Thoughts on eating all organic

I could never afford to eat all organic food. The closest i get is free range eggs (i refuse to buy cage eggs) and chicken.

We buy organic fruit and vegies and groceries where available because we think they taste better, and our budget allows us too. (and there isn't a massive difference in the price where we buy the F&V... And the organic stuff seems to last longer)

But your question re organic vs processed is flawed as others have pointed out. Your boxed food, despite its organic label, is still processed. Sugar is still sugar, white bread/pasta is still white bread/pasta, for example.... It's not superior or healthier because of the organic tag.

Organic fruit, veg, meat etc. is worth having, but things like pasta and crackers not as the processing removes any difference in taste and quality. The arguments are not the same in the UK as the US, as we do not permit the same heavy levels of antibiotics etc for meat animals, and just about all soya used in animal feed is GMO.
Most of the arguments against organic are orchestrated by the big pesticide/GMO companies - many GMOs are developed to allow heavy applications of pesticides without killing the crop.

Christine_72 wrote: »

I could never afford to eat all organic food. The closest i get is free range eggs (i refuse to buy cage eggs) and chicken.

Same. Most foods labeled organic are more expensive than non-organic.

mazdauk wrote: »

Actually this is based on my long service for Defra - the UK agriculture department - including 3 years in the department dealing with additives and "novel foods" (their title at the time). I have no objection to GMOs for beneficial purpose such as disease resistance, but not to allow the rest of the plant life to be blasted out of existence with expensive pesticides (from the same company) and the consequential detriment to insect life and ultimately the planet. If that is too complicated, watch "The Bee Movie"

or for a more interesting few hours read Frank Herberts "the Green Brain" (daft title but an interesting novel on the effects of trying to kill off all "insect pests" )

The only time I eat "organic" is when we grow it ourselves. Because our kids like to pull carrots out of the ground, rinse them off, and eat them so we don't use pesticides.

Except all the storms the past 2 weeks pretty much drowned a good chunk of our garden, so I doubt we'll get much this year.

It is kind of a choice between whether you want chemicals in your food or you want bugs in your food. That and "organic" tends to cost a lot more. In both cases, fruit is picked green, so you won't get the flavor you would get if you grew it yourself.

I seek out organic for animal products, but mostly because they will go hand in hand with having higher welfare standards and I do care about the way the animal is treated. I don't mind the extra expense - try to limit my meat intake in general because I do feel that that's a bit better for the planet.

Also like to support local - but I don't really pay attention to organic otherwise. Will try it out for certain things - for example, my supermarket did these organic blueberries, that were only a little bit more expensive but tasted much better. Have a feeling however that the better taste was due to the type of blueberry chosen, not the fact that it was organic.

mazdauk wrote: »

Actually this is based on my long service for Defra - the UK agriculture department - including 3 years in the department dealing with additives and "novel foods" (their title at the time). I have no objection to GMOs for beneficial purpose such as disease resistance, but not to allow the rest of the plant life to be blasted out of existence with expensive pesticides herbicides (from the same company) and the consequential detriment to insect life and ultimately the planet. If that is too complicated, watch "The Bee Movie"

FIFY.

Although I do agree about the point of the same companies selling the herbicide and the herbicide-resistant crop seed (and then suing for patent infringements when non-GMO crops get "infected" by being pollinated from nearby GMO fields). I also have concerns about the effects this approach has on biodiversity.

I buy a mix of organic and traditional foods, although I prioritize buying local over buying organic. When available and affordable, I'll buy organic dairy and meat partly for me, partly for animals (theory, if they can't maintain health through massive dosing of prophylactic antibiotics and foster growth through hormones, then they have to maintain health and foster growth through healthy living conditions); cage-free eggs partly for me (better omega 3 to omega 6 ratio) and partly for chickens; some organic produce, mostly for farm workers exposed to non-organic herbicides and pesticides, partly for the environment, although for large-scale farming, I doubt it makes much difference.