Is the organic label worth the cost?

[Shuto]

link

FYI - Here's a recent article about Whole Foods trying to buy more local products.

 

[Andrew Green]

Well, I buy the cheap store brand spring water partially because I prefer the taste, but partially because its convienient so let me just put on my little hypocrite hat...

Both Bottled water and organic foods are a waste (and yes, I drink bottled water) it is a minimal taste difference, but that's not why its a waste.

Farmers can produce far more food faster using pesticides and growth hormones, that is why they do it. With all the people in the world that are starving, producing more food faster should be the goal. If we stopped producing food that wasn't organic a lot more people would starve.

 

[Seeking Zen]

Is the organic label worth the cost)

No....

 

[Sukerkin]

It's a bit of a tangent but the major reason why there is starvation in the world is poor distribution rather than a bottleneck in production.

In the West the problem is over-production whilst in the so called Third World the problem is either climatological, Multi-National-Corporational or Tin-Pot-Dictatorial.

Most of the famines that have made the headlines for the past twenty years were eminently avoidable and could've been handled by the indiginous farmers if it weren't for the internicine civil wars rampaging all over the place.

Leaving that aside, the agriculture that is described as the alternative to Organic farming methods is not sustainable. It's narrow visioned methodology is what has resulted in vast mono-cultures with vulnerabilities to all kinds of diseases that, surprise, surprise, can only be kept viable by the application of even more chemicals. It is also not a surprise that the money behind the development of these crop types comes in large part from the agricultural chemical corporations.

Now understand I'm not going all 'conspiracy theory' here. It was only natural business sense that these companies would foster the environment that most suited them. The problem is that it makes for a precarious situation in which a plant disease mutation could cause real trouble.

Organic farming is not a fad (it's how we grew food for millenia prior to the twentieth century) and there is no need for it's products to be 'marked up' to the extent that Kwiter gave an example of. Chemical fertiliser and pesticides cost money, an awful lot in some cases and altho' putting a farm onto a non-industrial footing does induce higher expenses at first, running costs do not have to be outlandish.

Oops, as always seems to happen when I get the bit between my teeth, I'm starting to wander .. plus, my missus is calling me, ironically enough, for dinner .

More chat later I hope.

 

[Phoenix44]

I used to be unconcerned about the whole issue, but my opinion has evolved. I'm not fanatical about it, and sometimes the organics are not affordable for me, but yes I buy organics whenever possible.

Part of it has to do with the concept of sustainable agriculture, but mostly I feel why should I be eating poisons when I just don't have to? I no longer trust the USDA or the FDA to look out for my benefit when assessing and regulating food safety. Why should I eat apples and cucumbers coated with wax when I don't have to? Why should I eat unripe tomatoes that are artificially made pink and taste like cardboard? It makes no sense to me.