How hardcore are you about buying organic?

[Anonymous]

To answer OP's question, I buy all organic 99% of the time. With the rare exception of wanting to make a specific recipe right then and not later (for the holidays, for example) I adapt and use what's available. I also buy fair-trade and avoid packaged food and "big organic" whenever possible. We also belong to a year-round organic CSA.

I don't necessarily believe that the food is more healthful, I buy organic primarily to support agricultural communities. At the very least I know that the farmers, workers, and neighbors are not being exposed to massive amounts of hazardous chemicals in order to produce my food. At best, my food is coming from smaller family or worker-owned farms and I am helping someone make a living and keep their property in their family. I grew up in a food farming community and it breaks my heart to see my grandparents' generation of farmers sell their land to large commercial growers who are stripping it by over-farming and just holding onto it long enough to make it valuable for developers.

So, I'd say: about as hardcore as they come.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To answer OP's question, I buy all organic 99% of the time. With the rare exception of wanting to make a specific recipe right then and not later (for the holidays, for example) I adapt and use what's available. I also buy fair-trade and avoid packaged food and "big organic" whenever possible. We also belong to a year-round organic CSA.

I don't necessarily believe that the food is more healthful, I buy organic primarily to support agricultural communities. At the very least I know that the farmers, workers, and neighbors are not being exposed to massive amounts of hazardous chemicals in order to produce my food. At best, my food is coming from smaller family or worker-owned farms and I am helping someone make a living and keep their property in their family. I grew up in a food farming community and it breaks my heart to see my grandparents' generation of farmers sell their land to large commercial growers who are stripping it by over-farming and just holding onto it long enough to make it valuable for developers.

So, I'd say: about as hardcore as they come.

What is "big organic"? Can you please provide examples? Thank you.

[Anonymous]

If I see organic apples and non- organic apples, I would get the organic ones. If the market has only non-organic, I get them and don't worry about it. Even though I try to get organic as much as I can, I am somwhar skeptical about the use, or overuse of the term. E.g. Organic bread: does it mean that each ingredient in it is organic - I.e. organic wheat, .... Where do they even get the organic wheat?

[Anonymous]

Someone in my office grew up on a farm and has a cousin that now runs a pig farm. My colleague's cousin is making a killing selling "organic" pork, but apparently the pigs are really unhealthy/diseased b/c they can't be given medicine. I don't understand the blind faith that organic, excluding small farms, is automatically better - it has become a huge marketing ploy that no one can validate, yet everyone is so sanctimonious about it. It drives me nuts (but only unsalted organic almonds nuts, not smuckers organic peanut butter nuts or god forbid jiffy).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone in my office grew up on a farm and has a cousin that now runs a pig farm. My colleague's cousin is making a killing selling "organic" pork, but apparently the pigs are really unhealthy/diseased b/c they can't be given medicine. I don't understand the blind faith that organic, excluding small farms, is automatically better - it has become a huge marketing ploy that no one can validate, yet everyone is so sanctimonious about it. It drives me nuts (but only unsalted organic almonds nuts, not smuckers organic peanut butter nuts or god forbid jiffy).

Sorry, dude, but you were sold a false bill of goods. I grew up in farm country and this "a cousin of a friend of a coworker's brother's aunt" is lying -- probably to further some weirdo grudge against organic food (that you seem to share).

Organic certification is so hard to get that most of the farmers where I live don't get it, despite the fact that they don't use pesticides, artificial feed or GMOs, or antibiotics (and essentially follow organic practices plus even better practices, because most of the livestock where I'm from is free range and pastured). It requires lots of documentation, records, and annual inspections. It's a lot of work, so I have no clue why you think it can't be validated (other than that you seem pig-ignorant, that is).

P.S. your coworker is so completely full of shit that I have to add this: my grandfather was a farmer and when his cows got into corn, he had to shoot them because they would get very sick, bloat, and die. Big livestock industries feed tons of corn to cows (and pigs, and chickens...) due to subsidies, and that's why those animals (which aren't meant to be corn-eaters) are so sick in conventional livestock operations that they need antibiotics all the time. A good free-range pastured cow or chicken, or a free-rooting pig, is eating what it's supposed to and will hardly ever get sick. My grandfather had zero sick cows other than the ones who got into the corn. People who don't poison the food chain have a right to be sanctimonious. Your idiot coworker and you do not.

[Anonymous]

We get eggs from relatives who have chickens (in a rural area a bit over an hour away, we see them every few weeks), and I buy organic milk and yogurt and mostly organic cheese, organic cream for coffee as well. I buy Nature's Promise chicken, hoping it is "better" than Purdue etc., I haven't read anything bad about that brand yet vs. other brands.

We don't eat a lot of meat/chicken though. Would only buy grass fed beef from Whole Foods pretty much.

We do buy organic greens, carrots, berries (frozen and fresh), apples, and mostly try to get organic bell peppers. Giant is pretty good at stocking all that stuff.

[Anonymous]

To answer OP's question, I buy all organic 99% of the time. With the rare exception of wanting to make a specific recipe right then and not later (for the holidays, for example) I adapt and use what's available. I also buy fair-trade and avoid packaged food and "big organic" whenever possible. We also belong to a year-round organic CSA.

I don't necessarily believe that the food is more healthful, I buy organic primarily to support agricultural communities. At the very least I know that the farmers, workers, and neighbors are not being exposed to massive amounts of hazardous chemicals in order to produce my food. At best, my food is coming from smaller family or worker-owned farms and I am helping someone make a living and keep their property in their family. I grew up in a food farming community and it breaks my heart to see my grandparents' generation of farmers sell their land to large commercial growers who are stripping it by over-farming and just holding onto it long enough to make it valuable for developers.

So, I'd say: about as hardcore as they come.

I agree with all of this, but I really don't think of it as "hardcore." I just think of it as mindful, sensible shopping. Trying to buy our food from non-chemical, non-industrialized sources whenever possible. I do it partly for our health, and partly to support small agriculture or fair trade, but mainly I do it (1) to try to avoid poisoning the land and the groundwater for future generations, (2) to avoid the unknown health consequences of hormones, antibiotics, and genetically modified food, and (3) to stop contributing to the problem of antibiotic resistance, one of our most serious public health problems.

[Seriously, people need to get aware of this. As the earlier poster said and the NYT recently published: 80% of the antibiotics consumed in America go into animal feed for non-sick animals. You only need a sixth grader's knowledge of natural selection to understand how the proliferation of antibiotics in our environment encourages the development of antibiotic-resistant germs and diseases. Doctors and hospitals are now seeing infections, such as staph infections, UTI's, and even STD's, that used to be routinely treatable with first-line antibiotics but now are resistant to the most powerful antibiotics we have. Google "super gonorrhea" to get an idea. Soon some of these infections may be capable of causing deadly epidemics once more, because they will no longer respond to the medications we have long taken for granted.]

Shopping organic is not at all as hard as it seems. You don't have to join a CSA (though they're nice)--there are plenty of farmer's markets around. You don't even need farmer's markets if they're hard to get to--you can get your shopping done in organic grocery stores.

The most important step is, get out of your giant neighborhood corporate-owned grocery store. We do our shopping at My Organic Market (MOM)--they have about 7 stores in the metro area, I think. They're nice little stores, where all the produce looks good, they have everything you want, and where the people come from all walks--not everyone wears birkenstocks and patchouli. Unlike Whole Foods, pretty much everything in the store is organic, so you don't have to be as careful about reading the labels. Also unlike Whole Foods, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. It's a little more expensive than Giant or Safeway, but just a little bit. Once we cut out a lot of the boxed/processed convenience foods, and trim back on meat a little, we find we're spending about the same on groceries as we would in a non-organic world.

[Anonymous]

I also agree that the "organic" label is not a panacea. At one end, there are industrial-scale food producers who have watered down the term to where it means very little. (What a previous poster called "big organic.") At the other end, there are many small farmers and small conscientious producers who are producing food as naturally as possible, eliminating chemicals, hormones, etc., but who don't have the resources to go through the intensive paperwork and certification process required to put on the "organic" label. So, it's true that the best thing is to do your homework, know your producers, and go small-scale when possible, to ensure that you're getting food produced in healthy and sustainable fashion rather than industrially processed food that's been slapped with a marketing label and a price markup.

But homework is hard, and not everyone has time for it. In a flawed world, choosing organic whenever possible is a fair, rough proxy for choosing the least environmentally damaging or least health-threatening alternative.

[Anonymous]

I am an itinerant farmer, still live in the burbs, and buy as much organic as we can afford. Some things I would prefer to always buy organic are milk, cheese, yogurt and eggs. The reason for this being my belief that those pesky hormones and pesticides will eventually send me to the doctors.

So yes, I am probably 75 to 90 percent organic when it comes to what I eat, but I don't freak out about it, eat in restaurants, and at friend's houses, and don't judge other people for their choices, given that many times there are few options.

I have a hard time buying and eating fruit that isn't organic, because I have met women who've had lots of miscarriages due to their work on farms where they were sprayed overhead with bi-plane pesticides while working.

I have a hard time with that, and make every attempt not to support it. With that said, when I'm hungry, I eat. I love to buy things with thick skins that aren't on the dirty dozen.

For some informative, inspiring viewing, try the movie FRESH. It might help you to understand a bit more about where your food is coming from, and inform your choices.

We have the luxury of being able to buy organic, so we spend less at the doctors. We eat a wide variety of whole foods, are not junk food militants, don't judge others for their choices, and just enjoy food.

Sometimes organic doesn't mean a thing, sometimes it means there are fewer pesticides, and sometimes it means "hormone-free".

We stay away from too much soy, corn and wheat products, and have had more energy since making those choices.

Whatever you decide to eat, ENJOY!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To answer OP's question, I buy all organic 99% of the time. With the rare exception of wanting to make a specific recipe right then and not later (for the holidays, for example) I adapt and use what's available. I also buy fair-trade and avoid packaged food and "big organic" whenever possible. We also belong to a year-round organic CSA.

I don't necessarily believe that the food is more healthful, I buy organic primarily to support agricultural communities. At the very least I know that the farmers, workers, and neighbors are not being exposed to massive amounts of hazardous chemicals in order to produce my food. At best, my food is coming from smaller family or worker-owned farms and I am helping someone make a living and keep their property in their family. I grew up in a food farming community and it breaks my heart to see my grandparents' generation of farmers sell their land to large commercial growers who are stripping it by over-farming and just holding onto it long enough to make it valuable for developers.

So, I'd say: about as hardcore as they come.

What is "big organic"? Can you please provide examples? Thank you.

Horizon dairy is the best current example of "big organic": they have huge CAFO-style "farms" with their cows, located in areas of the country that are less suitable to dairy farming so that they can push the limits of requirements for pasture based on "seasonal" restrictions. They are (seemingly) constantly under investigation and fighting lawsuits for non-compliance and are owned by Dean Foods (a big CAFO producer of conventional diary).

Cascadian Farm is another example of "big organic": they have huge farms and are owned by a conventional parent company that grows and produces much of food we're trying to avoid. So, while Cascadian Farm products may meet my standards, the profit from buying them goes to a different corporation that exploits workers and pollutes, so I don't like choosing them.

In contrast, Organic Valley is a farmer-owned cooperative. I can't think if any contrast to Cascadian at the moment, sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an itinerant farmer, still live in the burbs, and buy as much organic as we can afford. Some things I would prefer to always buy organic are milk, cheese, yogurt and eggs. The reason for this being my belief that those pesky hormones and pesticides will eventually send me to the doctors.

So yes, I am probably 75 to 90 percent organic when it comes to what I eat, but I don't freak out about it, eat in restaurants, and at friend's houses, and don't judge other people for their choices, given that many times there are few options.

I have a hard time buying and eating fruit that isn't organic, because I have met women who've had lots of miscarriages due to their work on farms where they were sprayed overhead with bi-plane pesticides while working.

I have a hard time with that, and make every attempt not to support it. With that said, when I'm hungry, I eat. I love to buy things with thick skins that aren't on the dirty dozen.

For some informative, inspiring viewing, try the movie FRESH. It might help you to understand a bit more about where your food is coming from, and inform your choices.

We have the luxury of being able to buy organic, so we spend less at the doctors. We eat a wide variety of whole foods, are not junk food militants, don't judge others for their choices, and just enjoy food.

Sometimes organic doesn't mean a thing, sometimes it means there are fewer pesticides, and sometimes it means "hormone-free".

We stay away from too much soy, corn and wheat products, and have had more energy since making those choices.

Whatever you decide to eat, ENJOY!

It always means no pesticides, and additional requirements on antibiotics or hormones apply to meat or dairy production.

[Anonymous]

This is a good overview of who "big organic" are (and their parent companies): http://www.cornucopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/prop37-poster.jpeg

Try to get past the "charlatan" and "hero" language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not very. It's a meaningless term anymore.

it is not meaningless. There is a strict definition about what Organic is and is not and it's significant. Just to name a few things -- no pesticides, herbicides, antibiotic, hormones, RBST, no GMO (genetically modified), no irradiation (bet most of you dont know what this is and it's SCARY!)

[Anonymous]

HI Op,
I skip certain produce if they do not have organic. I ALWAYS buy organic for dirty dozen. There are SOME things I think are OK to be conventional and that includes anything with a thick skin where you don't eat the skin like avacados or bananas. I give my kids almost ALL organic - almost everything from fruit to veggies to bread, etc.

Some things are not organic like crackers, etc.

I always get organic dairy and meat b/c I dont want RBST and antibitoics in my meat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I see organic apples and non- organic apples, I would get the organic ones. If the market has only non-organic, I get them and don't worry about it. Even though I try to get organic as much as I can, I am somwhar skeptical about the use, or overuse of the term. E.g. Organic bread: does it mean that each ingredient in it is organic - I.e. organic wheat, .... Where do they even get the organic wheat?

I think the law is something like it has to be 95% organic ingredients to be considered "organic". It might be a higher percentage. Not sure...