Unfortunately, the big companies and even state dairy boards
that had a lot of money were able to capitalize on this interest.
Nationwide, they lobbied to have the “real” sticker on anything
that qualifi es as cheese. The California Association launched an
enormous campaign to compete with the Wisconsin giants. These
cooperatives essentially force their suppliers to contribute to
their advertising schemes. The cheese campaign labels ultimately
confuse consumers so that they can’t distinguish artisanal from
industrial, so the former hold a tiny fraction of the market, are still
expensive luxury items, and are hard to fi nd.Organic Food and Farmers’ Markets
The only labeling we have that passed legislation after a long, bitter
battle is for organic produce. The diffi culty with legislation was in
defi ning exactly what “organic” means. Until recently, there was
no legal defi nition, and you were not allowed to put it on a label,
but even the laws that have been passed are confusing. “Organic”
Fruits and vegetables that are certifi ably organic do not contain chemically
formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides.
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