The Health Food Nexus: The Curious Compatibility Between Health, Sustainability, and Social Justice

Have you ever wondered why health food stores attract both hippies and yuppies alike? People who don't even own shoes shop at health food stores. People who complain about gas prices buy milk for $8 a gallon. Business executives who could eat at a fine restaurant every day, hire a cook, or even hire someone to buy health food for them still shop at health food stores.

What mystical powers exist in the realm of health food to attract such an unlikely cohort of patrons to participate in the same activity? Why do organic, eco-friendly, and fair-trade labels share the same shelves? 

There is one underlying principle about health food that makes everyone happy. I call this principle the health food nexus.  This nexus is the connection between two or more people buying the same product for entirely different reasons. The features that make the product attractive for multiple reasons are interconnected. To illustrate the point I will use the example of several people who want to buy chocolate.

Emily walks towards the chocolate section, examines a chocolate bar for a while, reads the word "organic," and drops the bar in her basket. She is very health-conscious in her diet, and is aware of the dangers of pesticides found in conventional, non-organic chocolate which might sabotage her overall health. A little later John walks towards the same section, picks up a bar, reads the label "Fair Trade," and is persuaded to buy the chocolate. John previously spent a few years in the Peace Corps and has seen the positive effects of fair wages for people living in the "Third World." Finally, Tim strolls through the section, adjusts his hemp poncho, picks up a bar, reads the words "This product was produced using 100% renewable energy," and takes it to the cashier. Tim is an environmentalist who advocates alternative and reduced energy consumption. 

The interesting thing and the point I am trying to make is that they all bought the same chocolate bar. The company didn't go to any great lengths to achieve multiple selling points, either. 

The company is based in Brazil. It pays a local tribe fair wages to forage through the jungle for cocoa beans and sun-dry them. Then a few other simple ingredients are purchased from certified suppliers, and the bar is made by equally well paid chocolate makers. There is no commercial cocoa bean farm so there is no input energy needed for the cocoa beans (because the trees are scattered there isn't the problem of diseases spreading from tree to tree, and therefore no need for pesticides, etc.). Therefore the only energy needed in the production process is for the lighting and equipment which is bought from a wind farm. Because no chemicals or complex ingredients are needed or used, organic certification is effortless to acquire. 

Each bit of product information that persuaded the customers was actually related. Fair trade companies often employ people to produce food in the traditional way. This method is almost always more environmentally friendly than the conventional method, as well as very close to or at organic standards.