Author’s note: If you are just now joining our discussion, you may want to read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 first. Thanks! **************************************************************************

In Part 1, we learned what organic food is. In Part 2, we learned how to identify organic food from the sometimes bewildering labels on packaging. In Part 3, we learned where to buy organic food and some of the difficulties inherent in organic food. Now, in Part 4, we’ll take a look at some alternatives to buying organic food at a large chain or local grocery store that imports its organic products.

Eliot Coleman is a familiar name to many in the organic/sustainable farming movement. The author of many popular books (including The New Organic Grower, which I just purchased), Eliot has been involved in organic gardening and farming for nearly 40 years. He also was an advisor to the USDA during one of their landmark studies on organic farming. He has begun advocating a system he calls “Authentic Food“. In the interest of saving space, I will not reproduce all of his suggestions for standards here, but encourage you to read the article for yourself (click the link on “Authentic Food”). Here are a few of his main suggestions:

• All foods are produced by the growers who sell them.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs and meat products are produced within a 50-mile radius of their place of their final sale.
• The growers’ fields, barns and greenhouses are open for inspection at any time, so customers, themselves, can be the certifiers of their food.
• A “plant positive” rather than “pest negative” philosophy is followed focusing on correcting the caused of problems rather than treating symptoms.
• Livestock are raised outdoors on grass-based pasture systems to the fullest extent possible.
• The goal is vigorous, healthy crops and livestock endowed with their inherent powers of vitality and resistance.

I especially like the idea of “open farms” where farmers and producers encourage their customers to visit and inspect their operations. “Authentic Food” could be a good option for those who are unwilling or unable to pay the high costs of organic certification while still maintaining sustainable, organic processes.

Local farmer’s markets are also a fantastic way to get fresh, sustainably-grown food. However, make certain that you talk to the producer about how the food was grown. Ask what kind of fertilizers, chemicals, etc. were used. If the farmer is evasive or gets defensive, move on to the next. Also, see if you can arrange a tour of the facilities. Any farmer who truly cares about growing food safely and humanely will be glad to have visitors. To find farmer’s markets, direct-sale farms, stores, and other places to buy local, check out Local Harvest. Local Harvest is a great resource to find foods grown near you, often using organic practices, and you can usually save a lot of money because you’re not paying for transport and storage.

In Part 5, our final post in this series, we will explore a few more ways to “go organic”. Thanks for stopping by!

Author’s Note: If you just now joining us, you may want to read Part 1 and Part 2 first. Thanks!

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Now we know what organic food is, and we know how to tell if something is organic or not, so now it’s time to talk about some of the challenges in finding organic food. Most large supermarkets, such as Kroger, Meijer, Marsh, etc. have fairly large organic sections. Stores such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market, and others, if available in your area, are probably better options, as they are usually more socially and environmentally responsible and have a much greater selection. An excellent choice, if there’s one in your area, is a cooperative (or “co-op”). An good one close to me is Three Rivers Co-op, in Fort Wayne, IN. Most of these involve an investment of time and/or money, for which a member receives a discount on the food ordered or produced by the co-op. Smaller co-ops also exist, some with as few as two or three individuals that save money by buying in bulk and splitting the cost (this is how I bought my seeds for the garden this year, splitting them with my friend Nathan and his wife). You can also buy organic products online from several companies, such as Gold Mine Natural Foods, Sun Organic Farm, Diamond Organics, and others.

But, buying organic products is not without its pitfalls. For example, organic food is often produced at a large distance from the consumer, leading to increased energy consumption in transport, storage, etc. Also, organic food is often significantly (sometimes prohibitively so) more expensive than conventionally produced foods. Another potential (please note the emphasis on the word “potential”; I don’t need a bunch of nasty emails) problem is that many large corporations are now moving into the organic market by purchasing smaller organic brands. Here is an interesting chart from Good magazine that explains which organic brands are owned by major corporations such as Kellog’s, ConAgra, Coca-Cola, and others.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it may mean that these companies are starting to realize that consumers want food that they can trust, but it could also lead to political pressure to water-down the organic standards. It could also lead to a major backlash against these companies, if it is found that the other brands they own are produced using methods that are unsustainable, environmentally-harmful, and cruel to animals.

Organic brands are a great thing, but they do have their difficulties. It’s important to carefully research them to make sure they are owned by responsible companies before you buy, and weigh the benefits versus the costs to produce them, and the cost to your budget. In Buying Organic: A Primer, Part 4, we will take a look at alternative methods to obtaining organic products.

Ok. Now that we know what organic food is and what the advantages of organic food are (remember, there is nothing even approaching a scientific consensus on whether or not organic food is higher in nutritional value; in fact, there’s quite a nasty argument about it. The main advantage to organic food is that it is made using safer, sustainable methods), it’s time to talk about how to know that what you’re buying is truly organic.

So, how can you tell if a food is organic? The USDA has created a special seal and special naming regulations to ensure that any foods labeled organic are truly inspected and approved by a USDA-authorized organic certification agency.

Here is the seal:

In order to use this seal on a package, the product must be certified to contain at least 95% organic ingredients.

Now, to the actual words used. On single-ingredient items, such as fruit, you might see a small sticker of the seal. On multi-ingredient items, it gets a bit trickier. If an item is marked “100% Organic”, it is completely organic, no non-organic ingredients allowed. If it says “Organic”, it is 95% - 100% organic, just like the seal. If it’s made with at least 70 % but less than 95% organic ingredients, it may list the organic ingredients on the front of the package. If the product contains less than 70 % organic ingredients, the producer may list the organic items on the side panel but may not advertise them on the front of the package. Whew! Confused yet? (Incidentally, much of this information comes from the USDA’s excellent consumer guide to organic food, found here.) Organic labeling and certification is completely voluntary, and some producers who use organic methods may not opt for certification (which means their products may be organic, but they are NOT certified organic, and they cannot use the labeling allowed by the USDA for certified organic products).

In Buying Organic: A Primer, Part 3, we’ll talk about the many places you can purchase organic products.

Buying organic food is good, right? Better for your health, better for the environment, everybody wins. Right?

Not necessarily. Buying organic food is, for the most part, a good idea. But what exactly is organic, anyway?

Here’s a quick definition from the USDA’s Consumer Brochure on organic food:

“Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled “organic,” a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.” (from USDA, “Organic Food Standards and Labels: The Facts”, April 2002, updated Jan 2007)

Although the USDA makes no claims that organic food is safer or more nutritious than regular food, it makes sense that products grown without chemicals that are PROVEN to be harmful (read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson), without growth hormones, without synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge (yuck) would be better for you. Better for you, not necessarily more nutritious. The jury is still out on whether or not there is nutritional benefit, and some scientists have alleged that organic food can actually be less nutritious and pose higher risks from disease than conventionally grown produce (see this article from CNN, although I find it suspicious that Mr. Avery’s institute is subsidized by Monsanto and other pesticide companies. Probably not very impartial). But common sense seems to dictate that food grown simply, using sustainable agricultural practices, will, in the long run, be better both for the individual and the environment, as long as a few simple precautions, such as adequate washing, storage, and handling, are taken by consumers.

Personally, I feel that the less done to my food the better. God set up the natural world to function a certain way, and it’s better not to mess with it.

So, now that I’ve decided to eat organic, where do I find it and how can I tell the difference? Stay tuned for Buying Organic: A Primer, Part 2, when I talk about how to identify organic food and where to get it.