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Eden Foods
Company typeCorporation
Founded1968
Number of employees
128 (April 2013)[1]
Websiteedenfoods.com

Eden Foods, Inc., (also known as Eden Organic) is an organic food company based in Clinton, Michigan.[2] It is best known for its Edensoy line of organic soy milk,[3] and its line of organic Japanese foods and condiments. The company claims to be the oldest independent organic food producer in the United States, and the largest supplier of organic dry grocery items.[4]

Eden was founded in 1969 as a co-op grocery store in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to continue the operations of a defunct macrobiotic food buying club.[5] Originally incorporated as a nonprofit, it became a for-profit company in 1970.[5] In 1972, the company began importing Japanese foods such as miso and soy sauce for both the retail and commercial markets. Many of Eden's Japanese foods are still sourced in Japan.

Most of Eden Food's products are organic, most are certified kosher, and most are vegan, except for their katsuo (Japanese fish flakes). Many of Eden's prepared foods are also gluten-free, and have therefore been recommended for those on a gluten-free or gluten-free casein-free (GFCF) diet.[6]

Products

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Soy milk

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In 1997, an independent test by The New York Times looking for traces of GMOs in 11 soy and corn-based products found Eden's milk to be the only product that tested clean, a finding that Eden Foods attributed to their extensive certification and testing program.[7]

In 2020, Organic Unsweetened Edensoy soy milk won the Lausanne Index Prize - Environmental Possibility Prize.[8]

Soy sauce

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In 2001, Eden shoyu soy sauce was rated highest for flavor by Cook's Illustrated in a comparison of 12 brands. In 2007, Eden's tamari was rated best out of seven brands tested in a comparison conducted by the San Francisco Chronicle for its "Taster's Choice" column.[9]

Extra virgin olive oil

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In 1999, Prevention Magazine rated Eden's "Extra Virgin Spanish Olive Oil" highest in flavor and protective nutrients out of the 22 brands of extra virgin olive oil studied.[10][11]

Canned food

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Eden uses BPA-free enamel-lined cans for most of its products (the only exception being tomato-based foods),[12] and was subsequently recommended by the Center for Science in the Public Interest as a safer option for canned food.[13]

In a 2005 study, Eden's canned refried beans were rated best in nutritional value among commercial refried beans by Men's Health Magazine.[14]

Controversy

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Infant formula charges

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In 1988 CEO Michael Potter was charged and later served 30 days in jail on misdemeanor charges for misrepresenting Edensoy soy milk as an infant formula.[15] The suit was brought after a Canadian infant developed a rare eye and bone disorder as a result of vitamin deficiency from being fed the product.[15][16][17] The child's physician later reported the patient to have "completely recovered".[15][18]

Employee healthcare

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In March 2013, Eden Foods filed suit against the Obama administration seeking an exemption from the mandate to cover contraception for its employees under the Affordable Care Act.[19] According to the company's CEO Michael Potter, providing access to any form of contraceptives would violate his beliefs as a Catholic.[20] (This stance against all types of birth control differs from Hobby Lobby's refusal to cover several types of contraception.) Eden Foods lost its suit in both the District Court and the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals (Eden v. Sebelius),[21] and appealed to the Supreme Court. The Burwell v. Hobby Lobby decision by the US Supreme Court on 30 June 2014 overrules the lower courts. The next day, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, Eden Foods v. Burwell.[22] In response, some customers urged a boycott of the company on popular liberal websites, as well as the company's own Facebook page.[23][24]

Trademark infringement lawsuit

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In October 2021, Eden Foods, Inc. filed suit against Eden Burger Ltd., a single-location vegan burger restaurant located on the campus of the Ohio State University, alleging infringement of Eden Foods's trademark on the word "Eden." Notably, although the Eden Foods, Inc. complaint notes Eden Foods's possession of trademarks on the word "Eden" for use in conjunction with the sale of numerous prepackaged food products, it does not appear to claim that Eden Foods possesses a trademark on the word "Eden" in the context of restaurants and catering.[25]

Sexual harassment lawsuit

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In April 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit against the owner/president of Eden Foods for repeatedly harassing female workers and ignoring complaints about his behavior.[26] In Fall of 2023, Eden Foods was ordered to pay more than $182,500 in the settlement of the suit.[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Irin Carmon (April 11, 2013). "Organic Eden Foods' quiet right-wing agenda: A crunchy, natural food company marketed to liberals discreetly sues to stop covering employees' contraception". Salon.com.
  2. ^ "Contact Us". Eden Foods. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  3. ^ Dun & Bradstreet report on Eden, via Google Finance
  4. ^ about Eden Foods
  5. ^ a b Shurtleff, William (2011). History of Erewhon - Natural Foods Pioneer in the United States. Soy Info Center. p. 167. ISBN 9781928914334.
  6. ^ The GFCF Diet: Side dishes
  7. ^ Eden Foods' organic soy milk passes the media test for GMOs - The Organic & Non-GMO Report
  8. ^ "2020 L.I.P. Environmental Possibility Prize - Eden Foods".
  9. ^ SFGate.com - "Top tamari balances sweet and salty"
  10. ^ Eden Foods press release
  11. ^ KLINGLER, DESMOND (2015). 21ST CENTURY HOMESTEAD : organic food. [Place of publication not identified]: LULU COM. ISBN 978-1-312-93759-8. OCLC 980256157.
  12. ^ Eco Childs Play:Canned Food and BPA
  13. ^ Report from Center for Science in the Public Interest on BPA
  14. ^ 125 Top Foods for Men
  15. ^ a b c "Eden Foods Pleads Guilty to Infant Formula Violations". Vegetarian Times. Active Interest Media, Inc.: 9–10 April 1989. ISSN 0164-8497. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  16. ^ "1980 Infant Formula Act may have been violated". The Argus-Press. Owosso, MI. August 17, 1988. p. 11. OCLC 36134862. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
  17. ^ "Fats & oils news". Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 66 (4): 500–506. 1989. doi:10.1007/BF02885435. S2CID 189791454.
  18. ^ William Shurtleff, Akiko Aoyagi (29 August 2013). History of Soymilk and Other Non-Dairy Milks (1226-2013): Including Infant Formulas, Calf Milk Replacers, Soy Creamers, Soy Shakes, Soy Smoothies, Almond Milk, Coconut Milk, Peanut Milk, Rice Milk, Sesame Milk, etc. Soyinfo Center. p. 1698. ISBN 978-1-928914-58-7.
  19. ^ Carmon, Irin (April 11, 2013). "Organic Eden Foods' quiet right-wing agenda". SALON. Retrieved 2013-04-15.
  20. ^ Pelham, Dennis (1 July 2014). "Eden Foods' owner 'grateful' for Supreme Court ruling". The Daily Telegram. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  21. ^ Eden Foods, Inc., et al. v. Sebelius, et al. (6th Cir 2013-10-24) ("we AFFIRM the district court’s denial of Eden Foods’s motion for a preliminary injunction"), Text.
  22. ^ "Search - Supreme Court of the United States".
  23. ^ Hymas, Lisa (2 July 2014). "This organic food company is refusing to pay for employees' birth control". Grist. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  24. ^ "Eden Foods' Hobby Lobby-esque Birth Control Fight Sparks Boycott". Huffington Post. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  25. ^ "Eden Foods, Inc. v. Eden Burger, Ltd". 2021-10-06.
  26. ^ "EEOC Sues Eden Foods for Sexual Harassment". Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 2022-04-28.
  27. ^ "Eden Foods to Pay Over $182,500 to Settle EEOC Sexual Harassment Lawsuit". Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 2023-09-01.
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