In Search of the "Organic"

The other day we were at the supermarket picking up some items for the Salud! Napa cooking show and we found ourselves in a sea of organic products: organic bananas, organic blueberries, organic blackberries, organic apples, organic granola… and even organic cleaning products! Except for the candy and frozen sections, it seemed that every product in the supermarket had its organic twin. “This is great!” We thought, “Now we know for sure that the food and products we are using are… organic?” Yeah, that doesn’t say much other than the reassurance of its positive connotation. What exactly is the meaning of this over-hyped term?

So we decided to ask some friends what came to their minds when they saw a product labeled “organic”. Most of them agreed that a product is classified organic if it does not use pesticides or growth hormones. These products are tended to naturally, without noxious chemicals, benefiting our bodies and the environment. According to the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), a product may be claimed “organic” if: it contains at least 95% organic ingredients, not counting water and salt; does not contain sulfites, and; it may contain up to 5% of non-organically produced agricultural ingredients which are not commercially available in organic form, and/or other substance allowed by 7 CFR 205.605 (non-agricultural, non-organic, substances allowed as ingredients in or on processed products labeled as “organic” or “made with organic” - specified ingredients or group(s)).

The USDA also defines a product labeled “100% organic” as one that is fully made from organic ingredients. However, as a friend described, 100% organic would be his grandfather’s farm in Mexico: they plant their own corn and raise their own chicken and cows. They do not use pesticides on the produce, feed their animals the corn that they grow, and instead of trucks they have carts pulled by oxen.

We love organic foods and knowing that we are consuming aliments that are not packed with harmful pesticides and other ingredients that could potentially contribute to the deterioration of the environment. Unfortunately, as no good comes without its own disadvantages, grocery shopping for organic products may take a toll on the wallet. It seems that a majority of the organic products come at a price higher than those of non-organic products. Stay tuned for next week’s blogs on how to cut down the costs of your grocery shopping while still purchasing organic products.

¡Salud!

Anna + Ariel