or growth hormones we could use to stimulate our organic products, we would be able to compete with the major food retailers. Some sort of wax to help seal in the goodness and make the peppers cucumbers look shinier and healthier wouldn't be a bad idea either." Organic food
differs from conventionally produced food in the way it is grown, handled,
and processed. But forward-thinking retailers like Raoul and Barbara are
looking for ways to change that.
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