<p>We are fortunate in my area to have most organic food at virtually the same price as non, but my friends in other parts of the country, say thats not the case where they live.</p>
<p>Before I bought my new house, I used to grow my own food, no pesticides whatsoever. Organic food is slightly more expensive where I live but not outrageously so, and I don’t always buy everything organic. I prefer fresh and local. I won’t buy fruits from Chile for example, I don’t need to eat apples in the summer, I eat with seasons, therefore things are generally cheaper because of that.</p>
<p>I believe that, for the most part, the “organic” food label is another fake health claim – a marketing buzzword without substance.</p>
<p>Of all the things that can derail a healthy diet, I would say that “organic” would be so far down the list as to be essentially irrelevant considering how little real food people actually eat to start with.</p>
<p>Yup. Or the veggies, such as cherry tomatoes, are being watered with MiracleGro and other stuff to the point they have enough nitrates in them they can be used as bullets.</p>
<p>Organic might mean no pesticides, but it does mean no preservatives. So anyone with asthma should be aware that they are not safe just because something is listed as organic. (google sulfites in food) Labels can be very deceiving. It is impossible to verify what chemicals are used by many organic growers in their “fresh wash”. </p>
<p>Sometimes flash frozen veggies/fruit are actually safer than organic (unless bought on day of picking from grower)</p>
<p>For me, organic isn’t as important as buying local and seasonal. I didn’t realize how spoiled I was with produce growing up in Southern California until I moved to the Midwest. Suddenly produce was much more expensive, or not as good (read: fresh), or hard to find at all.</p>
<p>Colorado is more on-level with California, at least so far. Prices are comparable, everything seems fresh and lots of places here are big on local agriculture. </p>
<p>I like Sprout’s (equivalent of TJ’s/Whole Foods) because, as stated, they tend to have local produce and things are really reasonably priced, especially if you catch a sale.</p>
<p>I try to buy organic, whether it’s certified or not, because I hate the idea of asking someone else to use agricultural chemicals. I don’t think the amounts that end up in our food are dangerous–but I do know the 55 gallon drums are.</p>
<p>Organic means that it is not genetically modified in anyway and does not have genetically modified ingredients. That is why I use organic products. As for pesticides, it’s practically impossible to grow mas quantities of good without chemical pesticides. It would be too hard to introduce and maintain a predator to control pests.</p>
<p>What does genetically modified mean? All of the food crops we eat are new strains, mostly created by selective breeding and selective hybridization. None of them are naturally occurring strains or varieties.</p>
<p>I never use any pesticides so it’s possible to grow at home. A plant is like anything, when it’s healthy, there is no bug that it will succumb to, but once it’s not healthy, it gets attack by bugs, that’s when I just pull the plant out. I used compost that I age so I know where the goodness come from.</p>
<p>For one thing, GMO means that lots more pesticides can be used. I 'm not going to get into the whole discussion of old-style grafting within a species vs. genetic modification between wholly different forms of life, except to say that that difference is blindingly obvious.</p>
<p>And as said above, organic does mean the pesticides are not used (there are legal standards, albeit not as strong as I’d like overall), and less use of pesticides is good for the workers, their children, others who live nearby, and the environment in general. (not to mention speces like Monarch butterflies.)</p>
<p>Organic in regards to milk products means no bovine hormones, and I think there is a lot of evidence that their presence in milk is harmful, especially to children.</p>
<p>I agree with placing importance on buying locally and seasonally. And by local, I mean the farm down the road. My husband will often point out that the grocery store has “local” sweet corn. Then I have to tell him it’s from the neighboring state. I go to the market and buy it from the farmer who picked it that morning. I only buy sugar peas during that small window when the local farmers are bringing it to the market.</p>
<p>There is an organic stand at the market I frequent, but I never see anyone making a purchase there. I’m sure they do a business, but not with those of us who get up early to shop when produce is the freshest. So it appeals to someone else.</p>
<p>I’ve also been known to drive three miles up the road to buy strawberries from a farmer because his are better than the local berries at the market.</p>
<p>I think you will find the above link very interesting. It is a great arricle about big food companies taking over the Organic board. Somewhere there is a list of the 250 different chemicles that are allowed in organic food. The list keeps growing. If I can find it I will post it.</p>
<p>I don’t think the bottom line difference – nutritional value to the person eating it – is blindingly obvious. Or, even perhaps even discernibly different.</p>
<p>I agree that big business has really taken advantage of their muscle when buying up small organic labels.
It takes work to find the brands that are still family owned and local, and true to their original concept.</p>
<p>I feel a lot better after reading this thread, knowing I was not dubbed into buying organic food at the farmers market. One seller shouted out to me that if I don’t eat organic food, I would die of cancer. Unbelievable. I was thinking of reporting to the company that rents out the space for these farmers market. This is a form of bullying.</p>
<p>I don’t care so much about an organic label, but I want it to smell good and taste fresh. Especially if it’s a tomato. When I was a little kid, I was used to tomatoes grown in my grandmother’s garden (which, I should mention, was hardly local. She had gardens in Maryland and Virginia while we lived in Ohio). I wouldn’t eat even the best store-bought tomatoes. When I was about 1, I actually spit a store-bought tomato back into my mother’s face! Oh, I was awful.</p>
<p>Anyway, I mostly shop at Trader Joe’s, which is pretty good about keeping things fresh, but for a special dish, I go with Whole Foods usually. Sometimes I’ll go to the farmer’s market but most of the time I’m far too lazy. Where I was living last summer, however, there was a farmer’s market directly in front of my apartment three days a week and I went all the time. Ahhh, the wonders of Paris.</p>
<p>I have a big family, and I buy whatever is on sale. To me, “organic” means “higher price.” I’m not convinced it makes a difference. Or enough of a difference to pay that much more. I grew up on margarine and red-dye #3, so what I’m eating now is probably better than that We also have a garden–which is healthy, but also filled with bugs!
I am not opposed to sugar or GMO’s. </p>
We also have a garden–which is healthy, but also filled with bugs!