Mother Talkers

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  • interesting (0 / 0)

    Interesting findings.

    I think, on packaged food, the cheap and non-branded conventional food (think those bags of cereal in Wal-Mart) is still cheaper than any organic.  But when you compare brand names to different organic brands, it could go either way.

    On fresh food though, I'm finding the organic prices around here are absolutely crazy when compared to conventional.

    I'm waiting for the big expose when we find out that all of this organic food really isn't organic anyway.

    by NJmom on Mon May 05, 2008 at 01:59:00 PM PDT

    • no kidding (0 / 0)

      I'm so suspicious of most "organic" labelling. I rarely buy organic anything at the supermarket; usually just milk. I did get spoilt in the UK, though; they have a non-profit body called the Soil Association, which spends a lot of time and effort on its organic logo. Product manufactureres apply for the right to have their logo on their packaging and the SA is really strict on examination, origin, process, the whole nine yards. It has a tremendous amount of trust and goodwill, so it was easy believing.

      by Rachel on Mon May 05, 2008 at 04:00:33 PM PDT

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    • Refunds! (0 / 0)

      Class action suit for a refund, if that is the case? Start documenting your purchases now ;).

      by RachelD on Mon May 05, 2008 at 06:32:51 PM PDT

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    • Organic is real (0 / 0)

      In general, I definitely trend toward skepticism, but I feel really sad about the skepticism brewing around organic agriculture. I work for an organization that manages three year-round farmers markets where about 80% of the produce sold is certified organic. The certification process is stringent and expensive. A lot of the smaller family farmers grow organically, but they skip the certification process because they can't afford it. If you want to see a one-pager about what certification entails, check out this link.

      It's true that since the USDA took over setting the standards for organic certification, there have been politically motivated attempts to undermine the standards, but they remain pretty rigorous. When you purchase something that is labeled "organic," the product will also say who the certifying agent was. Oregon Tilth is one of the oldest (predating the USDA's involvement with organics), and they are a nonprofit that maintains the highest standards for organic ag.

      Organic farming is very different from conventional agriculture in terms of soil conservation, biodiversity, and farmworker health. Conventional agriculture methods are absolute hell on farmworkers' health and the health of their families. This is, to me, one of the primary reasons I buy organic. It's a social justice issue.

      by Amy on Mon May 05, 2008 at 07:37:53 PM PDT

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      • Sorry for the snark (0 / 0)

        My cousin is a family farmer and they converted a big chunk of their land to organic maybe 8 years ago. It is indeed very expensive, and takes a lot of knowledge and technical skill to pull it off. And the worst part is when the economy tanked in 2000-2001 -  many farms in their area, including them, had to leave land empty because once you go organic, it's way too painful to go back. And for a while nobody was buying organic baby greens, etc.

        And the worker issue - if more people thought about this angle, I think more people would get behind organic. I was really shocked once on a walkabout on a farm in Monterey County to see little signs with skulls and crossbones in the fields because spraying had occurred. So yeah, no shock to you Amy, but a big helping of poison with that broccoli, please. It's not right that people have to be breathing that in and getting on their skin as part of their jobs.

        by RachelD on Mon May 05, 2008 at 08:44:48 PM PDT

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      • I hear what you're saying (0 / 0)

        but there has been a problem, at least in Australia, with supermarkets slapping "organic" on their labels without any discernable basis for that. Part of the problem here is that there are at least four bodies that supposively regulate standards for "organic". They differe quite considerably, but you wouldn't know that unless you spent a lot of in-depth time reading their requirements. It does tend to leave a bad taste in the mouth. (no pun intended).

        I am not skeptical about organic per se. I shop at my local co-op market (around the corner!) and I trust their certification because they're local and they take a lot of time to explain what their labeling means. It's almost a person-to-person connection. As I said upthread, I also look to the UK's Soil Association certification as a "gold standard" for organic labelling; it is simple, respected, and easy to understand. The British government in its wisdom has chosen not to meddle with that and in fact looks to the Soil Association for assistance in creating their own ag standards when it comes to organic.

        I agree with you that organic farming has a social justice as well as an environmental agenda, which is why I detest the cheapening of the words as some supermarkets have tried to do.

        by Rachel on Mon May 05, 2008 at 10:14:21 PM PDT

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      • good (0 / 0)

        That's good.

        by NJmom on Tue May 06, 2008 at 05:58:40 AM PDT

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        • I live in an isolated part of the country (0 / 0)

          The Florida Keys. We spend more on gas, food, electricity, insurance everything. Granted we choose to live here -- but it was the only State Attorney's office that offered hubby a job right out of law school. So...

          Anyhow, when organic milk hit $4.05 a HALF gallon I went back to conventional milk. Organic eggs are still holding steady, but I can see a day when they are quadruple the price of regular and then I will have to go back there too. Its makes me sick really.

          by Suzanne77 on Tue May 06, 2008 at 08:19:52 AM PDT

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      • You are right (0 / 0)

        Definitely, although I can see why people are skeptical, if you think about things that have come out such as the "wild" salmon sold in several NY supermarkets which were subsequently tested by the NY Times and found to be farmed (ascertained by a test of the pink color, normally a sign of wildness but in this case was found to be a dye).

        Katherine

        by pat of butter in a sea of grits on Tue May 06, 2008 at 09:55:38 AM PDT

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