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Have you ever wondered how many miles your cantaloupe has on it or questioned the gas guzzling habits of your kiwi? When you reach for that apple in the produce bin, do you consider the hand that picked it from the tree? Do you ever think about the life that bag of spinach had prior to your tossing it in your shopping cart? Before our food makes it to the table it has been grown, harvested, handled, processed, packaged, shipped, stocked, perused, carted and bagged.
In the last century, the food habits of Americans have progressed from eating meat, dairy and produce from our own backyards, or a neighbor’s, to purchasing beautifully packaged, mass-marketed foods from all around the world. Though the convenience fits our hurry-go lifestyles, in many ways we’ve become disconnected from the things we eat. It is as if that fruit, vegetable, steak or milk originated in the grocery store display case.
One hundred years ago, notes Heather DiCicco, co-owner of New Life Natural Foods and DiChicko’s Peri Peri Café, everything was organic. And the foods people ate were locally grown. Beginning around World War II, several factors influenced our food supply, such as improved understanding of nutrition, an increased number of women entering the workforce, the interstate highway system, a global economy, a rising world population, government expansion, agricultural advances and more. Consumer demand for a wider variety of foods year-round paired with convenience at a low cost, combined with the food industry’s adjustments to meet that demand, has not only changed the way we eat, but also what we eat, where it comes from and how it is processed.
In the past decade or so, with rising obesity, disappearing family farms, struggling local economies, an increased incidence of illness and disease, and mounting awareness of environmental issues, many people are beginning to look at food in new ways. Interest in organic, natural and locally grown meat, dairy and produce has propelled what once were niche markets to marketplace competition for grocery dollars. The sage advice of all experts who have observed this trend is for consumers to educate themselves about what they are paying for and what proven benefits it provides.
The first part of that education involves understanding what the terms actually mean. “Natural” and “All Natural” can be found on the packaging of everything from nuts to cereal to chicken cutlets. Except in the case of meat and poultry, “natural” has no officially sanctioned or regulated government or industry definition. It is generally accepted to mean minimally processed food that is free of synthetic preservatives, artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners, artificial additives, hydrogenated oils, stabilizers and emulsifiers.
Meat and poultry labeled “natural” are required to align with the government definition, which pertains to how it is handled and processed, not how the animals were raised. “Natural” meat and poultry are minimally processed and have no added color or artificial ingredients. The animals, however, may have been given antibiotics and hormones. Use of the term “natural” for meats is defined by but not monitored by the government.
“Organic” is a term rigorously regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), from production to processing to labeling. “Organic refers not only to the food itself, but how it’s produced,” says Betty English, extension agent with the Richmond County Extension office. Many of the standards refer primarily to farming practices. Organic meat, poultry and dairy products are derived from animals given no hormones or antibiotics. Additionally, livestock operations practice rotational grazing upon mixed forage pastures.
In the production of fruits and vegetables, ecological balance and biodiversity are key considerations in organic designation, with water and soil conservation as top concerns. Crop rotation, cover crops and animal manures aid in soil fertilization, while biological controls and crop rotation ward off weeds, disease and insects. Farms must cultivate crops using renewable resources, and no synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or sewer sludge may be used in crop maintenance. In addition bioengineering and irradiation are disallowed.
For a product to be labeled “organic,” the farm producing the product must be certified organic by the USDA and given permission to use the USDA organic label. Not only is the farm required to be certified by the USDA, but so must all processors who handle the foods between the farm and the grocer’s shelves. Organic regulations restrict the use of additives, processing aids and fortifying agents, which might include preservatives, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, artificial flavors and MSG.
Furthermore, there is a labeling hierarchy for varying grades of organic. Agricultural products labeled “100 percent organic” must contain only organically produced ingredients and processing aids. Agricultural products labeled simply “organic” must contain no less that 95 percent organically produced products (excluding water and salt) and any non-organic products added must be from the approved government list. Processed foods labeled “made with organic ingredients” must contain at minimum 70 percent organically produced ingredients.
“Locally grown” is much more straightforward in its definition. Tomatoes grown in your backyard are locally grown. The squash your farmer friend brings to you from his plot in Burke County are locally grown. Kim Hines, director of Augusta Locally Grown, uses a rough 100 mile radius as a guideline. In a less quantitative way, she says that locally grown means food gets from the farm to your table without making any stops along the way that would require efforts to preserve its freshness. In other words, the consumer gets it the same day it’s picked or the day after. Though there are no regulations or certifications for “locally grown,” most promoters of it use similar definitions.
But what does this labeling mean for you, the end user? Really, it depends on what qualities of your food are most important to you. While some people crave convenience to ease the pressures of getting a meal on the table after a busy day, others place importance on variety of foods to cook and serve. Low environmental impact within the food growing and distribution network may concern others. Nutrition is also a prime consideration. Many people look at cost and the economy when making decisions about which foods to purchase.
As far as convenience goes, conventionally grown foods and organic foods are both available in grocery stores seven days a week. The variety of organic foods in a single store, however, may not be as vast as that of conventional foods. If consumers cannot find a particular organic product at one of the large chain grocery stores, they most likely will be able to purchase it at one of the many specialty markets answering the call, like New Life Natural Foods, Earth Fare, Fresh Market or, outside the Augusta area, Whole Foods.
Accessibility to locally grown meat, dairy and vegetables, on the other hand, is more limited. Buying locally grown foods isn’t as easy as walking into a store and filling a shopping cart. Still, a number of sources exists. Options include developing relationships with area farmers and going directly to the farm for products, visiting a pick-your-own farm or going to a farmers’ market. Community Supported Agriculture is a system in which many individuals each contribute a set sum to the farm in exchange for weekly deliveries of products at a designated pick-up location. Finally, aggregates like Augusta Locally Grown bring together the wares of several farms, take customer orders and arrange for weekly deliveries to designated locations.
Availability of locally grown meat, poultry, dairy, fruits and vegetables is dictated by season and climate. A wide variety of leafy greens is available during the cooler months in the Augusta area, but avocados and oranges don’t grow here at all. Furthermore, conditions, such as drought, animal illness or insects, can affect supply of locally grown foods.
On the flip side, locally grown foods use less fossil fuel to get to the consumer than organic and conventional foods. In the global food economy, organic and conventional foods must be transported point-to-point, from all around the world, through many middle-man distributors, eventually arriving at the grocery store. Organically grown products, because of the emphasis on soil and water conservation, have fewer negative effects on the environment than conventional foods. Many local farmers practice sustainable, organic farming methods even if they have not financially invested in USDA organic certification. From an environmental standpoint, then, local, organically grown (whether USDA certified organic or not) is the gold standard. Locally grown foods also offer the added benefit of food dollars remaining in the community instead of being distributed across the corporate food system.
One of the main concerns people have about the food they eat is nutrition. To date, there is no conclusive evidence that organic foods have more nutritional value than conventional foods. “Nutrition,” says Hines, “has everything to do with preparing and eating foods; it’s variety, portion control and eating the right foods.” Nonetheless, organic meat, poultry, dairy, fruits and vegetables are grown and processed in ways to minimize exposure to synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, sewage sludge, growth hormones, antibiotics, irradiation and genetic modification. Therefore, eating organic foods may reduce consumption of undesirable and potentially harmful substances.
Nonetheless, consumers should acknowledge that the USDA states, “Organic agriculture practices cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues,” and, though synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are barred, fruits and vegetables may be treated with naturally occurring chemicals (for example, calcium hypochlorite, boric acid, and copper sulfate), as well as animal manures.
Another benefit of buying locally grown is the opportunity to directly question the farmer about his or her cultivation practices to determine if he or she is growing food you feel comfortable feeding your family. As stated earlier, USDA certification of organic may be cost prohibitive for smaller farms. Still, many of them grow crops and animals using organic methodology. Some may even go beyond the federal standards for organic. Organizations such as Augusta Locally Grown and the Aiken County Farmers Market bring producers and consumers together, allowing for one-on-one exchange of information and ideas.
Is it possible to be a purist? Is it possible for a person to eat only organic foods? Or only locally grown foods? Or even more stringently, only locally grown, organic foods? Though cost of organic food, a commonly cited barrier to eating an all organic diet, tends to be higher than that of conventionally grown and produced food, the demand for organic, according to DiCicco, is driving down prices and increasing supply. Meat prices are generally higher, explains Hines, because animals not given growth hormones yield less. To pay the lowest prices on produce, DiCicco recommends purchasing fruits and vegetables in season. DiCicco believes that the conscientious consumer can find a plentiful amount of affordable organic offerings in the CSRA. At the very minimum, if not going all the way organic, she recommends that people buy organic apples, celery, broccoli, spinach, potatoes, peaches, strawberries, carrots, kale, grapes, cherries and bell peppers.
Eating only locally grown food poses more of a challenge. It may mean forgoing some personal favorites. For example, bananas and coffee beans won’t grow in this region. Other favorite foods can only be eaten in-season, such as peaches. Hines points out that eating locally requires people to plan, to learn to store foods so that they can be enjoyed in seasons when not available fresh and to experiment with preparing foods with which they may not be familiar. She adds, “We don’t have the option of eating locally grown foods exclusively in the CSRA because we don’t have enough sustainable farms in our area.”
Both DiCicco and Hines believe that when making food purchases, the ideal option is USDA certified organic locally grown. When that is not available, buy local foods organically grown, as verified by the farmer. When going to the grocery store to fill in the gaps, shoot for purchasing products that are organic or made with organic ingredients. Conventionally grown foods should be the last option.
The terms “natural,” “organic” and “locally grown” are not synonyms for each other or for healthy eating. Bacon, no matter the source, will clog the arteries if over done. Cream from the milk of cows not pumped with growth hormones or antibiotics still has a high fat content. Many foods made with organic ingredients are high in salt, sugar, fat or calories. Whether you choose to eat conventionally produced foods or an alternative, it’s always essential to read food labels, wash all fruits and vegetables and eat a well-balanced diet with lots of variety.
