In many green discussions on the subject of eating and food selection, you have probably heard that you should try to eat organically farmed and/or locally produced food. What is the difference, and what are the pros and cons to each of these selections?
Organically farmed foods can include any type of harvested plant or livestock that was grown or raised in strict accordance with various guidelines that would qualify the item as being organic. These guidelines include, but are not limited to having livestock raised without the use of any growth hormones, steroids, or antibiotics. Additionally, for livestock to be considered organic, they must be fed only organic feed throughout the course of their lives. For crops to be organic, they must be non-genetically modified plants grown in organic soil without the use of non-natural chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Certified Organic
There are many certification institutions that monitor various farmers seeking to have their products certified organic. In addition to strict guidelines, organic farmers must adhere to many factors that can potentially interfere with the organic quality of certain foods. For example, if a cow raised for organic beef or dairy products suddenly becomes ill and needs antibiotics, just one administration of an antibiotic would render the cow non-organic. As far as plants are concerned, without the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and genetic modification, plants are more susceptible to harm from nature, so farmers may not have high yields as with non-organic foods. This is the principle reason the price of organic food tends to be considerably higher.
The benefits of eating organically produced food come in two forms. They are said to be more suitable for human consumption because of hormones, antibiotics, fertilizers, pesticides, and steroids, which are frequently added to non-organic foods, will have less likelihood of making their way into your body. Many health gurus insist that these substances are large contributors to some of today’s common health problems, such as cancer, diabetes, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. Research is still being conducted in this area.
Set aside health reasons, food produced organically avoids introducing these substances into the environment.Certified or Non-Certified Organic
In addition to organic food that is certified organic, if you discriminately shop, you may find a large number of products on the market that were produced without the use of drugs, hormones, antibiotics, etc., but the producer decided not to have it’s food certified organic. These products, though more costly than non-organics, are much less expensive than organically certified food. If you look for these products, you can contribute to the organic cause without having to pay organic prices.
Locally Produced
Locally produced food includes items raised or grown and processed within approximately twenty miles of your local area. Although these foods may not have the health benefits of organically farmed foods, considerable resources were saved in the transportation of these goods because they were produced close to home.
Of course, depending on where you live, the quantity, quality, availability, and variety of locally produced food may vary quite a bit. Shopping at farmers’ markets can provide you with a vast array of locally produced food to choose from. When it’s not the season for farmer’s markets, go back to reading labels. Usually, product labels indicate the item’s origin. Either way, purchasing items that were produced within close proximity ensures that fewer resources were used transporting the food to your table.Consuming both organically farmed and locally produced food contributes to the living green movement. Both contribute to a less harmful impact on the environment. Organic food tends to lean more on individual health, while locally produced food leans more on conservation of resources. If you can find locally produced food that was organically grown, that would ideally be the best of both worlds.
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