Organic Food: Going Against the Grain

Hello everybody. I’m Maureen and I am writing this blog for a college class called Writing, Research, and Technology. I chose the topic of the organic food movement because I want to acquire information about healthy eating and healthy lifestyle choices for my own family, and to share what I find with you.

I have a vested interest in eating and living organic. I am a one year breast cancer survivor with a thirteen year old daughter to raise. Colon cancer claimed my mother’s life in her forties, so I’ve always had an awareness of the benefits of eating less chemical and hormone-laced food. The water in my area of New Jersey is a cause for concern–pediatricians have told us not to drink the tap water.

My understanding of “organic” food is that it is produced without the use of harmful pesticides and chemical additives, and that it is contains more nutrients than non-organic food. According to Virginia Louise’s blog at organicfoodinfo.net, our U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) certifies food as organic, but some is only 95% organic or 70% organic. It must state this on the labels. The USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) can fine a person $10,000 for selling or labeling products that do not meet their standards.

There are exceptions to the certification rules: restaurants and grocery stores. I will be reporting on the organic selections that I find in my local supermarkets and restaurants, and how they are labeled.

Virginia Louise’s article, The Advantages of Organic Food from organicfoodinfo.net gives good reasons to go organic, such as disease prevention and anti-aging, that most people are interested in.

Many countries don’t have laws against using pesticides, antibiotics and growth hormones fed to animals, petroleum-based fertilizers, or even sewage sludge as fertilizer.

My interests include finding out about furniture and household items that don’t contain poisons, too. I believe in using environmentally safe products and that it is a good investment to spend the extra for them. The plan here is to come up with a good working list of retailers and the products they sell that can change our lifestyles for the better.

Virginia Louise. (n.d.) The Advantages of Organic Food. Retrieved October 15, 2008, from http://organicfoodinfo.net.