What a minefield this guy has stepped into!
Michael Potter, founder, CEO, and sole shareholder of Eden Foods runs a "principled" (he loves that word) company that produces a broad line of certified organic products, including the popular EdenSoy non-dairy milk. As a relatively new purchaser of only organic foods and a newbie vegan, the places I shop--small co-op grocery stores and Whole Foods (ugh)--are lined with their offerings.
He's so "principled" that he doesn't even use the ubiquitous USDA organic label because it is diluted and doesn't accurately reflect the company's "beyond organic" stance. (Apparently, use of the USDA organic label is not a requirement; Eden's product labels do identify the name of their organic certifier.)
And he's so "principled" that Eden Foods has taken the lead against genetically modified foods (GMO). He serves on the board of directors of the Non-GMO Project. And, as far as I can tell, and contrary to a statement in this otherwise excellent diary, Eden Foods doesn't support Monsanto or the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) or their efforts against GMO labeling. (See this graphic for a list of the good guys and bad guys with respect to the WA I-522 labeling ballot initiative.)
I applaud these "principles" of Eden Foods, and their products are pretty good, too, and easy to find once you venture into the organic realm. But, like many others, I'll be choosing not to purchase their products any longer now that I've learned what a hole Mr Potter's "principles" have dug.
Follow me down that hole for more....
This company is so "principled" that Mr Potter chooses--according to this company press release--not to cover "'lifestyle drugs,' an insurance industry drug classification that includes contraceptives, Viagra, smoking cessation, weight-loss, infertility, impotency, etc." In March 2013, objecting to the HHS mandate "and its government overreach," Eden Foods filed suit against HHS.
Now I suspect based on some articles (here and here) that Mr Potter is basically another me-me-me Libertarian, not unlike Whole Foods' CEO John Mackey, but to mask his selfishness and greed--and to be able to latch onto the religious angle--he remembers that he's a devout Roman Catholic so he goes to the Thomas More Law Center and they pull out all the stops. [Apologies for the snark--obviously I don't know how devout he is or what's in his heart--but from the stuff he's said in the links I've provided, I feel fairly justified.]
In the above-cited press release from April 2013 and current Facebook posts, e.g.,
Eden Foods is a principled food company. We were convinced that actions of the federal government were illegal, and so filed a formal objection. The recent Supreme Court decision confirms, at least in part, that we were correct. We realized in making our objection that it would give rise to grotesque mischaracterizations and fallacious arguments. We did not fully anticipate the degree of maliciousness and corruption that would visit us. Nevertheless, we believe we did what we should have.
The objection we filed has never been part of the Hobby Lobby lawsuit.
Eden Foods bemoans the "grotesque mischaracterizations" and maliciousness brought upon them by detractors and boycotters. Their few supporters (I'd say FB comments are running about 15-1 against them) insist that they only deny a few contraceptives, and of course women can get them anywhere...cheap. But what is mischaracterized? From Eden Foods' complaint:
Plaintiffs do not believe that contraception or abortifacients properly constitute health care, and almost always involve immoral and unnatural practices.
And lest you believe that their "principles" only apply to the four types of contraception denied by Hobby Lobby, Mr Potter's faith (per Eden's complaint) aligns with the teaching of Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical that finds to be sinful
any action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation, whether as an end or as a means. [emphasis mine]
The Donald Sterling comparison? For all Mr Potter's devout avowals, check out this interview with The Ann Arbor News from April 2013, shortly after the suit was filed:
AnnArbor.com: And why was this the right thing to do?
Potter: We had to object to the blatant government overreach that we saw happening. The government is just walking on the rights of companies and individuals who are trying to exercise their lives consistent with their conscience.
The affront to the exercise of religious practices is quite obvious, there’s obviously some conflict there. We felt that the safe thing to do would have been to be an ostrich and stick our head in the sand, but we decided not to do that.
… An obvious question that this overreach of government gives rise to is what’s next? OK, now birth control, then the counseling that encourages abortion and sterilization, and contraceptives, I have to pay for this? What’s next? I have to buy your raincoat? Your spare tires? Your weed killers? [emphasis mine]
No, Mr Potter, they are your employees, you pay them for their work, and a portion of that pay is the benefit of health insurance--it's their work, their money, their healthcare!