How much organic stuff in your life?

[Tigerlily]

Sometimes I wonder what's more enviromentally friendly: local non-organic or organic shipped from the other side of the world?

[PygmyGoat]

^ me too - and I wonder very often how much goodness is left in organic produce that has come half way round the World .

I just have the organic stuff I can grow in the garden, and use 'Veggi Wash' on the rest. I HATE to see the farmers spraying everything round here, it's so upsetting, but organic stuff is hard to come by - and I'm poor, so I'm afraid I'm guilty of adding to the Pesticide problem (by buying the non-organic produce) .

[Dart]

Where is the choice of:

I buy organic all the time.

I buy organic, or not at all. I will wait for weeks for a pepper to come into the store, and just like now for organic lemons. I buy not only organic skin stuff, but clothes (especially organic cotton- from an Earth activist point of view, of course organic hemp is another alternative, and soft organic bamboo is now on the market).

I embraced compassion for animals and went vegan. I then embraced compassion for my own body and went organic in my choice of food. I now embrace the planet and make choices for organic, environmentally friendly (which we should be on friendly terms with the environment since it supports life), and environmentally sustainable. Once compassion awareness begins, the journey begins.

[fiamma]

Sometimes I wonder what's more enviromentally friendly: local non-organic or organic shipped from the other side of the world?

Great point, Tigerlily.

[RedWellies]

I know what you mean, Tigerlily, but I still think if we buy organic, it shows we think it is important and hopefully more farms/businesses will turn this way.

I can't believe four people voted "organic is a load of rubbish"!

[Tigerlily]

Hope so but it's still out of my budget.

[purple.cow]

I've noticed in supermarkets, the organic range is always in lots and lots of plastic. So if I were to buy organic, I'd buy it from the shop in town, I feel guilty that I can't afford it. And,I bet veganic is even more expensive...not sure if the one in town is veganic or not...

[Tigerlily]

Yes, they do that too. It's to make sure the barcode is on it, so you don't get an organic head of broccoli and lie to the cashier and say it's conventional broccoli (because it's cheaper).

[Roxy]

Oh - they don't do that here. They wrap some yellow tape around the fruit or veg that clearly says that it's organic. No need for all that plastic.

[Dart]

Last week I learned a lesson about reading the stickers on the organic fruit. I bought some organic oranges (mostly for the zest part in my muffins) and as I was washing the oranges one had a 4 instead of a 9 in the PKU code. It wasn't organic! I paid twice the amount for that orange. I now know that I have to check the label on the fruit that is not in a bag.

[speedylemons]

is there a list of fruits and veggies ranked by how bad they are if they're commercial etc [like which have the most pesticides or bad stuff]??

[Sparrow]

is there a list of fruits and veggies ranked by how bad they are if they're commercial etc [like which have the most pesticides or bad stuff]??

Check out www.foodnews.org

[n00dlez]

The thing is I don't really eat organic too much because it's expensive and it's really not in my family's budget right now. Hell, I don't really buy my fruit from big chain groceries and all those stores. My grandparents grow their own fruits and raise their own animals. Since they live in the country, the stores just go to the farmers or you can just go to the farm and pick them yourself. That's mainly where I get my "organic"-I guess veggies and fruits from sometimes. Ohter than that I will try and get organic stuff from these stores.

[Cumin]

I buy organic everything when there's a choice unless it is ridiculously priced, but I agree with an earlier post that it's the other food that's too cheap.
Also, reading this thread reminds me how fortunate we are where we live. It's possible to buy pretty much everything organic here, and if we buy in-season fruit and veg, then most of it is local too.

[stumbleine]

i don't know if the produce i buy is organic or not. we have no legislation about this in this country. i mean, i buy most of the produce consumed in my house every saturday on a local farmer's market. once i asked about their methods of production (just in one stand) and they told me about them. it sounded good to me (they cultivate most of their produce in a place considerably away from the city, neat and clean, i know it)

if it's not really organic, at least i contribute with them...

[Jjt]

Where's the evidence, they ask, for the widespread belief that organic foods are safer and more nutritious than those raised by conventional farming methods?

The short answer, food safety and nutrition scientists say, is that such proof does not exist.

This is absolute nonsense. There is plenty of proof that shows that conventional farming methods arn't as good. Monoculture, pesticides, herbicides,gmo's, artificial plant food and others. If they're trying to say that an organic tomato is intrinsically better than the same tomato grown by convential farming then of course it's not better. It's just grown better. I think that's nonsense and I am I highly suspicious.

[tipsy]

Check out www.foodnews.org

awesome!

thanks!

though its a little different than what i have read in the past....

[xwitchymagicx]

I actually...starting next Monday...will be buying only organic fruit and vegetables.

I am just going to buy a variety of them...and then base my meals on them...rather than the other way round!

The shop I'm thinking of buying them only does local, organic vegetables and fruit...so i'm guessing most of them are only available in season anyway.

To buy organic I am going without other things...as organic seems healthier, and it tastes better...

I only buy organic from certain places...places of evil, i.e supermarkets wrap the organic stuff in plastic.

I'm thinking of buying like organic dried lentils/pulses...they are cheaper than buying the tins I think. Also nuts and seeds too...I'll try to get organic.

I have to save money somewhere...so I'll have less things you don't need...rather than less things you do need. lol If that even makes sense.

I am going to try and avoid all supermarkets where possible...

[xrodolfox]

I don't care if Organic is better or worse for me than "conventional", nor do I care much about the environmental impact...

...my main concern about buying Organic has to do with the farmworkers. I've volunteered as a translator at farms in the US, and I've seen how workers have been sprayed with pesticide and have had to deal with serious health issues and generally had their life expectancy cut in half.

I'm all for using less pesticides if solely for the sake of the workers who pick our foods, even though the environmental reasons are compelling as well.

[xwitchymagicx]

Sprayed with pesticide? How awful!

[Tibetan Snake]

I don't think that Organic is expencive. It is the real cost, the other stuff is subserdised by EU farme grants etc. So I pay the real cost and through my taxes I also subserdise the toxic farms.
xrodolfox I see some of you'r point, if you'r conserned for the workers beeing exposed to the stuff then why do you not mined ingesting it? there by exposing you'r self.
[ quote ]
At present, Fairtrade alternatives are not universally available, being stockeb by retailers primarily to capitalise on the 'ethical market'. Recent evidence, however,illustrates the power of consumer demand, with two of the big five UK supermarkets stocking only Fairtrade bananas. Independently supplied Fairtrade bananas now account for more than 20 percent of the UK market, ensuring that a 'living wage' is paid to more than five millionworkers and farmers worldwide.
Opting to buy organic may also be seen as an ethical decision. Although Organic certification can not be interpreted as an indicator of social responsibility, organic plantations offer a real solution to the unsustainable environmental exploitation of intensive monocultures. Organics now account for two per cent of the global banana export market, primarily coming from Ecuador, Peru and Dominican Republic.Although bananas, as a tradable commodity, have been subjected to a grater degree of industrialisation than almost any other agricultural export, it is only a matter of time befor coffee, tea and sugar suffer a similar fate. What is remarkable, however, is that these five crops, which between them generate 85 per cent of total export earnings within the tropics, are all non-essential foods.
What is more remarkable still - and furthermore, slightiy disturbing - is that these developing countries, home to the world's poorest rural populations, have been encouraged to dedicate their most productive agricultural land to the cultivation of luxiry items for the West.
This is no longer simply a question of 'bonded labour'. In colonial times, slaves were in fact encouraged to be self-sufficient in their own foods. Instead, what we have witnessed is the unprecedented erosion of livelihood security, cultivated by our dependence on artificially cheap food.
Thanks to Ed Hamer
reprodused from the September issue of the Ecologist.

[Umbriel]

...my main concern about buying Organic has to do with the farmworkers. I've volunteered as a translator at farms in the US, and I've seen how workers have been sprayed with pesticide and have had to deal with serious health issues and generally had their life expectancy cut in half.

I'm all for using less pesticides if solely for the sake of the workers who pick our foods, even though the environmental reasons are compelling as well.

The human fate of a non organic industry. Something I must admit I hadn't thought about before.

I buy my fruit and veges from our local organic store. I am lucky our local Grocery Store has a good organic and fair trade section. I have been thinking of joining a fruit tree Co-op. You buy your own fruit tree in a shared orchard and can come in and pick your own fruit. I don't know if it is organic.

[xrodolfox]

xrodolfox I see some of you'r point, if you'r conserned for the workers beeing exposed to the stuff then why do you not mined ingesting it? there by exposing you'r self.

I rather not ingest pesticides, but in the small quantities, I'm willing to do it if the alternative is not commercially available or unaffordable.

In practice, that means that the vast majority of what I buy is organic, but for me, the health reasons aren't really compelling. What is compelling is the labor/human right's aspect of it. It seems to me that the routine use of pesticides is worse for workers than even the lack of "fair trade". The whole agribusiness gov't subsidy thing is way whack.

[airalien]

Hey guys,

I was just wondering which farming methods you get your food from?

Organic, non-organic, a mixture? How about things like soaps; there seems to be a mixture of organic/non-organic in soap - do you prefer your products with or without organic ingredients?

Sorry guys I know there are a lot of threads on this, and I've read most of them, but still have no idea on what to buy. At the moment I am eating non-organic but my soap/toothpaste have organic ingredients in them. I hate to think how they were grown.

If you could also leave your reasons that would be wonderful. Thanks!

[maariak]

A mixture, although I am trying to buy more organic. When I relocate to my new home I will be starting to grow most of my own produce. I cannot wait In regards to soaps and cosmetics etc I get a lot of allergies so I stick to Lush products and soap free body washes. Some Lush products are fine for my skin too which is helpful.

[airalien]

Hey maariak,

My mum has that problem, too! I don't know if I have but my hands go red and sores form after a while of using soap.

[Ladygold]

A mixture, although I am trying to buy more organic. When I relocate to my new home I will be starting to grow most of my own produce. I cannot wait In regards to soaps and cosmetics etc I get a lot of allergies so I stick to Lush products and soap free body washes. Some Lush products are fine for my skin too which is helpful.

I cannot be in a lush store for very long, does the smell bother you at all?
I start feeling sick after a few min and have to leave


LG

[TJ]

We buy some organic and some not. Though between the months of May - Nov we have TONS of organic foods. We buy a share in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). So we have an interest in a local organic farm and each week pick up 3/4 bushel of fresh picked organic produce. It is one of the best investments ever. We get good produce at a reasonable price and are supporting a local organic family farm in the process. It is a win-win to us.

[Astrid660]

^That sounds awesome! I wonder if they have that in small towns or it's just a city thing?

I buy some organic and some not... Where money allows for it... But some things I am adamant about, like the 'dirty dozen' list of f&v they say are most important to get organic...

[LiveLong]

Certainly I want to buy all organic / GMO-free produce but the price is too high. I think it bothers me so much that I will move it up my priority list. I plan to grow as much as possible this summer. It is a drag to have half organic and half not in the cart and then to prepare them together.

[s_am]

Now that I've got the eating 100% vegan thing down for a few months, I'm starting to buy more local produce and gradually transitioning to organic. Obviously money is really tight as a student, but I'm hopefully having a house with a garden soon so hope to grow my own instead. Home grown carrots are incredible!

[andyclissa]

That's really great idea to know opinion of people about organic food. I think that we should run a program to aware more and more about organic food importance.
Thanks

[Reija]

I buy as much organic as I can but it is too expensive (or hard to find) to buy exclusively organic as much as I would like to.

Since I started buying organic my food costs has gone up with maybe 30 dollars a week. That's a lot for me and my boyfriend, but I still think that it is worth it. Some things are really hard to find though, and I hate that I have the choice of buying apples, pears and bananas .... I would love to buy organic cool fruits and vegetables! My skincare is also organic, but my makeup is not. I will soon make the transitition over to organic soap and hair products too.