22,432,058 members doing good!
about our ads
share your passions, stories, inspirations, and more
Organic Food: Worth the Money
Sep 14, 2007

Organic Food: Worth the Money?

 Pondering the purchase of organic foods? A story in Consumer Reports spells out which organic items are worth buying -- and which aren't.
Here is the list, which appears in the magazine's February edition:
Organic items worth buying as often as possible: Apples, baby food, bell peppers, celery, cherries, dairy, eggs, imported grapes, meat, nectarines, peaches, pears, poultry, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, and strawberries.
Organic items worth buying if money is no object: Asparagus, avocados, bananas, bread, broccoli, cauliflower, cereals, sweet corn, kiwi, mangos, oils, onions, papaya, pasta, pineapples, potato chips, and sweet peas. Also included are packaged products such as canned vegetables and dried fruit.
Organic items not worth buying: Seafood and cosmetics.
Expect to pay more for organic foods, which are more labor-intensive to grow and don't get government subsidies, states the article.

Magazine's Standards

When Consumer Reports drew up those lists, they considered government standards for organic foods and residues of pesticides, antibiotics, or hormones used in raising nonorganic foods. The article doesn't focus on environmental issues.
Why did seafood and cosmetics fare poorly?
Consumer Reports notes that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hasn't set standards for organic seafood, and wild and farmed seafood can be labeled "organic" even if they contain contaminants such as mercury and PCBs.
As for cosmetics, the article states that products typically contain a mix of ingredients that didn't necessarily come from organic agriculture.

What About Cost?

Organic foods are often more expensive than nonorganic foods. "On average, you'll pay 50% extra for organic food, but you can easily end up shelling out 100% more, especially for milk and meat," states Consumer Reports.
The article offers these ideas to cut costs of organic foods:
  • Comparison shop
  • Buy locally produced organic foods (check farmers' markets)
  • Buy a share in a community-supported organic farm to get a regular supply of seasonal organic produce
  • Order by mail
Consumer Reports also recommends checking that fresh organic fruits and vegetables aren't placed too close to nonorganic produce in grocery stores, since misting could let pesticide residue run.

Organic Health

The magazine article mentions a study in which kids' pesticide exposure quickly dropped after switching to an organic diet. The researchers tracked pesticide exposure, not the kids' health.
The web site of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that while pesticides carry some risks, especially for babies and kids, strict rules protect people from being exposed to too much pesticide residue.
The Consumer Reports article mentions concerns that widespread use of antibiotics in conventionally raised animals may spawn drug resistance and that synthetic growth hormones (which are banned for poultry and any organically raised animals) could cause cancer or speed up puberty for girls.
Those fears don't hold water, critics say.
The National Dairy Council's web site states that "American milk and dairy products are among the safest and most highly regulated foods in the world" and that milk from hormone-treated cows has repeatedly been shown to be "safe for human consumption."

What's 'Organic?'

The U.S. market for organic foods has skyrocketed in recent years and is expected to more than double by 2009, states Consumer Reports.
Meanwhile, government standards for organic foods have been hotly contested. Here's Consumer Reports' guide to label lingo:
  • "100% organic": No synthetic ingredients are allowed by law.
  • "Organic": At least 95% of ingredients are organically produced.
  • "Made with Organic Ingredients": At least 70% of ingredients are organic; the other 30% are from a list approved by the USDA.
  • "Free-range" or "free-roaming": Animals had an undetermined amount of daily outdoor access. This label does not provide much information about the product.
  • "Natural" or "All Natural": Doesn't mean organic. No standard definition, except for meat and poultry products, which may not contain any artificial flavoring, colors, chemical preservatives, or synthetic ingredients. Claims aren't checked.
(0) | () | | send green star | flag as inappropriate
Visibility: Everyone
Tags: , , , ,
Posted: Sep 14, 2007 11:53am

 
 
 
Content and comments expressed here are the opinions of Care2 users and not necessarily that of Care2.com or its affiliates.

Author

pElAgUS hellot
female , single
Tamarindo, Costa Rica
Shares by Type:
All (1001) | Blog (255) | Alert (445) | Poll (4) | Recipe (12) | Photo (11) | Tribute (59) | Message (215)

Showing shares tagged with: worth [show all]
ads keep care2 free
SHARES FROM PELAGUS'S NETWORK
May
25
(0 comments  |  discussions )
I have always been a strong proponent of a future united, federal Europe - a single European country, as a more progressive, liberal counterpoint towards the current U.S. hegemony and towards the upcoming powers of China, India and Russia. And I feel...
May
18
(0 comments  |  discussions )
The sun in the North is a temporary guestWho brings with him much warmth and light when he comesFor a few precious months every year he keepsUs company through night and day He makes the trees green, he makes flowers bloomHe makes the birds sing, and ...
May
14
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Ashley is our middle cat and only female.At 11:48 a.m. Thursday, 9 May 2013 in a valiant battle against agressive lung cancer, Ashley died at home.
May
9
(0 comments  |  discussions )
The largest genocide in human history happened where? Most people would answer Germany, and the Jewish Holocaust. Actually though, the largest genocide happened in the USA, with the native American Indians, with estimates of 19 million to 100 millio...
May
8
(0 comments  |  discussions )
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Official Nuclear Radiation Study; Tokyo University Hayno, R.S., et al (2013) Internal Radiocesium Contamination of Adults and Children 7 to 20 Months After the Fukushima NPP Accident as Measured by Extensive Whole-Body-Counter Surveys, Proc. Jpn....
May
6
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Toxic radiation accumulates in water supplies after nuclear accidents. Radiation bioconcentrates in fish that live in fresh water and salt water. Runoff of fresh water from land which has been contaminated ends up contaminating oceans, and salt wate...
(0 comments  |  discussions )
66 Atomic Bombs were exploded on the Bikini Island Atolls. Hundreds of islanders were removed from the islands, but not from harms way. One hydrogen bomb exploded near the islands, and the children played with the dust from the bomb, as it fel...
May
5
(0 comments  |  discussions )
"Under our current law, a suspected terrorist on the FBI's No-Fly List can't board an airplane -- but they can still legally purchase guns and explosives. This loophole, known as the “Terror Gap,” is ...
(0 comments  |  0 discussions )
Germany added more solar panels in one month, than the US did in ONE YEAR. Nearly 1/3 of Germany power output is handled by bottoms up solar energy during the middle of the day. The transition to a 100% renewable energy nation is in process. T...

Copyright © 2013 Care2.com, inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved