The long standing debate between people who care about their health and the health of the environment concerns not only what food to eat, but what kind of food is best to buy.
How do you sort out the differences between local, organic and local-organic foods? Which is better for our health and better for the planet? What the heck does it mean to be organic anyway?
Different people define “local” product different ways. Some say that if food comes from farther than 50 miles away it is not local. Many say 100 miles is the cutoff. Others say it must be within 250 miles to be considered “locally-grown”.
The choice is yours, if you live in a booming agricultural area then you should probably set your standards a little higher. If you live in the middle of a desert, then having your food travel a bit farther to get to you is probably okay.
Organic typically means “Certified Organic”. Growers have to go through a lengthy and expensive certification process overseen by the USDA or other credible certifiers such as Oregon Tilth to be “certified organic.”
Organic foods are those grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and are not genetically modified. For plants, organic also means that farmers don’t irradiate their crops, and for animals it means that they’ve been given only organic feed for a year or more, no antibiotics and no growth hormones. One thing to take into consideration is that farmers may be farming organically, but they may not be certified because of the time commitment certification requires.
Continue reading: “Which Is Better For the Environment – Organic or Locally Grown Foods?”
