The Myths of Organic Food

                Natural Foods: a fad that is sweeping the nation!

                But are we getting all the true facts from big-name organic producers?

                Should the push in America be for organic foods sold in a chain grocery store or for local produce?

                What does the “organic” label even mean?

                These are all questions with answers unknown by many Americans who are bowing down to the organic food industry just because it claims to be healthier. I will admit it: I am one of the people that automatically turned to the organic section of a grocery store to find healthier alternatives to my diet. It wasn’t until I started actually looking into the organic industry that I found out many of my pre-conceived notions of the organic label could be false. How could it be that so many Americans are being tricked by this industry?

                One of the reasons many of us are falling into the trap of the organic label is that the terms “organic” and “all-natural” are not officially defined. This is how so many companies in the food industry are able to jump on the bandwagon and label their foods “100% natural.” The FDA defined what “natural” is: "nothing artificial or synthetic...is included in, or has been added to, the product that would not normally be expected to be there." However, some of the differences between natural, synthetic, and artificial are not so clear. Efforts have been made to restrict the label from foods that don’t live up to the true organic standard, but somehow companies have still been able to find their way around it.

                Perhaps the reason for this is that big name companies, such as Kellogg’s, own some of the “natural” companies as well, such as Morningstar Farms. Every corporation wants a piece of the organic industry, even if it means slyly stepping around the rules. I suppose these companies cannot be completely to blame for tricking us. The regulations put down for organic food are easily stepped around.

                When people picture an organic farm they probably imagine big green pastures and thriving fields in a secluded area, tended by dedicated and experienced farmers and their families. At least, that’s what I tended to believe for a while. After reading Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma I found out that this image in my mind is completely and utterly untrue. I suppose I should have been able to figure this out on my own. How else would these organic “farms” be able to sell their goods in so many different places? Pollan feels so passionate about the quality of food that he in fact has a blog about it on the New York Times website. One blog I find especially interesting is his letter to Whole Foods, a chain organic grocery store. Whole Foods claims to support “local, artisanal, and grass-based agriculture,” yet Pollan found when touring one of the locations that the emphasis was more about advertising their support than actually supporting the local food culture.

                It is a shame that organic food has become so industrialized over time. Cascadian Farms, for example, did start out as a small family farm run by Gene Kahn. The Omnivore’s Dilemma covered the story of the farm’s humble beginnings in Washington. He was eventually bought out by General Mills. He wasn’t as successful in organic farming in the 1990s because the fad had not hit yet. Kahn went on to work with the USDA and helped create organic frozen dinners and other processed organic foods.

                Sounds like an oxymoron, right?

                It is sad to think that companies have veered so far away from what is truly natural just to be successful. Most of the organic foods these industries sell are priced higher than they need to be. People believe that organic foods will always cost more because they have to be tended more carefully than conventional foods due to the lack of chemicals. However, the chemicals aren’t even necessary unless the foods are being shipped across the country or around the world! Local foods are priced much more reasonably because there aren’t shipping costs or the additives.

                The organic industry claims to be something it’s not a lot of the time. Promoting all natural, local foods may be the claim, but not the reality. If we are truly looking for what is all-natural, look no further than your own back yard or community Farmer’s Market. The produce is fresher and more nutritious, pesticide-free, and all-around better for you. Also, nothing beats good conversation with the farmers that personally tilled the land themselves. You can get straight to the source by becoming more of a “locavore.” Not only are local foods better for you, but they’re better for the environment, too!

Works Cited

Jones, Ashby. "Is Your Dinner 'all Natural'?" Wall Street Journal: B.1. Sep 20 2011. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 7 Sep. 2013 <http://sks.sirs.com>.

Kindy, Kimberly,and Lyndsey Layton. "Purity of Federal 'Organic' Label is Questioned." Washington Post (Washington, DC): A.1. Jul 03 2009.SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 7 Sep. 2013 <http://sks.sirs.com>.

Pollan, Michael. “My Letter to Whole Foods.” On the Table. New York Times, 14 Jun. 2006. Web. 7 Sep. 2013.

P.S. Interested in information like this? Read The Omnivore's Dilemma. You won't regret it.

"An Inconvenient Truth"
The documentary starring Vice President Al Gore reiterated many of the facts I had already known, since the movie was released eight years ago. I was interested in the information, but I feel like he was very extreme in his claims. The one that especially got to me was his assignment for us to reduce our carbon emissions to zero. That is definitely impossible because we exhale. Sure, we could plant some trees to make up for the emissions, but still it is a little ridiculous. I understand why he went to one end of the spectrum though. His intention was to scare us into making some changes. I am unaware of any environmental research of his since the movie to show the results of his lecturing, but I think our small steps may be making a small difference! I think the world has been so focused on the environment lately that it's hard NOT to make some kind of effort, whether it be to recycle or use those fancy light bulbs. The one thing about the movie I didn't enjoy very much were all of the personal stories. I could have done without those.