Dear Frito-Lay: Fire Your Marketing Team. They Totally Missed It.

I'd like to add to that (4.00 / 4)

if you really want local tater chips, it's pretty easy to make your own from locally purchased potatoes. All you need is a mandolin, a pan or deep fryer, and some oil.....

Regarding locavores as elitists - explain to me how supporting local business is elitist....

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by: Joanne Rigutto @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 10:52:33 AM CDT

Great piece, Jill... (4.00 / 3)

You know what strikes me as odd, too?  That the NY Times piece opens with a huge image of a roadside farmstand selling strawberries...

One has nothing to do with the other, unless their intent was to show the contrast?  Heh, although I hope I didn't just give Pepsi / Lay's an idea.  Maybe they'll open a rickety little shack alongside one of the frontage roads off a 14-lane interstate somewhere leading to one of their massive plants and sell chips and soda out of it.  Wouldn't put it past them, considering what they're already doing now.

I can see what's coming next - Local Coke (LoCoke?)!  

Your high fructose corn syrup was grown 100 miles away (on a farm 30 miles long, natch...), using only chemicals and pesticides produced within your state!

"Intelligent discontent is the mainspring of civilization." - Eugene V. Debs

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 11:25:26 AM CDT

Hahaha (4.00 / 3)

This commercial will profile the scientist who produces the chemicals that flavor your Coke. He's your neighbor. He's part of your community. And you'll be there for him when the fumes from the lab give him cancer in a few years.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 11:34:00 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Oh, those commercials could be so much fun... (4.00 / 3)

I'm imagining like talking animated ears of field corn, etc...

:)

I was thinking maybe you could also look up the code on the bag / bottle / can / etc... online, and read profiles of corporate management!

The exciting next phase of localism, brought to you by Agribiz and Corporate America!

"Intelligent discontent is the mainspring of civilization." - Eugene V. Debs

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 11:44:35 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

You're missing the obvious opportunity here -- (4.00 / 3)

trading cards!

"I'll give you an Indra Nooyi for a Gregory Pace?"

I have succumbed to the Twitter craze. @Omir55

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by: Omir the Storyteller @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 11:51:17 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Im still thinking about farmer profiles (4.00 / 2)

"I'm Jim Smith. I grew the corn to make the maltodextrin in your chips. We're neighbors. Our kids go to school together. You drink the atrazine I apply to my crops in your drinking water. Last year, when you went to the Gulf on your fishing trip, there were no fish because of my fertilizer."

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 12:15:17 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Ooooh, nice one! (4.00 / 2)

If I was rich, I'd seriously consider putting together a line of television and print ads just like this!  

"Intelligent discontent is the mainspring of civilization." - Eugene V. Debs

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 12:21:45 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Perhaps there's an org out there (4.00 / 3)

that would be willing to run with the idea?

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by: nycstray @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 12:28:16 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Heh (4.00 / 3)

You laugh . . . but . . .

How to Make OpenCola

While Pepsi and Coca-Cola (and others) closely guard their secrets to making cola beverages, several organizations have released their own recipes. Below is the recipe for homemade "OpenCola," an open-source cola beverage that invites makers to create and modify their recipe to achieve a better beverage. It is licensed under the GNU General Public License.

Nothing stopping you from going into competition with PepsiCo, and while I wouldn't exactly consider this healthy, you could at least check to see if anybody makes food-grade gum arabic in Milwaukie. :)

I have succumbed to the Twitter craze. @Omir55

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by: Omir the Storyteller @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 11:47:53 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Know you know why the organic commuity (4.00 / 4)

went to DC and asked to be regulated.  We started to see the same crap sneak into the organic market, one company was caught red er orange handed re-bagging conventional carrots into organic bags; but nothing could be done since there were
there was no legal description of organic.

I went to an apple store in a shopping mall, the only reason I would ever shop in a mall, and on the front door was a sign stating customers should: "Shop Local at the Local Mall"

I know Locavores do not want written rules however, unless you can make a case to the FTC, you will have to start the long hard work of creating a consensus document of what Local means. If not your 'high impact word" will be the next "natural" which would just be dandy for the conventional food companies.

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by: OrganicGeorge @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 11:50:44 AM CDT

Is regulation really necessary? (4.00 / 2)

I mean, yeah, having the imprimatur of the USDA would be a desirable thing, but if satisfactory organic standards can't be negotiated with the government, maybe there needs to be something like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for organic farmers. Something where if the farmer or company has that seal of approval the public can expect that they follow certain practices.

I don't know, maybe there already is such a program in place and I don't know about it. In which case it needs to proceed to phase II -- educating the public about the program and what it means.

I have succumbed to the Twitter craze. @Omir55

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by: Omir the Storyteller @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 12:12:30 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

This is why I'm not going for organic certification (4.00 / 2)

more regulations, 3rd party certification, more overhead for my farm.

I market using my location in Mulino, my name, and regular updates on the farm, visitors welcome, etc..

People can decide if I'm local or not, and if I farm in a way they want to support. My customers are my certification.

Regarding locavores as elitists - explain to me how supporting local business is elitist....

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by: Joanne Rigutto @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 14:42:03 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

That's how all my farmers are (4.00 / 2)

my ranchers are a bit farther than I originally wanted, but they had more variety (because they are a few farms that sell together) and a decent price. Closer to the city had an effect on the price. The CSAs/produce farmers didn't seem to have a big difference in price. I know the practices of all my farmers and can do farm visits etc. I am perfectly comfortable with all of them and what they produce :) I also share their name and products with others, and they are equally as happy and they in turn pass it on. My one friend joined my CSA at a different location and now the other one over there has bought in, as has her landlord. Sharing good food is good for the process.

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by: nycstray @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 15:03:29 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Joanne your approach will work for a while (4.00 / 1)

but some where along the line some greedy bastard will screw it up for direct farming by a poisoning or selling tainted food and the lawyers will get involved, then rules will be imposed.  

Not trying to harsh your buzz but I hope it will act as a wake up call.

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by: OrganicGeorge @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 15:28:42 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

You are actually on the right tract. (4.00 / 1)

The Bio dynamic community uses Trademark law as their protection but they have been around for almost 100 years so they have a definitive set of principals to refer to.

I comes down to the fact that something has be written down with the agreement of the Local stakeholders that means you have to find room for the big players with is where you will make your first compromise.  

Life is not all or nothing.

Welcome to the very real world.

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by: OrganicGeorge @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 15:06:02 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

That's exactly why I don't make any claim (4.00 / 1)

as to my farming practices. I document on my FB page how I farm, what I'm doing, I make the farm open to customers, and will probably have U-Pick available to my customers this year (there are some who want to bring their kids out to see the place and the animals), etc.

I'll let my customers decide if I'm local or not, if I practice the type of farming techniques they are comfortable sourcing their food and other ag services from, etc.

I can see where the whole local designation could go if regulated by state or federal government. I have a little knowleage about organic certification, just enough that I won't buy organic from the store, although I would buy from a local organic farm that was close enough that I could go take a look at and talk to them about how they farm.

Regarding locavores as elitists - explain to me how supporting local business is elitist....

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by: Joanne Rigutto @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 17:14:05 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Oy. (4.00 / 4)

What I don't get, is why they don't just make sure all of their ingredients originate from the US and market themselves as an "All American" brand?  They could still do something similar with the farmers and workers etc.

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by: nycstray @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 12:07:25 PM CDT

ada. sunchips. fritolay pr. (4.00 / 1)

At the American Dietetic Association Food and Nutrition Conference, a bunch of my colleague from the Hunger and Environmental Nutrition Practice Group attended the Frito Lay Sponsored Session on Sustainability. They were claiming that SunChips come from THE SUN. How nice.

http://www.sunchips.com/health...

The PR people they brought to talk to us were unable to answer any questions about GMO's, monocropping or industrial agriculture. How could they? They didn't know. ... Read More

I wrote more about the conference here:
http://usfoodpolicy.blogspot.c...

"The destiny of nations depends on how they nourish themselves."
BrillatSavarin
"Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are." BrillatSavarin

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by: ashleycolpaart @ Wed May 13, 2009 at 16:51:11 PM CDT