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What is Organic Food?What is organic food? What does the term organic mean? How can I know if the food I am buying is organic? These questions are becoming more and more common these days as both consumers and producers have begun to push in the organic direction -- not only are shoppers seeking out organic produce and meats, but the food industry is also marketing and promoting the concept of organic foods. Back in the days before processed foods, pretty much everybody ate organic foods. You bought fresh fruits and vegatables that came from local farms, fresh dairy milk was delivered to your door, and you probably bought fresh eggs, meat, and poultry that came from your butcher, who in turn bought from local farmers. But as the food industry began to be run by larger corporations, and farms began to depend more and more on machinery, pesticides, chemical, and hormones to increase production, the whole food industry has changed. Many Americans now get most of their diet in the form of processed foods, and a lot of what they consider to be fresh food actually comes from an agriculture environment filled with chemicals and drugs. So that brings us back to our original question, what exactly does it mean to call something "organic"?
Looking for organic food at the grocery storeWhen you are shopping for packaged and labeled food, there are a few different versions of organic labels you might see. Not everything you see with the words "organic" it will necessarily live up to your expectations. The term "100% organic" means the product must contain 100% organically produced ingredients. The label term "organic" means the product must contain 95% or more organic ingredients and no sulfites, while the other 5% of ingredients must not be commercially available in organic form (ie, there is a reason it is not entirely organic, it's because we can't get these 5% of stuff we need and so use alternatives). The term "made with organic ingredients" means at least 70% of the ingredients are organic and there are no sulfites added. So if your goal is to buy organic food, be sure to read the labels carefully when you are buying something in packaged form. Produce is usually sold unpackaged, so you really have to rely on your grocer to labels things properly that are "organic" or just regular. But eggs, milk, meat, and poultry should all be clearly labeled. Keep in mind that these are just the commodity type products -- there are also plenty of organic or partially organic packaged foods out there from pastas to granola bars to cereals. Illegal use of the USDA organic seal on labels can result in a fine of up to $11,000 -- so chances are when you see the seal, it is accurate. You can file any complaints you might have over mislabeled food at the USDA site, here. Does organic food cost more than processed foods? You might think that without the need for all the expensive fertilizers and chemicals, organic food would be cheaper. But the problem is more one of supply and demand (though increased labor cost and smaller yields also play a part). There is a limited amount of organic food being grown and there is increasing consumer demand for it, so in almost all cases, the organic food and produce you might find at your local market will almost always cost more than non-organic foods. Organic food sales were over $10B back in 2003, and have grown substantially each year since.Buying Organic Food - Is Organic Food Better For Me?The organic food movement seems to espouse the idea that organic food is by default healthier or better for you. While most of us probably agree with the idea that we don't want our food coated in chemicals and strange hormones, at the same time there has to be some balance between the quantity and quality of food produced, the price we pay for it, and the resulting nutrition and health that results from consuming it. On the whole, pesticides and chemical fertilizers have vastly expanded food production not only in this country, but around the globe in the last half century. Consider why pesticides are used - to keep insects from damaging crops. While it might be nice to get 10 apples pesticide free, there are lots of hungry people and not-so-rich farmers that would argue that 50 apples saved and harvested by using pesticides is a better alternative. The same can be said for synthetic fertilizers - do you want 10 bushels of wheat with natural fertilizers, or 50 bushels of wheat from the same land with synthetic fertilizers? Interestingly enough, the USDA also says on their site that no claims are made that organic food is safer, healthier, or more nutritious! An interesting story was just published in the journal SCIENCE in Sept. 2007 discussing the problem of larval caterpillars infesting organic apple crops. Instead of using pesticides, these organic farmers use a natural virus to attack the codling moth, but it turns out a gene in the moth can make it 100,000 times more resistant to the virus. So just like the way insects and animals develop resistance over time, those caterpillars/moths that survive the virus go on to reproduce and have offspring that are more likely to be resistant to the virus, and in a few generations, you can't kill them any more - it is an arms race of us against these pests, whether organic or by using synthetic chemicals and pesticides. Perhaps over time organic farmers will find that their natural methods cannot keep up with natural selection. So overall, the only real advantage of organic food is the lower incidence of pesticide residue found on produce, but this can easily be washed off fruits and vegetables that you buy. So you might sleep easier at night convincing yourself (or letting the pro-organic marketing convince you) that you are saving your family and the planet by buying organic, but the truth is, probably not.. In the long run, the real benefits come from teaching your family to eat fewer processed foods, more fiber, and less fat -- that's what really leads to increased health and longevity in the end (obesity, heart disease, etc. are the real plagues in this country, not food pesticides).Organic FarmingAs mentioned above, there are some specific requirements that must be fulfilled by farmers and ranchers in order to claim that their products are "organic", and they must be inspected and certified by government inspectors. For farmers, for example, the regulations require three years of no pesticides or other forbidden chemicals prior to being able to label a crop organic -- it is not a switch they can make overnight. And soil fertility must be mananged through crop rotations, and pests and weeds must be handled using physical, mechanical, and biological controls (instead of pesticides). For animals, regulations require that organic animals be raised under "organic management" from the last 3rd of gestation through slaughter, livestock feed must be 100% organic (vitamin and mineral supplements allowed), no growth hormones or anitbiotics are allowed, and to convert a dairy here to organic production requires 9 months of 80% organic feed followed by 3 months of 100% organic feed -- again, you can't just claim your producing organic milk overnight. You can read more about these and other requirements here: www.epa.gov/agriculture/torg.html. Clearly there are some benefits to organic farming, perhaps the main one being the elimination of all the runoff of chemicals and pesticides that end up in groundwater and affect plants and animals all down the food chain. But organic farming also promote soil conservation and energy conservation, among other things. And supporting local farmers and local markets is something that most of us feel good about, perhaps as a backlash from having seen the Walmarts and other juggernauts slowly replace the local businesses that used to serve us. Maybe the organic movement is really just about nostalgia after all..
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