277Appendix B
Assessing the True Cost of
Your Food
You are on a mission to buy the freshest, healthiest foods, primarily
organic and locally grown, for at least four days of menu planning.
Since the largest selection of organic and locally grown foods would be
available at your farmer ’ s market, food co - op, or community - supported
agriculture farm, you may want to start your shopping excursion at one of
these sources. But if a chain grocery store is your only choice, remember
that you can politely ask the produce manager the geographical source
of the product you desire.
Questions to ask the farmer purveyor:Is he or she certifi ed organic? Why or why not? Does he or she fol-
low organic farming practices but choose not to pay the costly fees
associated with certifi cation?
How far (in miles) did the food travel today?
If the food in question is animal in origin, such as eggs, dairy, or
meat, what was the animal fed? Ask whether genetically modifi ed
corn was used in the feed.Although produce managers may not know the specifi cs about the
food they sell, they certainly would benefi t by learning more about their
products. It is not too much to ask them to check the case container to
fi nd out where a product was grown. Although initially this may feel chal-
lenging, it is an education for both you and the produce manager and will
be very enlightening.APP-B.indd 277APP-B.indd 277 5/28/10 6:14:09 AM5/28/10 6:14:09 AM