Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Thoughts on Organic Food

I have noticed an increase in the amount of organic products available in grocery stores lately. I've started to wonder how so many more are available and how the pricing is getting more competitive. Recently I purchased organic orange juice that was cheaper than Tropicana. I normally buy Tropicana because it is not from concentrate. On this organic one that I bought I didn't read the fine print and found it had some juice from concentrate so I'm not sure how much this affected the price. But it proves that every shopper can be sold on the organic label and price combination. I do a fair bit of research and usually read the labels. This time I assumed that the organic one would be not from concentrate. The fact that it was cheaper and organic sealed the deal and I overlooked the label. I checked for the organic certification and it was there so I was satisfied. There are several certifications out there so be sure the products you buy have the certification. The juice is alright but I think I'll be going back to my original brand because I like the not from concentrate better.

As usual, buyer beware and read the fine print. I am worried that all the organic products are going to saturate the market and create huge demand that organic production will not be sustainable and defeat the purpose. Looks like local markets and community gardens will be the next stop for me...

6 comments:

BBC said...

"Recently I purchased organic orange juice that was cheaper than Tropicana."

That's interesting. Because it's more labor extensive and expensive to make organic products.

Only big farming projects bring the price of food products down. Mass production, like making cars.

Have you ever tried to raise the crops and meats to put meals on your table?

It can be done, but it is a lot of work, a whole lot of work, and if a crop fails it really hurts.

I haven't lived on a farm for many years, it's cheaper to work, get a check and do to the store for food that is cheaper than I can raise it.

I can't buy a chick and raise it to be a chicken for four bucks. Isn't that odd?

Anonymous said...

Thanks! Great Blog!

Kim said...

Hi, I agree that farmers markets and buying local is the best way to go!! You know what you are getting and who you are getting it from. So very many companies these days are greenwashing! I like your blog and have given you a link from mine.
Namaste
kim

Ham said...

Too many people are just believing something because it is labeled. You see it here in juice, but it's happening in many different aspects of life. I'm disappointed in the lack of effort that people are putting into educating themselves before they make decisions, especially with my generation. I am only sixteen and I don't have many adult friends, so I'm not sure if thats the case there either.

I like the blog a lot.
I have two blogs on different accounts, one of which I started this morning.
Check them out:
http://educateham.blogspot.com/
http://givehamtruth.blogspot.com/

Toxic World Blog said...

BBC, the price is what got me and I was shocked that it was cheaper. Time and space are a problem when it comes to growing food otherwise I'd do more.

Kim, the only thing to be careful of at farmer's markets is that not all the stalls are run by farmers. Many people have found that buying wholesale and selling at these markets is more lucrative than farming. As usual it is buyer beware out there.

Ham, the best we can hope for is that more people start putting forth the effort and changing the way we do things. We can all find ways to do more on the environmental front and many other areas of life. Good luck and thanks for the comments everyone.

Claireified said...

You could always just invest in an electric juicer! Like this one: http://www.debnroo.com/servlet/the-1309/Black-&-Decker-Citrus/Detail
See? Only $25. Make your own orange juice every day, then you don't have to worry about labels and stuff.

But then I guess you'd have to worry about the oranges you buy.

...


...Plant an orange tree!