14. Organic Foods
Today’s consumers may find a large variety of certified-organic
produce, meats and other foods in traditional “health food” stores,
and now even in conventional grocery stores. Two common questions
are whether it’s worth the extra price to buy organic food versus con-
ventional, and whether we can trust the sign that says “certified
organic.”
With great hesitation my answer to both questions is yes, but with
an asterisk. The USDA organic program is now part of an internation-
al phenomenon. The regulations are better than the previous unregu-
lated organic movement, when anyone could say a product was
organic. Many of the guidelines are potentially good for consumers —
organic animals must be raised with organic feed, filtered water and
certified organic pastures, and many commonly used drugs can’t be
used. Organic produce must be grown without commonly used pes-
ticides, herbicides and other chemicals. Many food product ingredi-
ents — additives, chemicals, preservatives and others are not allowed
in organic foods. And, the program is relatively strict, helping to rid
the market of dishonest vendors. So if a product has the USDA organ-
ic label, it’s as good as the USDA’s ability to police the program, just
like the rest of what the agency does for all foods sold to consumers.
But like the rest of our food supply, you have to be a careful consumer,
reading labels and being aware of and avoiding organic junk food,
which makes up most of today’s organic products.
True to Jerome Irving Rodale’s ideas of the mid 1900s, organic
food is better, whether certified or not. For example, organic vegeta-
bles and fruits usually taste better. They’ve not been genetically
altered, and contain much smaller amounts of chemical fertilizers, or
none at all. Moreover, many studies indicate that organic produce is
more nutritious, containing more vitamins, minerals and phytonutri-