Organic

kiminikimkim

I am not sure if Canadian organic and US organic rules are different, but here when we buy an organic product from the local market, it's fruits and vegetables that were NOT sprayed with chemicals. The "organic" labeling on packaged processed foods on store shelves that don't come locally have looser meaning and I don't buy it.

In general, I try to buy local as much as possible. I like meeting farmers and visiting their farms to see where my food comes from. I also find organic egg yolks to have a more saturated yellow color. For fun, I did a blind taste test with friends & family between organic and non-organic eggs and cherry tomatoes. The organic produce won by a landslide.

bcattoes

I buy some but not a lot of organic foods because they are outrageously expensive where I live. You can buy organic processed foods, but I stear clear of most processed foods in general. I do still buy some, but I love to cook so I just buy raw ingredients most of the time.

Yes! I'm trying to stay away from anything processed (this is going to be very dificult for me).
Did you know that almost ALL processed food has some sort of corn product in it? I didn't, after checking I learned that my Kashi bar contains SIX corn products. I also learned that corn is NOT a vegetable, I honestly never knew that.

What's wrong with corn?

veganbaum

As mentioned, buying local you can often find organic produce that is not allowed to be labeled organic. For those on a budget, here are two lists to help:

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/

The list is updated yearly and some items change from year to year. I have also found that with some organic produce, such as bananas and oranges, the food tastes much more like what I think it should - an organic banana and an organic orange are more flavorful than their conventional counterparts, which makes them much more satisfying.

mnishi

I buy some but not a lot of organic foods because they are outrageously expensive where I live. You can buy organic processed foods, but I stear clear of most processed foods in general. I do still buy some, but I love to cook so I just buy raw ingredients most of the time.

Yes! I'm trying to stay away from anything processed (this is going to be very dificult for me).
Did you know that almost ALL processed food has some sort of corn product in it? I didn't, after checking I learned that my Kashi bar contains SIX corn products. I also learned that corn is NOT a vegetable, I honestly never knew that.

What's wrong with corn?

Corn is a genetically modified sugary starch. Corn (like almost anything) is fine in moderation, the problem is that we are eating way too much of it.

ariant23

Since I guess I left it off on my earlier post, and I guess most people don't understand. organic DOES NOT EQUAL CHEMICAL-FREE. They are just naturally-derived chemicals. Your organic soy can come from a field covered in organic cyanide (which would be bad) and then you would be sick. If you go to Home Depot / ACE / etc, look at the home gardening chemical sections. There are lots of new "plant based" / "natural" etc options there. Most of these things qualify (or close commercially available cousins) for organic gardening. Farmers don't use pesticides / herbicides / fertilizers because it's fun. It's expensive. There are lots of laws about application, it even requires a prescription of sorts (I worked for a guy who did that part, as part of his whole business) from licensed people. applicators have to be licensed as well. when things are added to a field, it's to improve the harvest. it's not an evil plot to destroy the world. Most farmers really like growing food and being outside. they are judicious about what's added to their food. they know they feed the world.

I'm not anti-organic. I'm just anti-misinformed or uninformed.

TourThePast

Organic as a label is pointless.

Thanks for you American-centric answer.

If you live in Canada or the UK, organic as a label is not pointless.

There is very little independent research to show that organic produce contains more nutrients or that it tastes better. Often the improved taste is due to different varieties of vegetable / breed of animal being used.

However, there is a LOT of evidence to show that organic produce is extremely good for the environment, so that is why I strongly support the ethos and purchase it whenever I can. Unfortunately due to financial constraints, while I try to purchase food from local suppliers, I cannot afford to give organic production the custom it deserves.

Since I guess I left it off on my earlier post, and I guess most people don't understand. organic DOES NOT EQUAL CHEMICAL-FREE.

In America.

In the UK, farms have to be chemical free for, I believe, three years before they can apply for organic status for their produce.

EDITED TO ADD: There is a chemical that can be used on certified organic ground, glyphosate which is permitted because it quickly becomes inert if not absorbed by leaves. It's so safe, it's the only one allowed to be used by the environment agency on river banks, bridge structures and on land immediately adjacent to watercourses. I've used it myself quite happily on my wholly
organic allotment.

vs1023

I don't buy organic because I think it's "heathier" (ie more nutrients, etc)< but more because I don't want the added chemicals. I specifically try to buy produce and meats/dairy that is organic because I also don't want the added hormones and antibiotics and also HFCS/GMO. When the Farmer's market starts up in my town I shop there weekly for my fresh produce this way I know where it's coming from.

Google "the dirty dozen" which will tell you which foods you're better off having organic.

Here's the catch with organic. Organic doesn't mean it doesn't contain chemicals, additives, or toxins of any kind, it just means that the chemicals the foods are grown with are certified organic. Organic fruits and vegetables can be treated with just as many nasty pesticides (for example) as non-organic foods, they just happen to be certified organic pesticides (like cyanide that a previous poster mentioned.) It's mostly a marketing gimmick to get people to spend more money.

Understood - I'll still continue to do so, especially grass fed beef.

I like hearing that other countries do this differently. The US doesn't give a crap about its people. Look at all the processed crap in stores and rise in obesity. Yes there is personal responsibility, but it's all about $$. Isn't Cyanide naturally occuring in the soil anyway? I try to remember how my grandmother ate and she grew up on a farm. Certainly things back then weren't laden with added "stuff" - so I try to do the same. Back to basics. Corn fed beef promotes inflammation in the body because of the inbalance of Omega's (so I've heard). It makes ME feel better about what I put in my body. I don't care what others do. I do it for myself and my kids.

Oh and talking about going to Home Depot and this and that, should we start talking about Monsanto too, because they have a big impact on our food as well.

mnishi

Oh and talking about going to Home Depot and this and that, should we start talking about Monsanto too, because they have a big impact on our food as well.

ooh, Monsanto is the devil :mad:

msarro

Oh and talking about going to Home Depot and this and that, should we start talking about Monsanto too, because they have a big impact on our food as well.

ooh, Monsanto is the devil :mad:

Agreed.

I'm partial to a chemical free approach on my produce (both bought and homegrown). Arsenic, hydrochloric acid, asbestos, mercury, and a ton of other goodies are all naturally occurring. That doesn't mean I want them in my food.

msarro

Organic as a label is pointless.

Thanks for you American-centric answer.

OP is from the US, so America-centric is a perfectly logical way to respond. If they were from the UK, you'd have a point.

TourThePast

Organic as a label is pointless.

Thanks for you American-centric answer.

OP is from the US, so America-centric is a perfectly logical way to respond. If they were from the UK, you'd have a point.

Not really. This is an international forum and the or the majority of the replies made no reference to location. Without looking at someone's profile, it is not possible to know what country they are from, and even then it's not always clear.

My point is that while "organic" in just one part of the world (ie the US) might be a pointless label, it is not pointless in a lot of other countries.

Things should, and can, be better organised.

lightstruck1

I'm vegan and make sure to buy all my fruits and veggies organic, as well as the rest of my food. As many people have stated above, I'm not doing it because it is healthier but because I don't want to be eating all the dangerous chemicals out there. I want to eventually have my own garden!

maf66

As with many others on here, I agree it depends what it is. I buy some organic. If it is derived from an animal, I'm 100% organic. But is mostly due to how and what those animals are fed. I don't eat corn. At all. And I don't eat processed food, except for organic dairy and grains (bread, crackers, cereal) I want to know whats in my food!

Meaganandcheese

I choose organic produce, especially the dirty dozen, whenever possible, but I balance that with local and seasonal items. I'd rather buy something local than pay for organic from Argentina, for example. I also try to focus on less processed foods - low/no artificial ingredients, non-GMOs, reconizable ingredient lists etc.

TourThePast

I'd rather buy something local than pay for organic from Argentina, for example.

Very good point!

I only wish it was simpler to make informed decisions.

I like to buy flowers through the winter and particularly on Valentine's Day, and until recently have followed my ethos of buying mostly local produce.

Only last year did I learn that due to England being very cold and dark during the winter months, it's far more environmentally damaging to heat and light greenhouses in order to force English flowers, than it is to simply fly outdoor-grown flowers up from Kenya.

There definitely needs to be some form of reliable rating system