Is it really organic?
Posted by strangebrew on May 01, 2007 · Member since Apr 2007 · 28 posts
So I was just reading a small article about how some foods say they are organic, but they aren't. Does anyone know what to look for when buying organic? Who can I trust to certify something organic and who can I not?
A lot depends on where in the world you live...at least in Europe that "organic" or "bio" label often only means more expensive. There was quite a scandal in Britain when it was discovered that some distributors of "organic" eggs had bought them on the open market and were selling regular plain old factory eggs as "organic." Check your local legislation on the subject, it might provide a few clues but the thing to know is whether or not said legislation is really reinforced.
A lot of products are certified organic by QAI or the USDA-- but it costs a lot of money to get that certification and that's for big companies/farmers....so a lot of the time if you're at the farmers market for example there's pesticide-free produce that's not labeled 'organic' (pesticide-free usually) but basically is. A lot of the good bigger farmer's markets will have organic or all organic produce and I haven't SEEN any official certifications...I guess one could look up the farm's name, etc....but I guess there's a degree of trust involved :-X
In order for produce to be certified organic the soil has had to have been organic for a number of years and it's quite a process (and expensive) so usually the bigger companies are certified like Earthbound Farms, etc.... But I have a feeling they're less stringent on the certification guidelines as time goes on because it's such a profitable bandwagon..... ;) But here's a list of the top 47 most pesticide-sprayed produce which is good to know for those times organic is unavailable, etc, and that way you know what produce that's ok sometimes to get unorganic if organic is astronomically expensive that week or just unavailable (which organic grapes right now are totally unavailable in my area...so I'm waiting until they are as they are in the top 12 or so, the 'dirty dozen').
Hope this helps!
Pesticides on Popular Produce
1. Peaches – 100
2. Strawberries – 89
3. Apples – 88
4. Spinach – 85
5. Nectarines – 85
6. Celery - 83
7. Pears – 80
8. Cherries – 76
9. Potatoes – 67
10. Sweet Bell Peppers – 66
11. Raspberries – 66
12. Grapes – Imported from outside U.S. – 64
13. Carrots – 57
14. Green Beans – 57
15. Hot Peppers – 55
16. Oranges – 53
17. Apricots – 51
18. Cucumbers – 51
19. Tomatoes – 48
20. Collard Greens – 48
21. Grapes – U.S. grown
22. Turnip Greens – 41
23. Honeydew Melons – 40
24. Lettuce – 40
25. Kale – 39
26. Mushrooms - 36
27. Cantaloupe – 36
28. Sweet Potatoes – 35
29. Grapefruit – 34
30. Winter Squash – 34
31. Blueberries – 30
32. Watermelon – 27
33. Plums – 26
34. Tangerines – 25
35. Cabbage – 25
36. Papaya – 23
37. Kiwi – 23
38. Bananas – 19
39. Broccoli – 18
40. Onions – 17
41. Asparagus – 16
42. Sweet Peas – 13
43. Mango – 12
44. Cauliflower – 10
45. Pineapples – 6
46. Avocado – 4
47. Sweet Corn – 1
I've heard about this fraudulent organic food, too. I'm particularly skeptical about big box stores (such as wal-mart) selling organic. It's just really hard for me to believe. I don't know if this so-called organic produce that is mass produced and shipped halfway across the country is really any better than conventional food. I'm very lucky to live in a town with a really awesome local market. They get all of their produce from the state farmer's market (which is in town, but I can't get there b/c of the hours). Anyway, not everything in the store is labeled organic, but I feel so much better about buying produce from local famers..even if it isn't certified organic. Plus,believe it or not, things that are in season are often cheaper at the market than they are in the big grocery chain here....Oh, and also, the owner/employees/customers are very cool. It's kind of like a little healthy, earth friendly community. :)
from what i understand, to be certified Organic, you have to adhere to specific guidelines in the production of your food. Marion Nestle's book "What to Eat" covers this extensively (and led me to believe that it is in fact more than just more expensive products), but that book came out a year ago so it's possible things have changed. i'd recommend reading it anyway, it was very interesting and i like Marion Nestle a lot.