Where do you guys stand on this debate?
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I once met a girl who thought organic was synonymous with diet (as in lower calorie and/or fat). I just gave her the WTF face.
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Pretty much this. I'm not going to pay $3 more for 1lb of strawberries. Or $1 more for a can of organic pinto beans. If anything, you'd think organic would be cheaper because you're supposedly not adding anything to it. You'd think adding pesticides and stuff would cost more. Who'd have thought.DeguelloTex wrote: »I actively avoid food labeled as organic because it inevitably costs more for no benefit.
If I buy something organic, it's not on purpose. I can't afford to buy organic and I really don't care that much.
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I don't buy anything organic. It's not important to me. Sometimes it feels like the whole "organic" food movement is just another hoax perpetrated upon the public to make us fork over more cash for the same things we have been buying for years. Organics are the new Snackwell's.0
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Pretty much this. I'm not going to pay $3 more for 1lb of strawberries. Or $1 more for a can of organic pinto beans. If anything, you'd think organic would be cheaper because you're supposedly not adding anything to it. You'd think adding pesticides and stuff would cost more. Who'd have thought.DeguelloTex wrote: »I actively avoid food labeled as organic because it inevitably costs more for no benefit.
If I buy something organic, it's not on purpose. I can't afford to buy organic and I really don't care that much.
Reasons for increased prices of organic:
- organic can be more labor intensive than conventional
- usually has a lower yield
- because they can (supply/demand)
- organic pesticides (your bolded statement isn't accurate). There is a whole market of non-synthetic pesticides farmers can use to still be considered organic.
At the end of the day, it is impossible for the consumer to know under what conditions their food was raised. A label of organic versus non-organic, GMO vs non-GMO only makes you feel informed while in reality it is so incredibly broad that it provides minimal information. We just need to make sure that the USDA properly creating and enforcing reasonable regulations to keep our food safe. Kinda scary, but they get a lot of stuff right.0 -
sheermomentum wrote: »I avoid organic products generally. There is no environmental benefit from special farming practices. There are no special farming practices involved- only different chemicals permitted. Farming practices are something a farmer decides based upon his land, and the needs of the crop. There is no reduction in pesticide usage, just different pesticides. If a particular organic (or conventional) farmer decides to forego pesticides on a crop, then he's going to reduce his yield significantly, which not only drives up the price but increases the wear-and-tear on the soil for basically no reason - its inefficient land use. There's no difference in nutritional value. So the only real reason to buy organic is because of the really great marketing that's been done by groups like the Organic Trade Association. However, if I find a really good packaged product and its organic I won't refuse to buy it just because its "organic."
Very well said. I am pretty much the same way. I grew up on a farm (non-organic) so my take on the issue is a bit different than the mainstream. A lot of the pro-organic hype describes farmers as irresponsible users of chemicals. Not only is that cost prohibitive, but farmers actually do care about keeping their farmland healthy. My family farm has been in the family for several generations and hopefully will remain in the family for several more. With that in mind, the choice of growing methods, including the application of pesticides and fertilizers, is made to keep the land healthy for the future. For example, responsible use of Round-Up ready crops allows us to use no-till growing methods for our soybeans. This helps keep the soil healthy and prevents erosion.
This. I agree. " It keeps the land healthy for the future". There are advantages and disadvantage to no-till. Each farmer decides what is best for their land.
There has also been big advances in irrigation (pivots) to help conserve water usage.
Farmers are very aware of ways to protect their land.
IMO, organic is just a marketing technic, I buy what looks,smells, the best in the store. and when the farmer markets are open, I buy what I need from them.
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I think organic can be better for you, but there are a lot of other factors that go towards making food less healthy. For example, a cow that is fed orangic grains to fatten/finish it will have a different type of meat with a changed ratio of omega 6 to 3, than a cow who is grass fed it's entire life.
I have a close friend who had an autoimmune disease that was impacting her life; she was on steroids for years. Then she changed her diet to organic and non-GMO (when possible) and eliminated all added sugars and processed foods. Within a year she was off steroids and she has not had a another occurrance in 12 years. She did something right and perhaps eating organic helped. She isn't willing to stop what she is doing to test the theory.
Plus I think organic (veggies and fruit) often tastes better. Not always but often.
If I could afford to buy everything organic and non-GMO, I would. JMO0 -
I once met a girl who thought organic was synonymous with diet (as in lower calorie and/or fat). I just gave her the WTF face.
I've met many people who think it means homegrown. They think everything sold in a Farmer's Market for farm stand is automatically organic. As if no one with small farms uses sythentic fertilizer or pesticides.0 -
Unless you grow/raise it yourself you don't know0
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Personally, I see little value in organic.raleighzia wrote: »I keep seeing that organic is better for you versus non-organic for obvious reasons.i.e pesticides but is it so serious that some foods should under all circumstances be eaten organically or are certain people blowing it out of proportion? Just curious.
My diet revolution transformed my health, but I just never took it to the organic only level.
I once joined an organic co-op and saw zero difference except that organic was priced higher.
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I stand on the side of what's cheaper and looks better, and against what's unnecessary. If there are any special benefits to organic, they must be trivial because I could not find one convincing argument for it. I'm not with the fear mongering on either side, and I don't find I care enough about this particular debate so I'm usually in the sidelines.0
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A lot of the produce I eat is both organic and from heirloom seeds. We grow most of our own and rarely use any pesticides. Fertilizer is mostly from the composter.
But I buy both organic and non-organic from the store. I choose based on both price and how fresh it looks, giving an edge to organic.
I really don't know if it's better for us to eat organic or not, but I think the chances of it being better for us and the planet are probably better with organic. Or at least it used to be. 'Big organic', as I've seen called on here, may be as bad as 'big ag' now and our government (US) is for sale, but we have to eat something.0 -
Same for me. There's nothing in it for me except to brag about how wonderful I am for buying organic. I'll stick with the evil pesticides and keep the spiders out of my bananas.DeguelloTex wrote: »I actively avoid food labeled as organic because it inevitably costs more for no benefit.
Edited because English r hurd.0 -
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beemerphile1 wrote: »I try to follow the recommendations of the EWG (Environmental Working Group). They are an independent organization that does testing of health/food consumer products. Every year they publish the "Dirty Dozen".
ewg.org/
+1 me too.
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I think there are a lot of foods labeled as organic which really aren't organic.
Your best bet is to buy local produce.
I do buy grass-fed meats (when all possible) and organic and/or grass-fed dairy products (with the exception of cheese). Those make sense to me, because they don't feed hormones to the animals. I also do try to steer clear of GMOs as well. I don't need any Round Up in my foods.0 -
I think there are a lot of foods labeled as organic which really aren't organic.
Your best bet is to buy local produce.
I do buy grass-fed meats (when all possible) and organic and/or grass-fed dairy products (with the exception of cheese). Those make sense to me, because they don't feed hormones to the animals. I also do try to steer clear of GMOs as well. I don't need any Round Up in my foods.
The USDA grass fed label does not guarantee no hormones or antibiotics were used. It doesn't even guarantee that the cattle were allowed to always graze freely in a pasture. They may be confined to a stall for several months a year.0 -
Organic has pesticides just different ones and some even more dangerous than non organic.
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Organic food is a marketing scheme just like non GMO food, nothing we eat is how it was originally, all of the food you eat has been altered in some way and the labels just want to scare you to make more money.0
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KimberlyJayMoses wrote: »There are a lot of reasons to buy organic. Conventionally raised food & Corporate Agriculture have negative effects on the environment: Farming practices that strip topsoil instead of build it, practices such as overusing chemical fertilizers to make up for the sterile conditions, monoculture of crops, huge amounts of pesticides & herbicides, high water use, modified crops to be able to hold-up to shipping - all of it affects flavor, nutrients & health as well.
But "organic" farms use "organic" pesticides and fertilizers that are more toxic and less effective than current generation equivalents.
You can't keep comparing them to products from thirty plus years ago.
The rest of your list is simply practices, and has nothing to do with an products standing as organic or not.
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KimberlyJayMoses wrote: »There are a lot of reasons to buy organic. Conventionally raised food & Corporate Agriculture have negative effects on the environment: Farming practices that strip topsoil instead of build it, practices such as overusing chemical fertilizers to make up for the sterile conditions, monoculture of crops, huge amounts of pesticides & herbicides, high water use, modified crops to be able to hold-up to shipping - all of it affects flavor, nutrients & health as well.
But "organic" farms use "organic" pesticides and fertilizers that are more toxic and less effective than current generation equivalents.
You can't keep comparing them to products from thirty plus years ago.
The rest of your list is simply practices, and has nothing to do with an products standing as organic or not.
Oh, and you will never ever find a verifiable source that proves "organic" produce has better nutrition OR taste. Such proof dose not exist and every study points to there being no measurable difference. Stop spreading lies.0
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