A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Organic Pepper, By Daisy Luther

On December 5, 2012, Daisy Luther, a journalist from Northern California wrote a blog entry on the conspiracy surrounding “certified organic” labels that is claimed by some companies and retailers. She brings up the question of whether these labels being stamped on food can really be verified or are they just a way to empty out the wallets of consumers. In the website The Organic Pepper, the blogger generally gives advice for different problems people encounter on a daily basis. Through her blog entries varying from ways to stay healthy to frugal living, Luther states her opinion of governmental interference on our food supply by citing sources from articles from Natural News and Time Magazine. She first starts out by arguing about how the

For example, she lists some of the regulations from a food trade organization called Codex Alimentarius, whose purpose is to regulate fair trade both nationally and internationally and ensure the health of consumers. The Codex standards that are stated show that this organization does not follow its purpose, but does the exact opposite. According to natural news.com, “All food (including organic) is to be irradiated, removing all toxic nutrients from food (unless eaten locally and raw.” This is just one of the rules listed; the rest follow in a similar matter. Because farmers have to follow all these specific regulations and procedures, they find themselves paying ridiculous fees to get the “certified organic” label. Thus the greater expense of natural foods. To regular consumers, this may seem as added precautions to make sure the food is natural; however, by reading these guidelines, it is obvious that Codex is trying to trivialize organic standards so the organization can extract profits instead of protecting the health of consumers. There are some who believe that Codex regulations are justified because they really are trying to protect consumer health by thoroughly checking to make sure the food is organic. Yet there are still others who think that Codex is merely part of a larger issue, and that it’s really the multinational corporations like Big Pharma that are taking over the food industry. Throughout her blog, Luther does use a lot reasoning in her article to prove her point. One flaw in her logos however, is that she uses Codex to prove her point. While the institution is co-owned by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), two well-known ventures (Damato), I think she goes a little extreme by stating an organization that no one has heard of and expect people to believe her on the