What Does Organic Mean to You?

By now most of us know the reasons behind consumers' increased demand for organic food products... Organic food has been proven to be more nutritious, on average, containing higher levels of vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron, chromium, and antioxidants. I doesn't contain the questionable additives, pestiside residues, genetically modified organisms, drugs and hormones that conventional foods do. And by prohibiting the use of polluting, carcinogenic chemicals in agriculture, and replacing them with effecive methods like composting, mulching, cover-cropping, traditional plant breeding, and the use of carefully planned designs and crop rotations to build healthy soil and balance essential nutrients, organic farmers are taking more responsibility for their environment than their conventional cousins. Plus many people say it even tastes better. (Paraphrased from Chapter 1 of Food Not Lawns by H.C. Flores)

So what is there to think about? Just grab that carton of organic eggs or milk and be on your way, right?

THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO CONSIDER THAN

IF THE FOOD YOU ARE BUYING IS CERTIFIED ORGANIC!

First, as Flores points out, it is important to note that even certified organic farms often engage in harmful practices, while many small, ecologically sound farms choose not to certify themselves organic for a variety of reasons. My knowledge that cow milk is organic does not satisfy me. How are the cows treated? Are they well cared for? Do they have sufficient space? What are they fed?

"Few consumers realize that many producers of 'organic' or 'naturally raised' animal products, raise their animals in confinement and feed them grain---just like the operators of conventional feedlots. Feeding large amounts of grain to a grazing animal decreases the nutritional value of its products whether the grain is organic or conventionally raised. The reason is simple. Compared with grass, grain has far fewer omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E. Therefore, grainfed animals have fewer of these important nutrients in their meat and dairy products. Grainfeeding also interferes with the creation of a cancer-fighting fight called conjugated linoleic acid or CLA. A test by an independent lab determined that milk from one of the largest organic grain-fed dairies had no more omega-3 fatty acids or CLA than milk from ordinary dairies. Similarly, meat from organic grain-fed beef has the same nutritional profile as meat from the largest Kansas feedlot." Beyond Organic By Jo Robinson

Second, where is your organic produce coming from? I sometimes feel like my ecologically responsibility is compromised when I buy organic produce from California in a New Jersey health food store. "Our food now travels an average of 1,500 miles before ending up on our plates. This globalization of the food supply has serious consequences for the environment, our health, our communities and our tastebuds. Because uncounted costs of this long distance journey (air pollution and global warming, the ecological costs of large scale monoculture, the loss of family farms and local community dollars) are not paid for at the checkout counter, many of us do not think about them at all." ...from the Locavores website, http://www.locavores.com/

Another thing to consider is packaging. I'll choose the cardboard egg carton over a plastic carton of eggs. When comparing organic tea I usually prefer to go with the brand that does not individually wrap each tea bag... What a waste!

As Flores states, "I encourage you to look at where your food comes from with a critical eye and choose according to your own ethical beliefs. Certification, after all, may be merely a piece of paper acquired by paying fees and jumping through bureaucratic hoops. Real ecological integrity in agriculture comes only through personal accountability... (Go to where the food is grown and ask questions.) Support the local farmers and gardeners you trust."

SOME GUIEDELINES BY THE LOCAVORES:

• If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then Organic. This is one of the most readily available alternatives in the market and making this choice protects the environment and your body from harsh chemicals and hormones.
  
• If not ORGANIC, then Family farm. When faced with Kraft or Cabot cheeses, Cabot, a dairy co-op in Vermont, is the better choice. Supporting family farms helps to keep food processing decisions out of the hands of corporate conglomeration.
  
• If not FAMILY FARM, then Local business. Basics like coffee and bread make buying local difficult. Try a local coffee shop or bakery to keep your food dollar close to home.
  
• If not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Terroir, which means 'taste of the Earth'. Purchase foods famous for the region they are grown in and support the agriculture that produces your favorite non-local foods such as Brie cheese from Brie, France or parmesan cheese from Parma, Italy.
  
• Hit the farmers' market before the supermarket. Plan your meal around local ingredients you find at the market.
  

And plant a garden! "Whether you live in an apartment, in the suburbs, on a farm, or anywhere in between, growing food is the first step toward a healthier, more self-reliant, and ultimately more ecologically sane life. Those who control our food control our lives, and when we take that control back into our own hands, we empower ourselves toward autonomy, self-reliance, and true freedom." (AND HEALTH!) ... Flores

http://www.foodnotlawns.com/

To close, we don't all live in bountiful Northern California. Do the best you can with your given circumstances. Be a consumer who is conscious about how your choices affect the world, and choose what you feel is the most compassionate of the options you are given. Choose according to your own ethical beliefs. Speak your beliefs, and stay open to the beliefs of others.

Good luck on your journey*

Jan 8 update...

Read Homegrown Standards;

An attractive alternative to national organic certification

by Ari LeVaux

Published in the January/February 2007 issue of Orion magazine

"“What we took for granted—that organic means small and local—is gone,” says Slotnick. “The label that describes tomatoes flown two thousand miles from a three-thousand-acre monoculture worked by migrant workers who don’t make a living wage—that doesn’t describe the food my family grows.”

...or the food I want to be eating.

Read the entire article here