- By -Staff
- Around Town
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I can’t think of many food topics that are so misunderstood and confused by consumers as organic food. Last week I wrote a column that, I hope, helped clear up some misunderstandings. This week, I’m going to continue that project.In last week’s column, I ended with the advice that if you have a choice between buying produce produced in the United States or in foreign countries, I would generally recommend the domestic products. It’s also generally a good idea, for many reasons, to purchase food raised as close to your home as possible. Foods grown in Canada are generally “cleaner” than foods grown in other countries. Chile? Not so much. In fact, try to avoid peaches and nectarines from Chile, sweet bell peppers from Mexico, cucumbers from Honduras and asparagus from Peru. If you really like asparagus look for those that are grown in Mexico. Speaking of Mexico, their mangos scallions carrots, broccoli and bananas are relatively clean. Personally, since I assiduously avoid eating banana peels, finding organic bananas is not a big deal.
In 1996 the US Congress passed the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) Before then about 75% of illness from fresh produce came from US farms. Only 25% came from imports. Now, it is estimated that 80% of food risk comes from foreign countries and only 20% from the US,
I can think of several reasons which might explain the significant turnaround. First, our Environmental Protection Agency implanted the new law by requiring the reduction in rates and numbers of pesticide applications. It also mandated a longer period between the final application of pesticide application and harvesting.
It should be understood that children, both young and adolescent, are more susceptible to being damaged by their exposure. This is easy to understand because they are usually lighter in weight and smaller in stature than adults. Children’s developing bodies are also more sensitive. From this, if you came to the conclusion that pre-natal exposure is to be avoided, you’d be correct.
Let’s take a quick look at labeling, which I find is usually confusing and often disingenuous. When you buy “organic” packaged foods, you can expect at least 95% of the ingredients to be organic. If you’re looking for 100%, look for “100% organic”. “Made with organic ingredients” means at least 70% of the ingredients are organic. What does “hormone free” mean on meat? It means the manufacturer is lying because all animals produce hormones.
Are you attracted by “Grass-Fed” labeling? It indicates that the animal has been fed mostly grass most of its life. However it doesn’t preclude the possibility that the animal has been fed hormones, antibiotics, and been exposed to insecticides. “Pasture raised” can mean anything because the term hasn’t been approved or registered. “Free range” poultry only means the poultry has access to the outdoors but there is no minimum time limit the bird must remain outdoors. There’s no way for us to know how long the chicken spent outdoors. If you see poultry or pork with the designation, “No hormones administered” don’t get excited – hormone use is never permitted with poultry and pork.
Your actual diet is more important than whether or not you search for organic food. For example, we’re all healthier if we eat more fruits and vegetables. Avoid bad fats, sugar in all forms, and processed foods. Once you adjust your diet, you can make your next priority choosing organic food.
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