Lately, there's been a surge of organic products in every day supermarkets. Health stores aren't the only ones you can count on these days. Now big chain grocery stores are carrying organic foods based on growing consumer interest and preference.
Examples: Walmart recently announced a partnership with the company
WildOats to deliver a wide range of organic products at an affordable price point. And Target has their
Simply Balanced line free of artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and free of high fructose corn syrup. [Not all of
Simply Balanced products are organic, but many are]
The term organic is as common today as other buzzwords: paleo, ancient grains, and gluten free.
Yeah we all hear about them, but do we understand what they mean?... ??
?
??
???
JK! Okay here we go:
Organic- This term refers to the farming method which is designed to encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution.
Organic
- Natural fertilizers ie. manure and compost to feed plants and soil
- Use of beneficial insects and birds
- Environmentally gentle plant killing compounds
- Crop rotation
- Till
- Hand weed/mulch to manage weeds
- Give animals organic feed and allow them access to outdoors
- Animals- preventative measures such as rotational grazing, a balanced diet, and clean housing to minimize disease
Non-Organic
- Chemical fertilizes to promote plant growth
- Synthetic insecticides to reduce pests, disease, and crop waste
- Synthetic herbicides for weeds
- Animals- antibiotics, growth hormone, and medication to prevent disease and promote growth
Labeling
Any product that labels itself "Organic" must meet USDA regulations. This labeling is voluntary, but many choose to do so.
Processed foods that contain more than one ingredient may have the following labels:
- "100 percent organic" - all ingredients are organic
- "Organic"- at least 95% organic
- "Made with Organic Ingredients"- at least 70% organic ingredients
Health
From a nutrient standpoint, many experts agree any differences that may occur are minor. However, results are inconclusive {there are a multitude of variables involved that make it difficult to an achieve an accurate comparison of the two including crop variety, time after harvest, post-harvest handling, soil type, climate, etc.}
From a pesticide standpoint, conventional produce will have trace pesticide levels.
** Washing your produce can decrease the level of pesticides on your food**
Now this may make you wonder "how are pesticides regulated?"
Pesticides are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]. Before a pesticide can be sold and used in the U.S. it is evaluated to by the EPA to ensure it is safe to use for our environment and human health. The EPA also sets a maximum limit which is the amount of pesticide acceptable to remain on or in a food commodity.
The Environmental Working Group [EWG] a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization reviewed almost 51,000 USDA and FDA tests for pesticides on 44 popular produce items and identified the fruits/vegetables likely to have the highest trace levels.
Most Contaminated Fruits &Vegetables--Preferably purchase organic:
aka the "dirty dozen"
Apples// Celery// Strawberries// Peaches// Spinach// Nectarines// Grapes// Sweet bell peppers// Potatoes// Blueberries// Lettuce// Kale& Collard greens
Least Contaminated Fruits & Vegetables
aka the "clean fifteen"
Avocados// Sweet corn// Pineapples// Cabbage// Frozen sweet peas// Onions// Asparagus// Mangoes// Papayas// Kiwi// Eggplant// Grapefruit// Cantaloupe// Cauliflower// Sweet potatoes
I think its important to know which foods are at a greater risk for having higher chemical levels so you can:
1. Wash and scrub your conventional produce really well to help remove the pesticides.
2. Make your organic purchases count if you can!{dirty dozen}
Cost
Obviously organic foods are going to cost more money than conventional. This is a main reason why many individuals prefer to buy conventional foods. Organic foods cost more because the farming practices are more labor intensive. Because conventional practices use pesticides this reduces their labor cost while still get the job done quickly.
According to the Organic Farming Research Foundation "The organic price tag more closely reflects the true cost of growing the food: substituting labor and intensive management for chemicals, the health and environmental costs of which are borne by society."
Organic farmers also have to cover the cost of higher losses. Conventional farmers use chemicals to reduce losses but organic farmers do not. Therefore if their cost goes up, so does yours as the consumer.
Higher living standards for animal welfare also increases the cost.
Organic food also grows more slowly than conventional foods because again there is no use of synthetic pesticides or growth hormones thus more time and money is needed to maintain and grow food.
The Organic Farming Research Foundation goes on to further state...
"There is mounting evidence that if all the indirect costs of conventional food production were factored into the price of food organic food would cost the same, or likely, be cheaper than conventional food. Cost, however is very dependent on market venue and consumer choice."
So as a consumer, what can and should you do?
I know that food is costly and its takes a huge part of a person's or family's budget. But, I think it pays to be a well educated consumer and be aware of what it takes to for farmers to produce organic food and what the difference is between conventional and organic.
No matter your finances there are ways you can use your dollars to purchase organic foods. As mentioned earlier when it comes to the dirty dozen you can be mindful of purchasing organic versions of those. You can also shop at your local farmers market which generally has cheaper prices than the grocery store: plus you will be supporting your local farmers!! Buying foods that are in season helps because those will be cheaper as well. Maybe you won't be able to buy organic food every week or month or whatever. Just keep this info in the back of your mind when the opportunity arises.
Finally, this post is not meant to make you feel bad about buying conventional foods or to say that your wrong. I myself do not buy all organic, but I do when I can. I believe organic farmers work hard and I want to show my appreciation through my purchasing power ( I always say when it comes to food policy, money talks).
If you made it to this part of the post, CONGRATULATIONS! I know it was a pretty long read (with no recipe or pics) and your mind may have did drift off but woohoo anyways. You survived and hopefully you learned a thing or two :)
