SILK® SOYMILK AND HORIZON ORGANIC® PROUDLY SPONSOR 21ST ANNUAL FARM AID® CONCERT
Both Demonstrate Ongoing Commitment to Organic Farming and Wind Energy
BROOMFIELD, Colo., Sept. 26, 2006 – Silk® Soymilk and Horizon Organic®, the nation’s best-selling natural and organic brands, are proud to sponsor FARM AID® 2006 Presented by Silk Soymilk, and support its mission to keep family farmers on their land and provide America with a safe and healthy food supply. Silk, now in its fifth year as an event sponsor and fourth consecutive year as the title sponsor, has contributed three quarters of a million dollars to date to Farm Aid.
"Silk and Horizon Organic are steadfast in their commitment to provide high quality natural and organic foods to as many people as possible, and we cannot accomplish this without the dedication of the nation's family farmers who provide us with natural and organic soybeans and organic milk," said Joe Scalzo, Chief Executive Officer for WhiteWave Foods, parent company for Silk and Horizon Organic. "Sponsoring Farm Aid is one of the ways we show our support for all that they do to improve the environment and our food supply."
Organic Farming: Alive and Growing
Together, Silk and Horizon Organic's combined purchase of organic feed and other organic ingredients support nearly 270,000 organic acres nationwide and nearly 750 family farms. In fact, for many family farmers, converting to organic production has ensured survival of their independent businesses, while also promoting stewardship of the land and a healthier environment for both people and animals.
Horizon Organic and Silk provide unwavering support of U.S. farmers:
- Silk is the largest user of U.S. certified organic, food grade soybeans. In the past five years, the brand has purchased $60 million worth of domestic organic soybeans, farmed on nearly 19,000 organic acres.
- Currently purchasing its milk from 342 family farmers nationwide, Horizon Organic continues to grow this number through its Horizon Organic Producer Education (HOPE) program, which provides technical and financial assistance to farmers as they transition from conventional to organic production. Over the next five years, Horizon Organic will invest $15-20 million in the program to help secure future organic milk supply and provide a sustainable future for family farms.
Wind Energy: A More Sustainable Future
Supporting organic farmers is an investment in the future because organic agriculture reduces pollution by producing food without the use of antibiotics, added growth hormones or dangerous pesticides. Taking this long-time commitment to a healthier environment one step further, Silk is reducing the environmental impact of this year’s Farm Aid concert through the purchase of Green Tags from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. The Green Tags will offset all of the electricity used at the concert, replacing it with sustainable wind energy. Silk has also purchased additional Green Tags to offset the energy used for an estimated 25,000 attendees to drive to the venue*. Wind power is an affordable and inexhaustible energy source that does not cause pollution, generate waste, or deplete natural resources.
Offsetting the energy that will be used at this year's concert with wind power is consistent with WhiteWave Foods' commitment to sustainable business practices and underscores the Silk’s brand long-standing support of renewable wind energy.
FARM AID 2006 Presented by Silk Soymilk takes place on Saturday, September 30 at the Tweeter Center at the Waterfront in Camden, New Jersey. The benefit will feature performances from Farm Aid president and founder Willie Nelson and board members Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews, as well as Los Lonely Boys, Arlo Guthrie, Shelby Lynne, Jerry Lee Lewis with Roy Head, Gov’t Mule, Steel Pulse and more. *Green Tag purchase calculated for 25,000 attendees, estimating 4 people per vehicle, traveling from within 50 miles at 20 miles per gallon for a total of 312,500 miles.
ABOUT SILK
Silk Soymilk was launched in 1996 and is the best-selling soymilk brand in the country. Not only do Silk products taste delicious, a cup of Silk contains as much calcium as a cup of milk and is loaded with soy protein, which when consumed as a part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. Silk is available in virtually all major supermarket chains and the complete product line includes a number of varieties and flavors to meet specific tastes and nutritional needs. For more information, visit www.silksoymilk.com.
ABOUT HORIZON ORGANIC
Horizon Organic, founded in 1991, was the first certified organic dairy to distribute products nationally in the United States. The company remains true to its vision for a more organic planet, purchasing milk from 342 certified organic dairy farms and providing certified organic dairy products to natural foods retailers and supermarkets across the country. Horizon Organic products are produced without the use of harmful pesticides, antibiotics or added growth hormones and always will be. That’s the organic promise from our farmers to consumers. For more information on the growing world of organic, visit www.horizonorganic.com.