Fact vs. Hype About Organic Foods
April 8, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under Green Living
Organic foods are surrounded by what may seem like a lot of hype – and some of it is. Green is the new black, so food companies that hop on the bandwagon can expect to benefit, but that doesn’t mean consumers always reap the rewards. Following are some facts you should know about organic foods.
HYPE: If you don’t buy everything organic, your whole family will suffer needlessly from pesticide exposure.
Buying everything in organic form is not for the faint of heart or short of cash. Organics can be pricey and making all those decisions about which organics are best is complicated. If you want to avoid the bulk of pesticides and other chemicals, make sure you always buy the following in organic form:
The dirty dozen: This list is the worst of the worst when it comes to produce. If your family eats these items all the time, buy them in organic form. Click here to see the other foods you should almost always buy in organic form. The list in the previous link seems long, but it actually is pretty small. If something is not on the list, it’s fine to buy it in conventional form and save your money for the worst pesticide offenders.
FACT: Many organic foods are certified for quality.
This is a fact – IF you know which label to look for. If you see the words USDA Organic or USDA Certified Organic on a food item, it’s certified to be at least 95% organic. Besides ensuring organic quality, this label also means the item has not been genetically altered or treated with radiation. It also ensures that meats do not contain growth hormones or antibiotics. Other labels you may see don’t mean as much and some mean nothing. If you want true organic quality, look for the USDA organic seal. Learn more: How To Read Organic Food Labels.
HYPE: Organics are the healthiest foods to eat.
Organics tend to be equated with perfectly healthy eating and that’s just not true. Yes, organics are healthy in that they don’t expose you to harmful toxins, but pesticides and chemicals are only ONE part of the healthy food picture. Organic foods can still be high in fat, high in calories, and loaded with salt. When considering healthy eating or planning your diet, don’t use organics as a catch all for health. Organic companies promote “healthy” but it’s not true from a whole life standpoint.
From time to time we’ll look at more organic hype vs. facts – there’s a lot going around.
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It’s great to see a list of reasons *not* to worry! Thanks for sharing the list of which foods are most important to buy organic.
Thank you for your sharing your thoughts on organic.
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) would like to build on what you have here by offering a couple of points of clarification and some alternative perspectives. First, we would caution people against the idea of limiting their organic purchases to a specific list of produce items. While establishing such limits may help to reduce the size of your personal food budget, it misses an important point: buying organic is about more than keeping pesticides out of our bodies. It is about supporting a system of sustainable agricultural management that promotes soil health and fertility through the use of such methods as crop rotation and cover cropping, which nourish plants, foster species diversity, help combat climate change, prevent damage to valuable water resources, and protect farmers and farmers’ families from exposure to harmful chemicals. In this sense, buying organic is a commitment to the bigger, more complex picture of which our personal health is a part.
Second, it is important for people to understand that there are four, USDA-approved categories of organic labels, which are based on percentage of organic content. Those categories are as follows:
1. 100 Percent Organic – may carry USDA Organic Seal
2. Organic – at least 95% of content is organic by weight (excluding water and salt) and may carry the USDA Organic Seal.
3. Made With Organic – at least 70% of content is organic and the front product panel may display the phrase “Made with Organic” followed by up to three specific ingredients. (May not display new USDA Organic seal)
4. Less than 70 % of content is organic and may list only those ingredients that are organic on the ingredient panel with no mention of organic on the main panel. (May not display new USDA Organic seal)
Finally, OTA would like to echo your point about making healthy food choices and remind people that whether they are looking for produce or processed foods, organic is a great place to start as to diversify and enrich their diet.
It is also important to recognize that not all processed foods are created equal. Federally regulated organic standards require that organic foods are produced without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides, antibiotics, synthetic hormones, and genetic engineering. Organic standards also mandate that organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation to maintain the integrity of the food. Additionally, because certified organic growers and handlers are not only inspected by third-party independent certifiers in order to qualify for organic certification, but also follow strict guidelines for safe and hygienic food production, they offer consumers products in which they can trust.
For these and many other reasons, including a wide range of personal health and environmental benefits, buying organic is worth it.
http://organicitsworthit.com/
@Organic Trade – Actually I do cover those other labels (where it says to click to learn more about labels). Also, this is just one post, with little room. If you go read all my organic posts you’ll find that I’ve at some point covered all this info you just posted above.
I’m totally aware of all the good reasons to buy organic – I do think it’s worth it most of the time IF YOU CAN. The issue here is that organics are far more costly than conventional – say, if you bought everything organic, your grocery bill would be much higher. Even if, like I tell people, you cut out any unnecessary items (i.e cookies, chips, soda, etc). At most of my green blogs I get comments or emails from people who are upset because they want to buy organic, but can’t afford to buy as much as they like. Hence me suggesting people buy the worst pesticide offenders first, and then if they can, anything else.
So, since not everyone can afford all organic, all the time, it’s nice to offer another POV. I think that many do get the implications of organics, they just can’t afford them.