Is it Really Organic? Consumer Knowledge
I wanted to write something to help in identifying and clarifying what is the true meaning of the word Organic.
The official meaning of Organic? It seems that the term is not an "Official" term here in the States. The "Official" term for Organics that meet Organics standards is "Certified Organic".
Ok, but with that said, the term Organic is not always well defined. The Webster's definition is as follows:
of food : grown or made without the use of artificial chemicals, not using artificial chemicals, or, relating to, or obtained from living things.of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of
food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal
origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth
stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides <organic farming> <organic produce>
(1) : of, relating to, or containing carbon compounds (2) :
relating to, being, or dealt with by a branch of chemistry concerned
with the carbon compounds of living beings and most other carbon
compounds.
Yet, in the States the term has been known to mean a plethora of different things, i.e., describing various sustainable agricultural and food items, textiles, toys, cosmetics, beverages, beauty, bath, and body products as well as many others.
Also, we seem to use the term as an action as well. Example: I live organically, or organic farming is better, etc. But I feel as though the word or term is sometimes used in an inappropriate manner. For instance, take a shampoo, or body care products, they are calling it organic, yet it contains some harmful chemicals that are normally allowed in organic products. Then, there is another exception because not ALL real organics are "Certified". I know, you are scratching you head with a look of puzzlement saying, "whatever do you mean?" I'll explain, if a grower or farmer uses sustainable growing methods yet chooses not to get certified, or maybe be exempt from certification because they sell less than $5k worth of products annually doesn't mean that the product(s) aren't organic. Allow me to further explain, just because a grower or farmer isn't certified, but truly grows organically doesn't mean it's not organic. As confusing as this might seem, simply "not" being certified doesn't mean it's not organic. This simply means the consumer may have a more difficult time of distinguishing the difference must become more educated in this area and to ask more questions to determine organic integrity.
Yet, it can become even more tricky because the certifying agents along with the USDA have come under fire for certifying organics when the organic products doesn't or hasn't followed USDA standards or guidelines. Seems that the 'enforcement' of federal laws governing organics is abysmal at best. Thus, poor certification standards seriously confuses the organic issue as well as the consumer. So if the organic industry can't trust the USDA's organic seal or it's agents, it seems to me to corrupt the integrity of the organic industry all together.
So, this is why I decided to do my own little experiment/study. Three (3) months ago I took 4 apples, 2 from my local Wal-Mart and 2 from my local organic market. I sat them on my kitchen counter to see which would turn brown the fastest, to me that would be a tale-tale sign of which one breaks down the fastest in my body, as well as a sign of freshness. I felt that the freshest would most likely start to go bad the quickest. (naturally). Well, the results were astonishing! (not really because most of us already know). The organic apples took the shorter time to begin to break down while the other 2 from Wally World are STILL on my counter in almost pristine condition! Yes, 3 months later! Why on earth would anyone want to eat non-organic? Why would I want to put that in my temple? It's GMO'ed and undoubtedly laced with chemicals and pesticides. What ever happen to the good 'ol days when we didn't have to be concerned with this so much? Why does it seem to cost more to eat healthier when back in the day growing our own food was the norm. There were chemicals and DDT back then, but I guess not as much as today. Monsanto has come a long way and still growing strong, ahh, but that's for another blog post.
We the consumer must become more educated, demand better and clearer certification of our organics, and to create better guidelines.
I do my best to purchase locally grown organics whenever possible, and I hope this article has helped you to become better informed and enlightened. We'd loved to hear from you so go ahead and leave your comments below.
EAT ORGANIC
and whenever possible support your local organic market/store.
Yet, in the States the term has been known to mean a plethora of different things, i.e., describing various sustainable agricultural and food items, textiles, toys, cosmetics, beverages, beauty, bath, and body products as well as many others.
Also, we seem to use the term as an action as well. Example: I live organically, or organic farming is better, etc. But I feel as though the word or term is sometimes used in an inappropriate manner. For instance, take a shampoo, or body care products, they are calling it organic, yet it contains some harmful chemicals that are normally allowed in organic products. Then, there is another exception because not ALL real organics are "Certified". I know, you are scratching you head with a look of puzzlement saying, "whatever do you mean?" I'll explain, if a grower or farmer uses sustainable growing methods yet chooses not to get certified, or maybe be exempt from certification because they sell less than $5k worth of products annually doesn't mean that the product(s) aren't organic. Allow me to further explain, just because a grower or farmer isn't certified, but truly grows organically doesn't mean it's not organic. As confusing as this might seem, simply "not" being certified doesn't mean it's not organic. This simply means the consumer may have a more difficult time of distinguishing the difference must become more educated in this area and to ask more questions to determine organic integrity.
Yet, it can become even more tricky because the certifying agents along with the USDA have come under fire for certifying organics when the organic products doesn't or hasn't followed USDA standards or guidelines. Seems that the 'enforcement' of federal laws governing organics is abysmal at best. Thus, poor certification standards seriously confuses the organic issue as well as the consumer. So if the organic industry can't trust the USDA's organic seal or it's agents, it seems to me to corrupt the integrity of the organic industry all together.
So, this is why I decided to do my own little experiment/study. Three (3) months ago I took 4 apples, 2 from my local Wal-Mart and 2 from my local organic market. I sat them on my kitchen counter to see which would turn brown the fastest, to me that would be a tale-tale sign of which one breaks down the fastest in my body, as well as a sign of freshness. I felt that the freshest would most likely start to go bad the quickest. (naturally). Well, the results were astonishing! (not really because most of us already know). The organic apples took the shorter time to begin to break down while the other 2 from Wally World are STILL on my counter in almost pristine condition! Yes, 3 months later! Why on earth would anyone want to eat non-organic? Why would I want to put that in my temple? It's GMO'ed and undoubtedly laced with chemicals and pesticides. What ever happen to the good 'ol days when we didn't have to be concerned with this so much? Why does it seem to cost more to eat healthier when back in the day growing our own food was the norm. There were chemicals and DDT back then, but I guess not as much as today. Monsanto has come a long way and still growing strong, ahh, but that's for another blog post.We the consumer must become more educated, demand better and clearer certification of our organics, and to create better guidelines.
I do my best to purchase locally grown organics whenever possible, and I hope this article has helped you to become better informed and enlightened. We'd loved to hear from you so go ahead and leave your comments below.
EAT ORGANIC
and whenever possible support your local organic market/store.
Nice blog. Very insightful. Thank you
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