Organic or no?

Organic or no?

When it's worth it to go organic.

Sorting through the Organic label:

What does “organic” mean? According to the Department of Agriculture, “food labeled organic must be produced without most conventional pesticides and synthetic fertilizers and without antibiotics, growth hormones, genetic engineering, or irradiation.”

“Choosing organic” has more ramifications than just consuming fewer chemicals, though. Because of the regulations for organic farming, there is less potential to harm soil, water and local terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. But “choosing organic” can also mean paying more.

So when is it worth it and when is it not?

After some research, here are the conclusions I’ve reached about when to go organic: Fruits and Vegetables. Pesticides used in traditional farming don’t wash away completely and can have adverse health effects. For rankings of 45 different fruits and vegetables’ pesticides levels, check out Food News which is part of the Environmental Working Group. The short of it? Peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes, and pears have the most exposure to and retention of harmful chemicals. The ones with the least are onions, avocado, frozen sweet corn, pineapples, mangoes, frozen peas, asparagus, kiwi, banana, and cabbage. Generally, the thicker the skin or peel, the safer it is.

Red Wine. As many people know, drinking a moderate amount of red wine has been linked to lowered risk for heart disease because of the antioxidants in the wine. Organic red wines contain even higher levels of these antioxidants, while also containing fewer contaminants. If you don’t have a wine store nearby that carries organic wines, check out The Organic Wine Company and pick some up online.

Where it doesn’t really matter: Milk. A recent study tested for quality, nutritional value, and hormonal composition and found little differences among conventional, rbST/rbGH (hormone) free, and organic milk.
Seafood. There are no regulations in place for labeling seafood organic. If it is labeled as organic, chances are it was imported from Europe, and the label is based on their standards, not ours.

Closing thoughts:

Transporting food can use lots of fuel, which adversely affects the environment. So if your decision is between locally grown, non-organic produce, or organic produce that’s been flown from half-way across the country, it’s basically a six-of-one, half-dozen-of-the-other situation. Your best option is still to support local agriculture.