All right, peoples. It's time to get to some nitty gritty. ps- this one is long, so get comfy with your snuggy and chi latte.
So the other day our boss sent us to the grocery store. And we found $5. Not really. Buuut, when we made it out of the candy aisle (which is where we spent most of our time) and to the produce section we suddenly panicked, "What on earth?! Why are these apples so expensive?!" I looked up and saw the sign. Oh, we're in the "organic" section. Have you ever noticed that when you go to the store, the organic and regular produce look the same? Do you ever wonder where your food comes from and how it even got to the store in the first place? Think about it, if a strawberry gets picked in Canada (or where ever they come from) to your local grocery store, in one piece, and all the while exuding a beautiful shade of red, how do they do that?!
With allergies and cardiovascular diseases on the rise, many people buy organic under the notion that it is pesticide-hormone-antibiotic-preservative free. But is it? IS IT?!?! Well, yes and no. It depends on what you buy.
What does organic even mean? Isn't it pure, pristine, free of badness?! No, sorry to burst your bubble; it gets a little more technical than that. Which is why this next part was written entirely by our in-house Environmentalologist, Allison Robertson. "In the strictest sense, organic means that a chemical is composed of carbon and hydrogen. For instance, you are organic. Gasoline, poison ivy, paper, snake venom, sugar. Organic. The famous mosquito-eliminating-human-life-saving-bird-murdering DDT that was banned in 1973. Also organic.Organic is defined by law 'a labeling term that refers to an agricultural product produced in accordance with the [National Organic Program] Act and the regulations in this part.'" Oh, that really helps an earth lover out. It pretty much just means that "organic" cannot be simply defined. It's an entire practice of growing crops and raising livestock. It's a way of life man. It's called LTD. Look it up. Check it out for yourself here.
If you don't normally like to read the law (I mean who doesn't?) know that the law is amended to allow exceptions to the rule. (if you dont know what most of these big words mean dont feel dumb, you're just average. click the link) Check this link out. Also, when you read statistics, ponder: “Hmm, I wonder who is paying this statistician big bucks or dollars…” Just sayin. Watch yourself.
Like any other law as well as fashion, the organic program has come a long way from 1990, through mistakes, revelations, and even overalls. At first, people just thought because a chemical was deemed "organic" by anyone, even RUN DMC himself, it was safe. Whoops! They can be just as toxic as any other chemical! Now, organic farmers are required to control pests by much stricter and much more "organic" regulations , however they are still allowed to use several pesticides.
Here's the low-down on pesticides. Pesticides prevent disease causing insects, animals, and microorganisms from infesting our produce. Pesticides allow farmers to grow lots of big crops without using so much land and water. Pesticides are almost always understood as BAD SCARY TOXIC things that make babies cry and clowns smile. But, pesticides can be organic or inorganic, synthetic or natural, and any type of these chemicals can be harmful or totally not. Dont you love how vague we are today? After all it is monday.
So what should we do about our produce?????
Wash it. Organic or not, keep yourself and the kiddos in the clear by washing all of your produce.
And here's a brand new idea we spent 3 days locked in out idea room developing: grow your own! And be popular! It's a proven fact by literally zero scientist that if you grow your own food you will become 7 times more popular than before; hipsters do it for some reason right?
Addressing livestock and poultry. Think on this, when many people take antibiotics to treat an infection, receive a vaccine, or take vitamin supplements, they are ultimately taking chemicals to treat illness or promote certain health factors they aren't able to naturally obtain. Countless people need hormone therapies and many other medication to stay alive, such as diabetes or hypothyroidism. This is ultimately another issue all together, because we will have to begin to critique societies perpetual false reliance on mass chemical medication, mass premature development, mass devastation to immunities, the major economic bubble pharmaceuticals have created, and so much more. Another factor in this debate is the ethical side of it all. It is impossible to say that modern medicines work and practices of chemical medications are 100% bad, after all they save lives, but we must ask, "at what cost?" A classic question in this debate is proposed as follows, " If a doctor refused to provide you chemicals that could heal you, wouldn't that be cruel?" Of course this question cannot be easily answered with a yes or no, because there are so many other factors that contribute. Regardless of your stance on the issue it is easy to see how far we have become disconnected from what we eat, especially in the meat world. Which is why mass strict regulation of what chemicals are going into what livestock and when. In the case of organically raised livestock are not, by law, routinely treated with growth promoting hormones and antibiotics, but vets still prescribe treatments to keep them healthy. Here's a solid quote for you: A producer must not “withhold medical treatment from a sick animal in an effort to preserve its organic status.” Check out this fact sheet. So, hopefully by now you are super confused about all of this. But dont give up, it will be ok, just read a bunch of stuff and become opinionated, oh and dont forget:
Think of finding a good doctor. You don't just walk up to anyone with a medical degree and pay him to diagnose your illness (well...actually if youre not on medicare you probs do)...But you SHOULD do research. You might oughtta ask other people, look at the doctor's resume, and meet the doctor before scheduling a checkup. So if you care about the food that fuels your body, wouldn't you do more of a background check than just looking at a food label and ASSUME it's absolutely perfect? Just because organic farmers must have accreditation to sell organic, not everyone follows the law in the same way. Some pride themselves with going above and beyond. Some just get by.
And another thing! The National Organic Program was preceded by other laws that regulate animal welfare and toxic substances. Look into FDA, FIFRA, and APHIS to get started. Point being, just because a farmer does not pay the price to be certified organic does not mean he is an evil pesticide and hormone user.
Any system can be played. Any loophole can be found.
All right earth lovers! Go out and empower yourselves! Cause youre cool like that...and by cool we mean kinda nerdy, but totes lovable by the opposite sex.
And as you do,live by this one rule: if you can easily recognize or pronounce the ingredients in a food item, it probably has less preservatives! ie- less is more people, less is MORE!
Oh yeah, click here for a funky thing about bees!
love the earth- theGreenteam
we're suckers for a good sale-a-bration:
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