Discussion: buying organic

One of the things we hope this community can do is help people make incremental changes to the way they shop, clean, store food, and think about the complexities of eating. There are (going by some of the posts so far!) a lot of people here who've made wholesale changes to their lifestyle - but this is also a place to encourage people just starting out, or whose budgets won't accommodate shopping only at organic / natural food stores, or whose families or roommates are not quite as gung-ho about change.

With that in mind, we welcome discussion posts - questions people have about how to make X happen in their life; ruminations on the complexities of implementing change; conversation about which changes have the greatest impact long and short term. You can imagine the sort of thing!

To get things rolling, let's talk about organics. Buying organic - at the very least - guarantees that your food was grown without the use of chemical fertilizers or aggressive pesticides and herbicides. We can all agree that's a good thing. Beyond that, however, things get tricky. If your supermarket is flying in its organic produce from China or Latin America, it's hard to know what the "organic" designation means in the country of origin. There's also the question of the carbon footprint of organic production - the jet fuel used to bring your asparagus from Brazil, or the energy consumed when your lettuce is pre-washed in California.

So, in terms of the United States, what can you be sure of when you're buying organic? (eta: for the United Kingdom, [here's a link] to what your organic standards are / mean. Canadians, [click here]!)



From [What Does Green Mean?] at the Organic Consumers' website.

Organic and "natural" foods have been around for years, but more mainstream grocery stores are carrying the products. Use of the term "organic" on food is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and hefty fines can be levied on companies that violate labeling laws. There is no federal regulation of the use of the term "natural" or "free range."

Fruits and Vegetables

The term "certified organic" refers to produce that has been grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, genetically modified organisms or irradiation. The soil must also have been free of those materials for three years prior to growing. To be labeled certified organic, food must come from a farm that has been certified by a government-sanctioned agency.

Because the certification fees can be costly, some farmers who practice organic methods -- but are not certified -- mark their products as "organically grown," said Joy Fanning, holistic consultant and educator for the Home Economist Market on South Boulevard. While these products may have been grown without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, they are not allowed to carry the USDA organic seal, she said.

Meat, Poultry, Eggs & Dairy

To be labeled "organic," these foods must come from animals that have been given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Animals raised on an organic operation must be fed 100 percent organic feed and given access to the outdoors, according to the USDA. The Organic Consumers Association says a loophole in the federal law, however, has allowed some organic dairy farms to use cattle that may have grown up as calves on traditional feedlots where it is customary to use hormones and feed containing animal byproducts.

Processed Foods

Products such as cereal, cookies or frozen pizza can be labeled as being "made with organic ingredients" if they contain at least 70 percent organically grown materials. Products simply labeled "organic" must contain at least 95 percent organically grown ingredients. Products labeled "100 percent organic" must contain all organic ingredients, excluding water and salt, according to the USDA.

For a slide show of the most relevant labels, [go here]!

So, say you've a tight budget, but you're committed to the idea of organics - which foods should you switch out to organic first? Dr Alan Greene told the New York Times [that he'd recommend:]

1. Milk: “When you choose a glass of conventional milk, you are buying into a whole chemical system of agriculture,'’ says Dr. Greene. People who switch to organic milk typically do so because they are concerned about the antibiotics, artificial hormones and pesticides used in the commercial dairy industry. One recent United States Department of Agriculture survey found certain pesticides in about 30 percent of conventional milk samples and low levels in only one organic sample. The level is relatively low compared to some other foods, but many kids consume milk in large quantities.

2. Potatoes: Potatoes are a staple of the American diet — one survey found they account for 30 percent of our overall vegetable consumption. A simple switch to organic potatoes has the potential to have a big impact because commercially-farmed potatoes are some of the most pesticide-contaminated vegetables. A 2006 U.S.D.A. test found 81 percent of potatoes tested still contained pesticides after being washed and peeled, and the potato has one of the the highest pesticide contents of 43 fruits and vegetables tested, according to the Environmental Working Group.

3. Peanut butter: More acres are devoted to growing peanuts than any other fruits, vegetable or nut, according to the U.S.D.A. More than 99 percent of peanut farms use conventional farming practices, including the use of fungicide to treat mold, a common problem in peanut crops. Given that some kids eat peanut butter almost every day, this seems like a simple and practical switch. Commercial food firms now offer organic brands in the regular grocery store, but my daughter loves to go to the health food store and grind her own peanut butter.

4. Ketchup: For some families, ketchup accounts for a large part of the household vegetable intake. About 75 percent of tomato consumption is in the form of processed tomatoes, including juice, tomato paste and ketchup. Notably, recent research has shown organic ketchup has about double the antioxidants of conventional ketchup.

5. Apples: Apples are the second most commonly eaten fresh fruit, after bananas, and they are also used in the second most popular juice, after oranges, according to Dr. Greene. But apples are also one of the most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables. The good news is that organic apples are easy to find in regular grocery stores.

So what say you, Pollanesquers? What are your concerns about switching out to organic foods? What could you absolutely not live without, organic-wise? What fits into your budget, and what doesn't?