Michelle said, "Oh, don't get me started." Geez, I guess I'm sufficiently
catalyzed to engage on this one.
I share concerns about reports of recent mergers and acquisitions in the
herbal/nutritional/supplement industry and wish to ask a few questions and
add a few comments to the discussion.
How common is it for people that buy products from Solgar or other
supplement manufacturers to investigate the complexities of corporate
ownership? The last time I checked, the Advil in my medicine chest were/are
made by American Home. But how many of us subscribe to magazines that still
carry tobacco ads (not my household, but I'm still living with those Advils
so what's the difference).
I guess I better find another form of headache relief. So as/if you read
on, keep in mind that I'm no purist, just on the path.
Ask yourself a simple question, What do I know about the integrity of the
companies I buy product from? Do I ever do a "supply chain audit" of the
companies that I trust for my sense of well-being?
I think many of us simply assume a lot of things about companies like
Solgar. Doing a supply chain audit is not a simple thing, and done
properly, will look at several dimensions of a corporate entity including:
* Who owns stock (common and preferred) in the company, including attention
to majority share, minority share blocks, and individual investors. What I
learn today, can change tomorrow, so keeping current is tough.
* Who sits on the board and on what other boards do these individuals sit on?
* How does the stock perform? Is it seen as over-valued, or undervalued?
Any deviation from "appropriately valued" places the stock at risk, making
it attractive to investors.
* Who are the debtholders of the corporation. Debtholders concerned about
the ability of a company to service debt can initiate a process that leads
to a change in management or composition of the board.
* Did you know that CEO's and Board members have a legal, fiduciary
responsibility to act in the interest of their shareholders and debtors and
can be held liable for failing to do so? In some cases finding a buyer
might be the only option legally defensiible. The interests of customers
and society are subordinate to those of shareholders and debtors.
* With the vast financial resources available to some companies, some are
able to buy companies from "competing paradigms," simply to neutralize the
range of choices available to consumers. Which of your favorite suppliers
look like a good snack?
These are fairly straightforward information needs for knowing who we are
dealing with for the products we bring into our bodies, families, homes,
communities, and societies. Obtaining this information for one company is
tough enough, and most of us lack the time and sophistication to do it for
one company let alone the many that we rely on. There are some
resource-gathering entities like Corporate Watch and Public Citizen that
are actively investigating companies, but still, a vast amount of hyperbole
and stereotyping characterize the companies we might be inclined to
villify.
We could use more facts, whether they come from the filings with the
Securties and Exchange Commission 10-K reports, stock prospectus, annual
reports, or polemic investigations. In some cases, it's easier to get this
info by buying some of the stock. It gives me the ethical-compromising
heebie-jeebies to think about buying a few shares of Monsanto or American
Home just so I can get an insider's perspective, but isn't being informed
far better than trying to target the cruise missile without a guidance
system? Would a few bucks invested in "consumer espionage," help us to make
more informed choices? Terrorism begins at home in your medicine cabinet,
in the frig, in the sweatshop clothes closet, and in the fields of American
farms. In the midst of a slow insidious process of undermining the
integrity of social and ecological systems, we have a lot to learn.
Resistance, or manifesting the Buddhist concept of "right-living," takes a
bold commitment of time, money, the head and the heart. Consciousness.
This may be a gross misstatement, but I surmise that most of us know very
little about the sophisticated assault among us and much of our rhetoric is
akin to shooting in the dark at shadows that are amorphous representations
of the periphery of the target, never reaching the core. Marx, Lenin, and
Mao predicted we would crumble from within, anticipating workers would rise
up in revolt. Pacified with consumption, my guess is that scenario won't
happen until the middle class can't pay their mortgage and feed the kids,
or wake up sensing that they are worker bees for the billionaires. Instead,
we'll just kind of get stupidified about our political candidates,
apathetically disengage from democracy and informed consent, and get
ideologically bought out by powerful companies that we know very little
about. A proper defense requires learning and engagement in simpler forms
of exchange, one-to-one with people instead of companies, changing our
consumption from the far-away to the local so that we can more easily
ascertain the integrity of our supply chain.
Best wishes,
Douglas
>Howdy, all--
>
>It was reported here that American Home Products had acquired Solgar,
>the herbs/supplements maker. Can anyone supply me with a citation on
>that?
>
>Also, here is a press release on AHP's acquisition of PharmaPrint,
>dated 10 October 97:
>
>http://www.pharmaprint.com/101097.htm
>
>"PharmaPrint Inc. is the only developer and manufacturer of patented
>pharmaceuticals derived from herbal products. Management expects to
>introduce a succession of new pharmaceuticals originating from widely
>demanded, but scientifically untested and unregulated herbal
>products."
>
>In other words, the value-added element is labs and patents. Sounds
>like Code to me....
>
>Oh, don't get me started. I'll post later on epistemology of science
>stuff that's burbling around in my sub-basement. Including the New
>Physics stuff that relates to sustainable ag. I'm still miffed at
>Dale for dismissing Heisenberg, Schrodinger, Feynmann, Bohr, Planck,
>and Einstein as "new age scientists" and am busy womanning the
>torpedoes against such Dark-Age resistance to ongoing inquiry into
>the way things work. :^) Hey, I'll even get to use the word
>Weltanschauung here. I did a couple weeks ago, drafting a response to
>the homeopathy piece...but decided not to send it. :^D
>
>
>peace, really
>misha
>
><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>Michele Gale-Sinex, communications manager
>Center for Integrated Ag Systems
>UW-Madison College of Ag and Life Sciences
>Voice: (608) 262-8018 FAX: (608) 265-3020
>http://www.wisc.edu/cias/
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>The black sesame rice crackers weren't sealed well,
>so they're the slightest bit soggy. They stick to my
>teeth like tamari Captain Crunch. --Mister 3D
>
>
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