And "organic" shampoo and cosmetics? They're a joke. Perhaps one ingredient in a beautifying potion or pomade may be organic, but there is no accounting for the rest. Save your money.
Labels Consumer Reports says you can trust are "100% Organic" (no synthetic ingredients, as mandated by law; production processes meet federal organic standards and have been independently verified by accredited inspectors), "Organic" (at least 95 percent of ingredients are organically produced, the rest can be non-organic or synthetic) and "Made with Organic Ingredients" (at least 70 percent of ingredients are organic, and the rest must be FDA-approved).
Of course, with organic food growing in popularity, many companies, seeking a lucrative payoff, are willing to do whatever it takes to fill their pockets.
According to CR's investigation,
"Consumer spending on organic has grown so much that we've attracted big players who want to bend the rules so that they can brand their products as organic without incurring the expenses involved in truly living up to organic standards," says Ronnie Cummins, national director of the Organic Consumers Association, an advocacy group based in Finland, Minn.
Lobbying by large food companies to weaken organic rules started when the U.S. Department of Agriculture fully implemented organic labeling standards in October 2002. Food producers immediately fought the new rules. A Georgia chicken producer was ultimately able to persuade one of his state's congressional representatives to slip through a federal legislative amendment in a 2003 appropriations bill to cut its costs. The amendment stated that if the price of organic feed was more than twice the cost of regular feed - which can contain heavy metals, pesticides, and animal by-products - then livestock producers could feed their animals less costly, non-organic feed but still label their products organic.
That bizarre change in standards was repealed in April 2003 after consumers and organic producers protested, but the fight to maintain the integrity of organic labeling continues. In October 2005, Congress weakened the organic-labeling law despite protests from more than 325,000 consumers and 250 organic-food companies. The law overturns a recent court ruling that barred the use of synthetic ingredients in "organic" foods. It mostly affects processed products such as canned soups and frozen pizza.
Which explains my suggestion to avoid "organic" processed foods. Unless you like their flavor, there really is no point - they are not organic in any meaningful sense. And while "organic" meats and poultry offer more assurance than those labeled "free-range," caveat emptor:
Current federal regulations state that organically raised animals must have access to pasture and may be "temporarily confined only for reasons of health, safety, the animal's stage of production, or to protect soil or water quality." But that vague language allows large producers to cut corners and compromise on what consumers expect from organic food, consumer advocates say.
The regulations also leave open questions about whether dairy animals could have been treated with antibiotics or consumed feed containing genetically modified grain or animal by-products prior to becoming part of an organic dairy farm.
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
Well UK figures show that, here anyway, organic milk is "higher levels of vitamin E, omega 3 essential fatty acids and antioxidants".
With any organic food there's also the added advantage that you are encouraging a more environmentally friendly form of farming, and hence making the world just a little healthier overall. (An indirect effect, but not insignificant.)
I'd agree with you about shampoos and similar being a con, although I reckon organic toothpaste isn't a bad idea.
2 - DJRadiohead
Outstanding article and thank you so much for writing it. I read the Consumer Report article but your additional links and information in here is great. The Wife to Whom I Am Married and I try hard to incorporate organic food and household products as much as our budget will allow. She and I will be looking this information over in more detail and discussing it.
3 - Natalie Davis
Ms. Bennett, indeed organic milk is demonstrably superior to nonorganic milk in the US and the UK - which is why it says above that it's worth spending extra for. Tastes better too, IMO.
Thanks, Mr. DJRadiohead. I'd wager you and The Wife to Whom You Are Married are healthier for choosing to go organic. If this essay can help you save money doing it or to make more informed choices, it has done its job.
4 - Mat Brewster
Very nice article. I will be forwarding this to the wife to whom DJRadiohead is not married. We're lucky in that there is a wide variety of organics in the area. We have a lovely farmers market and two local coops selling the goodies for not that bad a price.
Of course this means grocery shopping takes forever and includes at least 4 stores.
5 - JudiElise
Very informative article. It helped me keep up with what is going on in legislation to water down the stringent rules put in place. Personally, I pay the premium for organic foods because categorically, at least here in Maryland, the food taste better! Also, for health reasons, an organic lifestyle fits my family as we strive for better health, lower medical bills and less prescription medicine.
6 - Natalie Davis
I'm in Maryland too, and we try to go organic whenever possible for the same reasons. And yes, we find organic food tastes better. Being among those who are poor, we are limited as to what we can do re: premium-priced items, but through creativity, coops and CSA, we try to ensure that our diet is the best we can manage.
7 - Paul Roy
Great article. My wife and I have recently changed many of our food choices to organic. The stuff is SO damn expensive though. I didn't realize the amount of disparities with the "free-range", "free-roaming" lable. One of the main things we buy is organic eggs and milk. The things I found to be most satisfying are organic fruits, especially apples. A world of difference.
8 - Victor Plenty
Freedom from pesticide residues is only a tiny part of the reason for preferring organically grown foods. The trouble with chemical pesticides and fertilizers is only partly in their toxicity to humans and other living things (and make no mistake, many are far more toxic than their producers would have you believe). The deeper problem is that these substances cover up a huge number of deficiencies in the health of the soil. Many of them actually cause the deficiencies.
Without good healthy soil, it's simply impossible for plants to produce real food. Through selective breeding and chemical use, we now have many fruits and vegetables that look nutritious even when they are nearly worthless as a food source because they are grown in soils devoid of real nutrition.
Chemical fertilizers are also a vastly inefficient use of resources. Because they have to be water soluble to work at all, most of the materials applied to fields will run off with irrigation water or rainwater. This makes it necessary to apply the fertilizers at higher and higher levels, like an addictive drug, causing increasing water pollution problems for everyone downstream.
This is why organically grown ingredients are important even in products we don't eat, such as clothing, or in shampoos and other cosmetics.
Organic and biological control methods are the future of agriculture. The only question is how much additional damage we will allow the chemical companies to inflict on us before we kick them to the curb like the abusive spouse they've been all these years.
9 - suzanne thompson
I totally agree with everything organic, this includes skincare and shampoos and make-up and toothpaste. I buy all this from www.organics-online.com. The skincare range is 100% organic and is certified organic to food standards, nothing synthetic at all. The shampoos are as organic as you can get them, they are no sodium laurel sulphates or nasty chemicals in them.
10 - Merrill and John Clark
Generally a good article. However, you missed some important points. "Sustainable" has no more meaning than "natural" It defies definition and has no verification network for this reason. "Local" also is a pitfall. Fishmeal should not be allowed as organic feed or fertilizer for the same reason that fish cannot be labeled organic unless they come from a captive impounded water body within a long- time certified organic farm. Yet many organic farms use fish meal as feed or plant food or even as foliar spray. This is wrong and consumers should ask about this when buying organic plant or animal products. Look for direct marketing organic farms that are certified organic, read labels on processed organic foods, avoid products from processors who are members of the Organic Trade Association. Animal products cost at least 50 percent more to produce organically! Therefore price should not be your main criterion for selecting sources. John and Merrill Clark, Roseland Organic Farm, Cassopolis, Michigan, Roselandorganicfarms.com
11 - Natalie Davis
Wow, thanks for that info. Part of the purpose for this column is to enhance my own ongoing education - thanks for addding to what I've been learning on the subject and for giving important info to readers.
12 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Folks here are also going the organic route. Here it is whole different ballgame. The organic fruits and veggies here tend to be much more satisfying that the non-organic. From my experience, you need to eat less of them.
Here, with respect to meat, it is more a matter of whom you know. There is a rule in Judaism called "al tashHít" - essentially meaning that you don't waste. This rule applies for reasons that I do not understand to the living conditions of animals - particularly those raised for consumption, like chicken, turkey.
According to some authorities here, if these animals are confined in such a way as to prevent them having any pleasure in their lives - it doesn't matter how mercifully they were slaughtered or how many rabbis supervised the kashering process - they are not kosher.
So, the bottom line is that a truly kosher chicken had to have had a little pleasure in its stupid life.
Of course pushing that too publicly here knocks over lots of rice bowls...
13 - Natalie Davis
Organic tastes better and is more satisfying here too, IMO. And I often choose Kosher meats because they taste terrific and give me an assurance of wholesomeness (not to mention that somewhere, I have relations who are happy when I go Kosher). I have heard of "al tashHit," of course -- it reminds me of the hunting apothegm: "Only kill what you will eat." it's about responsible stewardship.
I love the concept that a chicken - the birds are reputed to be quite stupid - had some pleasure in its life too.
14 - black power
I HAVE A DREAm that one day there will be live african food to eat here
15 - Shannon W
This is a great article. It really helped me on my school report on why people should switch to organic products!
16 - NR Davis
Oh wow, that is great to hear. Thank you for sharing that.