Choosing Foods For Health: Which is Better, Local or Organic?
by Lori Evesque
Editor’s Note: Guest columnist Lori Evesque’s article this month is the second in a series of three on the topic of food choices.
In “Choosing Local Food for Your Health and the Health of Your Community,” which appeared in the February 2008 issue of the CoSozo Newsletter, I talked in general about the growing trend and benefits of eating locally raised foods. Although locally raised foods are becoming easier to find, it is not always a simple or convenient task to find or buy them. Organic foods, on the other hand, are becoming more and more available and more reasonably priced for the average consumer. So, one might ask the question: “Is there a real difference between local foods and organic foods and is one better for my health and the health of the environment than the other?” In this article, I will address the question of whether there is a real difference between local foods and organic foods, and whether one is better for personal health and the health of the environment than the other.
Once considered somewhat of an elite food choice, organic foods are now showing up even in large chain stores like Wal-Mart, and as their prices have fallen, they are even more accessible to the average consumer.
Like conventionally grown foods, however, it’s often unclear precisely where organic products have come from. Because of recent instances of contaminated foods that have sickened and even killed people, some consumers feel that if they know where their food is grown, they can be more assured of its safety. This desire on the part of consumers means that the availability of locally grown foods has increased greatly in recent years. According to the 2006 USDA National Farmers Market Survey, as of the end of 2006, there were 4,385 farmers markets across the United States, an increase of 7% from the year before.
This interest is not limited to the United States. According to Slow Food, an international organization dedicated to food that is “good, clean, and fair,” there are organizations in many countries dedicated to increasing interest in local foods (read the article in this issue of the CoSozo Newsletter about Slow Food). The local food trend has become the “new organic,” and there is a developing debate as to which is better: local or organic. “Better” can be defined in different ways, but for this article, I will look at whether there are differences that can affect your health and the health of the environment.
The organic food movement started as a statement against the increasingly industrial nature of conventional farming and its use of chemicals to control insects and diseases and improve crop yield. The idea behind organic agriculture was to step back and use the tools of nature with the knowledge of today to produce healthy soil and thus healthy and abundant plants and other foods. Those ideas have worked wonderfully for many years, and the organic portion of the food industry has been growing at a rate of around 20% per year compared to the single-digit growth rate of the conventional grocery industry.
Because the organic industry’s growth rate has shown no signs of slowing, larger food companies have decided to get into the organic business. This phenomenon first showed itself with larger food processing companies buying up many of the smaller organic food processors. The trend expanded to agricultural companies growing organic foods. Companies such as Earthbound Farms, originally only a regional organic grower, expanded into the national market, much like many conventional food and agricultural companies, such as Dole and General Mills, have done. The more conventional growers have been bringing their ideas about efficiency and production to the organic model, changing it drastically.
This is the point where we start to see how differences between local and organic foods can affect the individual consumer. As organic agriculture has become larger, it has taken on some of the characteristics of the conventional food industry. Although there remain limits on the farm inputs available to all certified organic growers (according to the USDA’s National Organic Standards enacted in October of 2002, no chemical herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers can be used, among other restrictions), some of the same drawbacks are being seen in large-scale organic farms as in conventional agriculture. Growing demand for organic foods has favored very large farms. As more large companies became involved in the organic industry, they exerted pressure on the development and evolution of the organic standards to the extent that now many food additives and synthetic ingredients are allowed in “organic” processed foods, and animals can be considered organically raised even if they have little or no access to pasture and sunlight.
Michael Pollens, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, found that industrial organic farms looked little different from conventional farms. In the course of his research, Pollens saw enormous, sterile-looking mono-culture fields of crops, with farm workers applying chemicals to a company’s conventional fields, then moving to apply industrially produced compost to the organic fields. In order to make organic produce available across a large geographic area to large populations, many foods are grown in large fields and picked before their peak of ripeness so that they must be handled, packaged, and transported long distances to the individual stores. It’s logical to assume that, just as it happens with conventional produce, this results in reductions of freshness and nutrient levels as compared to fresher local products. Also of concern to many is the greater use of fossil fuels required for processing, packaging, and transport across states or even countries, and the effect all of this has on global warming.
Community-Supported Agriculture: A symbiotic relationship Community-supported agriculture is a great way to support your local farmer and provide your family with fresh, local food. The idea is simple: you, the consumer, pay a farmer a lump sum at the beginning of the growing season. The farmer provides your family with fresh produce, eggs, meat, and other possible products throughout the season. You’ll make arrangements to collect your goods—usually once a week—at an agreed-upon location. The upsides of this arrangement are numerous.
A possible “downside” of CSAs is that you share the risk with the farmer as well. For example, if there is a crop failure—say cucumbers—you won’t get any cucumbers in your share that year. If there is a loss of one crop, you’ll probably get more of a different crop to make up for it. Despite the potential loss, you may find that the benefits of the CSA relationship create such a positive impact in your community that a loss of this type is insignificant in the big picture. And, if you really love cucumbers, you can always buy them from someone else. |
Ever since the USDA’s organic rules came into effect in 2002, a new wrinkle in the question of choosing the “best” food to buy has developed. To many small growers of organic foods and others who have been part of the organic movement since its beginnings, there are major flaws in the organic certification rules. Some people consider these rules to be only minimal requirements for growing organic crops and caring for the environment. Many organic growers who have been around long before the USDA rules were adopted continue to call for more stringent rules, while bigger organizations call for the loosening of standards.
Because of this and other reasons, many smaller farmers have decided not to be certified. Some additional reasons include the cost of certification ($400 to $1,200 depending on the size of the operation) and onerous record-keeping requirements, and continued pressure by larger growers to ”relax” the rules. The record-keeping requirements were introduced to ensure that the rules of organic growing were adhered to and that the methods used could be traced back to the very source of the products. Unfortunately, the record-keeping rules were designed for large single-crop harvests and are unwieldy for farmers selling a variety of products, such as those associated with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) (see our sidebar for more information about CSAs).
One such grower, Boulder Belt Organics, decided to let its organic certification lapse due to these issues and continued pressure from the USDA to get bigger and expand into export markets. Many smaller growers who sell primarily through farmers markets, CSAs, and farm sales have found that what is even more important to their customers than certification is direct interaction. Through this direct interaction, the needs and concerns of customers can be immediately articulated to the growers.
Some people who eat meat products and who are concerned with the methods used to raise animals for food are also leery of the organic certification rules. According to these rules, “organic” animals cannot be given antibiotics or artificial growth hormones, and they must be given “access to the outdoors.” Unfortunately, these are very nebulous guidelines that have been interpreted in a wide variety of ways, including having a door available to a small outside grassy area for chickens but not making it available until the birds are older (since chickens are flocking birds who learn from example, they end up never venturing outside). In one case, a poultry farm stated that it was going to provide two 30-square-foot balconies for 6,000 chickens, and the USDA permitted the producer to maintain organic certification. Clearly, there are some problems with the organic certification program and its alignment with consumers’ ideas of how organic animals should be treated.
As I wrote in the previous article, locally grown foods are generally picked at the peak of ripeness and are therefore also at the peak of nutritional value. But just because the food is local does not mean it is organic, nor that it was grown using sustainable farming methods. Many small local farmers do use chemicals in their operations. They are as concerned with the appearance of the foods as are the purchasers. We have been convinced by years of seeing “perfect” fruits and vegetables at the grocery store that any blemish on food is a bad thing. Many farmers use herbicides and pesticides to produce unblemished products even if the overall levels of infestation or disease are minimal. They tend to get lower prices for less-than-perfect-looking products.
Another thing that makes it difficult for consumers to know what they’re getting is that many vendors at farmers markets buy fruits and vegetables from wholesale produce markets, especially when the variety of locally grown produce is limited. To find out which of the offerings at your local store or farmers market are actually local, you have to get to know the farmers! Talk to them about which items were grown on their own farms, how they raise their crops, what kinds of methods they use to control pests and disease, and anything else you want to know. Your local farmers are just as interested in developing relationships with you as you are with them. If you don’t like the methods a farmer is using or the fact that so many of his or her products aren’t local, let them know. Remember, if you walk away without saying anything, all they can think is that you are window-shopping, and assume that appearance or price is your deciding factor.
By now you may be thinking that you are no closer to determining whether local or organic foods are the better choice. How do you decide? I think that Sam Fromartz, who wrote Organic, Inc., said it best: “[W]hen it comes to doing the right thing, what really mattered was thinking about the choice—being aware, staying informed, and being conscious of our role as consumers.” There are great reasons to buy both local and organic foods. In the greater debate going on between the two sides, it has been noted that the combined sales of local and organic foods only account for 4% of total food sales. Any purchase you make that supports these two subgroups of the market will help. The more demand there is for local and organic foods, the more farmers will convert to sustainable production methods, less chemicals and fossil fuels will be used. Remember, for those who live in a capitalistic society, what you spend your money on can often have the same weight as the way you cast your vote in an election.
I can provide some guidelines to help you in making food choices. To get the best of both worlds, choose foods that are locally grown and organic where you can get to know the producer. You can confirm that these foods are grown with the fewest detrimental effects on the land; that the farmers are trying to improve the health of the soil; and you are keeping money in the local economy and reducing fossil fuel use by limiting transportation, packaging, and processing.
Your second choice is where it starts to get tricky and requires more effort on your part. If you can’t find an item that is available locally and is organically grown, try for local. But don’t buy just anything that is locally produced! Shop around, talk to the producers, and try to find the grower with the best growing practices. As an example, several years ago I wanted to make some pickles but didn’t have enough cucumbers from my own garden so I went to the farmers market. I didn’t find enough from the organic growers at the market so I started talking to the other growers. I asked several if they sprayed their cucumbers. Some did, others didn’t. I chose the cucumbers that weren’t organic but weren’t sprayed. I felt I was still getting good, healthy food even though it wasn’t “organic.”
If the items you want are not available all year, learn how to preserve produce by freezing, canning, and fermenting (like sauerkraut). Learn to cook with the seasons. Many recipes assume the season-less cornucopia of produce to be available all year. Adjust your recipes to take into account the fact that, for example, fresh tomatoes aren’t available locally in many areas in January. Change the recipe or make something else.
If you can’t (or, on occasion, won’t) find what you need locally and organically, locally, or in-season locally, buy organic produce available in the stores. Even though these products often have to travel distances to reach you, they are putting less stress on the environment than the conventionally raised foods.
Finally, if there are items that you just can’t live without that are never going to be grown in your region (for me, this includes chocolate and tea), look for organic and “fair trade” items. These designations indicate the products are grown sustainably and that the growers are paid decent prices for their products.
The most important idea here is to begin to think about the food you eat and the implications of your choices. You will find that there will come a day when you can no longer walk down the aisles of your local grocery store and blindly put items in your shopping cart.
You’ll find the food you buy really matters to you, and you’ll see the connection between your purchases and your family, your community, and the world at large.
Beyond Nutritional Information: Food Labels Decoded
rBGH-Free (also Hormone-Free or rBST-Free)—Found on dairy items, this label means that the products came from cows that were not injected with rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone). Also called rBST (recombinant bovine somatotripin), rBGH is a genetically engineered hormone used to stimulate greater milk production in dairy cows. rBGH has become very controversial in recent years because it’s suspected of causing health problems in both humans and animals. |
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USDA 100% Organic and USDA Organic—The “100%” label lets you know that all the ingredients in a product were produced organically, as certified by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP); the “USDA Organic” label indicates that at least 95% of the ingredients were grown organically. To the USDA, “organic” means that manufactured chemicals were not used in food production or handling, and that the land food was harvested from has been free of these chemicals for at least three years. |
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Certified Naturally Grown—This label indicates that the items were grown using organic methods and practices. Some of these methods include using seeds, insecticides, and fertilizers that were not chemically treated. This nonprofit program is for proprietors of smaller farms who cannot afford the USDA’s expensive certification process. It is modeled after the NOP but is not associated with it. |
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Fair Trade Certified—This label means that farmers and producers received fair pay, that the work environment is safe and voluntary, and that the trade relationship between producers and buyers is long-standing. You can find this label on items such as coffee, wine, sugar, and chocolate, as well as others. |
If you look to labels for information not only on nutritional content, but also on how your food was produced, you’ve probably found that it’s easy to get confused by the variety of phrases and logos. They seem to proliferate and change all the time! Here we decode some of the stamps and stickers you’re likely to see in the supermarket.
Additional Reading:
- Beavan, C. (2007, March 7). Eating local vs. organic. No Impact Man. Retrieved from http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2007/03/eating_local_vs.html on February 18, 2008.
- Fromartz, S. (2006, May 18). Chews wisely: Local or organic? It’s a false choice. Grist. Retrieved from http://www.grist.org/advice/books/2006/05/18/fromartz/ on February 18, 2008.
- Fromartz, S. (2006). Organic, Inc.: Natural foods and how they grew. Harcourt, Inc.
- Jaffee, D. (2007). Brewing justice: Fair trade coffee, sustainability, and survival.University of California Press. Berkley, CA.
- Kingsolver, B., Hopp, S. L., & Kingsolver, C. (2007). Animal, vegetable, miracle: A year of food life. HarperCollins.New York, NY.
- Pennybacker, M. (2006, September/October). Local or organic? I’ll take both. The Green Guide. Retrieved from http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/116/local on February 18, 2008.
- Pollens, M. (2007). The omnivore’s dilemma: A natural history of four meals. Penguin, New York, NY.