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Critics are incensed by General Mills’ announcement that it will acquire Annie’s Inc. But the “organic and natural” category hasn’t meant much for years.

In his 2006 book
The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan highlighted Cascadian Farm, General Mills’ line of organic food products, as a prime example of what happens when organic food is marketed by big, industrial food companies. The company that in the early 1970s “began as a quasi-communal hippie farm,” Pollan wrote, had, in the words of its erstwhile-hippie founder Gene Kahn, morphed into a “PR farm” for General Mills after that company acquired it in 2000. Kahn joined General Mills as a vice president, and he enthusiastically signed on to that company’s far-more-corporate approach to organic food.

Ever since, critics of the food industry have cited Cascadian Farm as an outfit that adheres to the letter of the law without necessarily adhering to the spirit of the organic-food movement. Similar complaints are already being issued in regard to General Mills’ announcement on Monday that it will acquire Annie’s Inc. BNNY 0.00% , a Berkeley, Calif., company that
The New York Timesnoted is known for its “earthy vibe.”

The question for critics is whether General Mills cares more about Annie’s vibe than it does about its fealty to organic principles. In an email to
Fortune, Pollan said he’s not familiar with the details of the Annie’s acquisition, but added that “the parallels with Cascadian Farm would seem to be relevant. Is General Mills committed to the ideals of Annie’s, or just the brand?”

For investors, it probably doesn’t matter. General Mills’ cash offer of $820 million (or $46 a share) is a 37% premium over Monday’s closing price. That’s still considerably lower than the $51.36 Annie’s shares reached in October.