Whenever possible, Matt and I try our very best to buy USDA-certified organic products. We recognize that it's more expensive, but for the sake of our health and for the good of the planet, we figured it was a justified expense. But after reading this Washington Post article over the weekend, I'm not so sure. The increasingly lax standards as they apply to baby food were especially shocking.I read that story, and I felt like I'd been duped. How can something be labeled as "organic," yet still contain all sorts of chemicals, pesticides and additives? If the ultimate focus of the organic label at the USDA is to grow the brand instead of enforce strict environmental and health standards, is buying organic products even worth the expense? I'm not sure anymore.
2 comments:
Yet again we're surprised because people are trying to get away with something that might make them a little extra money. Sad. I hope that future generations will have better luck dealing with this than ours has.
First- I have to admit- we buy mostly local organic from suppliers (farmers) we have gotten to know. Our CSA is local organic, and we can visit the farm any time. When we eat meat, which is not often, we purchase from a local butcher shop where the owner is happy to discuss exactly how his animals are raised and where products he did not raise himself came from. We buy bread from a small local bakery. In essence, I am spoiled. It takes a lot of work in Tulsa, OK for us to shop this way, but it is worth it.
The book Natural Cures really opened my eyes to the USDA organic label and the inner workings of the USDA with food producers and that relationship to the FDA and drug companies. It absolutely disgusts me what goes on.
To combat the green seal, I tend to look for smaller producers for items I purchase manufactured or processed. Mostly, however, I do my best to avoid processed foods. Because of this, I know that even if there is some contamination, I am not consuming near the level of pesticides and other chemicals that negatively impact the body. Is this perfect? No. But for me it is better than the alternative.
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