Referring to organic as a “buzz” word wouldn’t even do it justice. Organics are the fastest-growing segment of the food industry. Products everywhere are being stamped with Certified Organic seals of approval from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and are showing up (naturally) at natural food stores, specialty food stores and even mega-markets (shout out to monsters like Wal-Mart and Giant.) The offerings range from apples to gourmet chocolates, wines and body wash. All of the choices can make stocking your kitchen and home a bit more of a decision-making process than it already is, especially when you are faced with two bunches of asparagus. One labeled “USDA CERTIFIED ORGANIC” and the other “LOCALLY GROWN.” And this is when we scratch our WC Dish head and wonder which is better; buying organic or buying local? Well, after a little research here is what we found.
First of all, what the heck does organic mean?
It means that producers follow USDA rules and are inspected to make sure they comply with these rules. In a nutshell, these rules say that veggies can’t have chemical or sewage fertilizers and can have no genetic modifications. Organic animals have to have a strict diet of organic feed, have no antibiotics or hormones in their bodies and have to have outdoor access.
What is local?
Umm…locally grown produce and locally raised meat and cheese products.
Okay, so there are other words floating around our food like “PESTICIDE-FREE” and “NATURAL.” What do those mean?
Well, pesticide-free is just that, but there is no patrolling of this so you have to have faith in the producer. Natural doesn’t mean anything, really, because there are no criteria and most things are natural. But watch out for things like “natural flavors” where the label may as well read “this product has chemicals that help make it taste like an orange and an orange is found in nature, so we will claim it has natural flavor.”
Back to the question…
Do you want to purchase the CERTIFIED-ORGANIC asparagus that was shipped in from California, sans pesticides, but they burned a lot of fossil fuels to bring them to you (not to mention that your money will support California economics)? Or would you rather buy the LOCALLY GROWN bunch of asparagus that is freshly cut and delivered by a local farmer, in season (and your money will go in their pocket)? The decision, of course, is up to you, but WC Dish feels partial to our local food, and especially to our hard-working farmers.
To help you cut back on ingesting icky chemicals, here are two lists from the nonprofit research firm Environmetal Working Group that provides the 12 most and least pesticide-ontaminated fruits and veggies.
If you have a choice, try to buy the following organic produce:
Peaches
Apples
Sweet bell peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Pears
Grapes
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes
The produce least likely to be contaminated are:
Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Mangoes
Asparagus
Sweet peas
Kiwis
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Papayas
So, there you have it…the choice is up to you. Shop a bit smarter, enjoy the delicious spring produce and don’t forget about our local Growers Market (read about it at The Daily Dish about West Chester Growers Market).
To check out a directory of small farms and markets in our area click here:
Local Harvest in West Chester, PA
Research for this article was done with the help of Bon Appetit Magazine.
