Eden Foods Boycott Information & Product Alternatives

Green Earth Organics tries to stay on top of current social issues, but we don’t always catch everything. So we’d like to give a thank you to one of our customers who let us know that she was boycotting Eden Foods. For those who don’t know, Eden Foods is the oldest natural and organic food company in North America, having been in business for over 45 years.

On March 21st, 2013 Eden Foods announced that they were filing a lawsuit against the US Government in response to the Health & Human Services (HHS) Mandate, Affordable Care Act. They state in their petition that it is unconstitutional for some businesses to have been given exemptions, but other businesses are not allowed exemptions. Another company seeking an exemption is Whole Foods Markets. One corporation who has already received an exemption from the HHS is McDonald’s Inc.

Eden employees currently receive health, dental, vision, life, and a 50% 401k match. The particular exemption that Eden Foods is referencing is that of funding “lifestyle drugs,” specifically Viagra, smoking cessation, weight-loss, infertility, impotency, and contraceptives for their female employees.

The US Supreme Courts’ decision regarding Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819) has led to the designation that corporations or businesses can function and have the same rights as an individual person. Eden Foods states that due to the owner’s religious beliefs regarding the use of “lifestyle drugs,” specifically that women should not use contraceptives, they should be exempt from having to provide that benefit to their employees. They add that either all businesses must comply with the mandate or all businesses must be allowed to apply for exemption.

With the recent Supreme Court ruling in favour of Hobby Lobby, there has been new media attention on Eden Foods’ suit and a greater chance that their suit will be ruled in their favour. The Supreme Court ruled that some family-owned or other closely held businesses can opt out of the Federal requirement to pay for contraceptives in health coverage for their workers. Previous, the U.S. Court of Appeals had told Eden Foods that “a secular, for-profit corporation, cannot establish that it can exercise religion.” With the new ruling for Hobby Lobby, Eden has renewed their suit and resubmitted it to the courts.

For our Vancouver & Sea to Sky Locations

In light of this, we have received requests for alternatives to Eden Products on our website. Melissa spent most of Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning sourcing new BPA free products for anyone currently boycotting Eden Foods. Please see our new selections below.

Thomas Utopia’s canned diced and canned crushed tomatoes in BPA free cans.


Yves’s garbanzo, black, pinto, and kidney beans in BPA free cans.


Applesnax Unsweetened Applesauce.

We are also already sourcing new BPA free products for anyone boycotting Eden Foods in our other three locations. Please let us know if there are any specific brands or products you would like us to look into!

Three Bean Salad

INGREDIENTS

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 green onions, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp powdered chile (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a bowl, gently mix the chickpeas, kidney beans, cannellini beans, green onions, and celery.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, honey, mustard, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Pour the dressing over the beans and toss gently to coat.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavours to meld. Toss gently just before serving.