What does organic mean? Get the textbook definition, plus 14 facts the organic industry doesn’t want you to know. Use this information to make the best decisions for your family when it comes to buying organic products.

When my daughter was born, Mr. Crumbs and I committed to buying organic milk, chicken, and eggs. Shortly thereafter, we also decided to buy organic produce according to the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen, as often as the budget allowed.
As the price of food continues to rise, we fight back by evaluating the food we buy. We consider what items we buy, the quality of what we buy, and whether our original decisions still fit into our real food mentality.
For example, we’ve noticed that the price of milk has gone up $1.50 since last year. We’ve been experimenting with dairy-free options, and have even considered forgoing all milk unless it has been cultured into yogurt or kefir. No definitive decision has been made yet, but we’re not sticking our heads in the sand and pretending the issue doesn’t exist.
So when a reader made the comment that she wasn’t going to buy organic produce anymore after doing some research for her own family, I started wondering about our own decision to buy organic produce too… especially since I’ve heard practically nothing but rave reviews about organic foods since day 1.
WHAT IS ORGANIC FOOD?
Why would a fellow real food eater purposely stop buying organic produce? What skeletons did she uncover in her research that I should know about? Were they really so bad that it warranted swearing off buying organic produce entirely?
I decided to do a little digging myself and as it turns out, there’s a plethora of “hidden” information on organic food and the organic industry as a whole. I say “hidden” loosely, because it’s not buried beneath links and PDF files to the point of no return.
It’s just that unless you choose to look, you won’t find anything.
After reading several books and articles and coming across enough little-known facts about organic food to make my head spin, I wasn’t so sure about our commitment to organic food anymore.
These 14 facts I’m sharing today are only a small glimpse into the organic industry – an industry that has grown at a rate that may not be sustainable for the long term.
I’m prefacing these facts with a disclaimer that I’m NOT calling organics bad or good, nor am I calling conventional bad or good. I firmly believe and will continue to encourage every family to make the best decisions that suit their needs.
But I also believe that your decisions should be well-informed.
With that said, here is some background information to set the stage.
WHAT DOES ORGANIC MEAN?
Many people don’t know the true meaning of the word “organic.” Some take it to mean natural, pesticide-free, and local. Others take it to mean certified to the utmost degree.
Here’s what it means to the United States Department of Agriculture, and for our purposes, the REAL definition of organic:
Organic is a labeling term that indicates that the food or other agricultural product has been produced according to the USDA organic standards. These methods integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation and genetic engineering may not be used.
I know that language is somewhat ambiguous, so here are a few highlights to help explain what those “approved methods” include, in plain English:
- That irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were not used
- Pesticides, if used, must be derived from natural sources
- These pesticides must be applied using equipment that has not been used to apply any synthetic materials for the past three years
- The land being planted cannot have been treated with synthetic materials for three years either
- Producers met animal health and welfare standards, did not use antibiotics or growth hormones, used 100% organic feed, and provided animals with access to the outdoors.
Note: There is also a chemistry definition of organic, which has to do with chemical structure, where a chemical is considered organic if it has at least one carbon atom. That’s not the definition we are using today.
Another post that you might find helpful is one that I wrote on the labeling of foods in the supermarket. You’ll want to read that one too, if you haven’t already, so you can understand what all the stickers on our produce means.

14 FACTS THE ORGANIC INDUSTRY DOESN’T WANT YOU TO KNOW
I’ve gathered information on things in the organic industry that gives me pause, including pesticides, labeling with the ‘organic seal’, and the quality of the organic food. Use these as a stepping stone in your own research.
(1) Pesticides are allowed in organic production.
Organic advocates often leave the impression that organic farming eliminates the need for pesticides…if that were true, the Organic Materials Review Institute would have no need to list more than 40 pesticides allowed in organic production.
This will come as a big shocker to those who buy organic products to avoid harmful pesticides. It’s true that each one of the 40+ pesticides on the “approved” list is individually reviewed and approved for use, but they’re still pesticides. They’ve been designed to do the same thing as all the other pesticides out there and there’s no guarantee that they’re any safer.
(2) Some “natural” chemicals used in organic farming are carcinogenic.
Until recently, nobody bothered to look at natural chemicals (such as organic pesticides and pest control), because it was assumed that they posed little risk. But when the studies were done…you found that about half of the natural chemicals studied are carcinogenic as well.
The organic industry has always been deemed “safer” than conventional, so very little attention has been given to testing the chemicals used in organic farming to see whether they really are safe. As it turns out, some of the approved chemicals may do just as much harm as some of the “dangerous” chemicals used often in conventional farming.
For families like my own, where we buy USDA organic foods to avoid harmful chemicals, this means that our money spent has essentially been wasted. In fact, we might be doing more harm than good since the “natural” chemicals haven’t been thoroughly tested.
(3) Organic pesticides aren’t always as effective as synthetic and may require more application in order to achieve the same protection.
A recent study compared the effectiveness of a rotenone-pyrethrin mixture versus a synthetic pesticide, imidan. Rotenone and pyrethrin are two common organic pesticides; imidan is considered a “soft” synthetic pesticide (i.e., designed to have a brief lifetime after application, and other traits that minimize unwanted effects). It was found that up to 7 applications of the rotenone-pyrethrin mixture were required to obtain the level of protection provided by 2 applications of imidan.
Building on the fact that many organic pesticides haven’t been tested for safety, now we see that farmers are having to use more because they’re not as effective as the chemicals used in conventional farming.
I’m not sure what’s more dangerous – consuming a larger quantity of chemicals that have NOT been tested for safety, or consuming a lesser quantity of chemicals that HAVE been tested for safety…

LABELING WHAT IS ORGANIC
(4) There are 35 non-synthetic, non-organic substances allowed as ingredients in or on processed foods labeled with the USDA Organic Seal.
When you buy organic food items, how often do you read the ingredients? Do you ever? Or do you just trust the organic label and feel better about what you’re buying?
Carrageenan is an ingredient found in dairy products that serves as an emulsifier, making ingredients creamy. It’s also a substance known so well for causing inflammation that it’s used to test anti-inflammatory drugs.
You’ll find this often in items like coconut milk and almond milk, and you’ll find it in both conventional AND organic ingredients because it’s on the list of approved non-organic substances allowed to be in foods labeled organic.
(5) There are 43 synthetic, non-organic substances allowed as ingredients in or on processed products labeled as organic ingredients
This is similar to point #4, except this time we’re talking about non-natural substances, like cellulose and ethylene.
Cellulose is most often found in packages of shredded cheese, to help keep it from clumping. Cellulose is also the fancy name for wood pulp.
Ethylene can be found as a natural plant hormone, and in nature, it’s what triggers the fruit to ripen. In farming, however, fruits are picked early so that they can be shipped to faraway places without going bad before arrival. Upon arrival, a synthetic variation of ethylene is sprayed on the fruits so that they look ripe on the shelf at the supermarket.
(6) Over 45 non-organically produced ingredients are allowed as ingredients in or on processed products labeled “organic” when the ingredient is not commercially available in organic form.
Basically, an organic food production facility simply has to say that the organic version of such-and-such ingredient isn’t available, and they’re allowed to use the conventional counterpart.
Included in this list is soy lecithin, the leftover sludge waste from processing soybean oil. Cornstarch is also on the list, which is produced from corn…and according to the FDA, 92% of corn is genetically modified. You’ll find these in a lot of processed foods.
(7) Only 95% of a food item is required to be organic in order to be USDA-certified organic.
The other 5% is supposed to come from a list of approved substances, but there are small loopholes that allow things like the casings of sausage to be made from prohibited substances, even if the sausage is marketed as USDA organic.
It’s also worth noting that some of the items allowed to be in organic foodstuffs aren’t even food. One example is the synthetic chemicals used in disinfecting washes. In my opinion, the guidelines are rather loose.

ORGANIC PRODUCTS CERTIFICATION
(8) The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Organic Program (NOP) do not certify or inspect companies/foods for certification.
The USDA is the umbrella manager of the NOP.
The NOP creates the policies and regulations for certifying agencies to follow during the certification process.
Neither the USDA nor the NOP have specific responsibilities or hands in the day-to-day operations of the organic certification process. Instead, they are simply the managers overseeing that the organic certification is working as it’s supposed to…in the United States. Neither the USDA nor the NOP have any control or authority over farming methods or food produced in other countries.
(9) The company/brand seeking organic certification pays the accrediting company.
The accrediting company not only offers the original certification but also offers the annual re-certification of being organic.
To put this into perspective, it would be like paying a police officer to help you when they respond to a 911 call…or paying the officer as they patrol the neighborhood…or paying the officer when they arrest you.
While most companies are honest, this arrangement clearly creates a potential conflict of interest. Fraudulent certifications and under-the-table payments for signatures and accreditation can be easily obtained and forged.
(10) Two of the three major organic certifying companies are for-profit. Only one organization is non-profit.
Quality Assurance International (QAI) is the largest certifying company of USDA organic foods, and it is for-profit. California Certified Organic Farmers is also for-profit.
Oregon Tilth was founded as a non-profit company and still is.
Since the certifying companies are businesses seeking to obtain and maintain profit, it should be even more concerning that they’re being paid by the ones they certify.
(11) The actual certification to become organic, and follow-up inspections of companies certified organic, are often outsourced to a third party.
The major organic certifying companies usually do not have offices in faraway places, nor do they have the funds to travel to faraway locations to certify and/or inspect for themselves. As a result, these tasks are often outsourced to another third-party company.
If you’re following along, here’s an example of how far removed the farm can be from your fork:
- USDA/NOP certifies QAI (QAI pays USDA/NOP).
- QAI certifies Muir Glen as an organic tomato processing plant (Muir Glen pays QAI)
- QAI outsources the organic certification of the remote tomato farm to a third party (the tomato farm pays the third party, and the third party pays USDA/NOP)
- Your local grocery store buys organic tomatoes from Muir Glen and has no clue where the tomatoes truly came from (and to be honest, Muir Glen might not know either).

QUALITY OF THE FOOD
(12) Organic foods may be cross-contaminated with conventional versions of the same food.
Both organic and conventional avocados are grown in Mexico. These avocados are likely grown in neighboring fields and processed in the same facility. The risk of cross-contamination between conventional avocados and organic avocados, as well as any other food item, increases with each step away from the farm. The farm itself, shipment to a plant, during processing, during packaging, during shipment, and during the stocking of the shelves are all opportunities for cross-contamination.
Since the NOP doesn’t specify the width between organic fields and conventional fields (they simply state “sufficient to prevent contamination“), conventional and organic foods could grow – and go through the other steps in the food production process – right next door to each other with minimal interference.
Depending on how well each farmer/processor/shipper regards the rules for organic in their own country, the risk could be exponentially far greater. The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention has a database containing several cases of where organic food items have been contaminated with their conventional counterpart. That database is HERE.
From the consumer’s standpoint, once the bin is full, the avocados will be labeled organic. We can’t really know, because you can’t judge whether an avocado is USDA organic or conventional by looks alone.
(13) Organic foods may be “watered down.”
Say we’re dealing with an almond grower that grows both organic and conventional almonds. The grower ships the harvested almonds to the processing plant, where the nuts are hulled, shelled, and pasteurized.
Conventional almonds may be mixed with organic almonds – intentionally or unintentionally – in order to produce a higher yield of “organic” almonds. While this is against NOP rules, it happens, nonetheless.
The NOP receives about 200 complaints of fraud each year. Harold Chase and his selling of conventional corn as organic corn is one of the recent ones happening in the U.S. You can view a list of other cases investigated and closed by the NOP HERE.
(14) Annual sales of organic food totals about $27 billion each year, yet there are only 27 employees in the NOP.
The NOP has no dealings with the day-to-day operations in the organic industry. In short, they’re responsible for creating the rules and enforcing the rules. They also handle complaints and disputes that arise from breaking the rules. Yet the NOP is severely understaffed to handle these issues.
With only one staff member for every $1 billion in sales each year, the NOP is forced to be a reactive organization, rather than a proactive organization for the organic industry.
Note: The $27 billion figure was as of 2011. Within a couple of years, the organic sales total yielded over $52 billion worldwide.

WHAT DOES ORGANIC MEAN TO YOU?
Since some of the government standards about organic farming listed above aren’t quite what we imagined, an alternative to “organic” labels is food labeled Certified Naturally Grown. They hold most organic porcesses but are peer-reviewed instead of government certified. You can find more about this program here.
Eating real food is truly a journey. Sometimes it feels like it would be easier to just cover our eyes with a blanket and stop asking so many questions. But knowing why we do the things we do is what keeps us on this journey. It helps us to continue making good, smart choices with the food we buy and the money we spend.
Do you buy USDA organic food? Is it to avoid pesticides or pesticide residue? Because it tastes better? Because it’s “healthier?”
Regardless of what you buy, make sure you know why. Understanding the quality of food and its importance to your family is one of the foundational lessons I teach in Grocery Budget Bootcamp. Enrollment is currently closed, but you can join my FREE 5-day Crush Inflation Challenge and start saving money on groceries tomorrow!
We look at food labels and ingredients and see natural, pure, organic, grass-fed, pastured, etc, and it can get very overwhelming to research them all. But digging into those terms and understanding them will help you make the best choices for your family.
WHAT’S YOUR STANCE ON ORGANIC FOODS AND THE ORGANIC INDUSTRY? HOW DOES ORGANIC FOOD FIT INTO YOUR GROCERY BUDGET?
Comments on this post are currently closed. We would like to thank all the readers and small farmers who have left positive feedback and expertise. You helped us correct and clarify a few of our points. If you have any questions or concerns about this post, feel free to email me directly!

First of all, thank you Tiffany, for the time and effort spent in researching and creating this post. We have never been a big organic consumer, although we do purchase when the price is affordable. I actually read through all the comments and replies, and I have to say that your humility and ability to keep a positive environment going is nothing less than wonderful. Below are my two cents:
1) I personally know quite a few people who buys organic as much as possible and trusts the organic label and truly believe they are getting 100% organic food and ingredient. Personally I’m a little more skeptical, even before I looked into it and read your article. So I think this article will be beneficial to many in a sense that they need to understand what they are buying and paying for. (which I think is what you’re trying to do)
2) I think it’s wonderful that many organic farmers are chiming in with their views and how they actually operate and how it works. It’s truly wonderful insight. Some of them mentioned asking the local farmers good questions. If any of you are reading this, can you share what are some questions that you would ask?
3) This is coming from someone who drives a car that’s legally able to vote if it were a human, and still owns and wears clothes from almost 20 years ago: budgeting and finances IS a big part of purchasing choice. Sometimes, it’s not that we don’t want to, but we have to make a choice either to feed our family or buying quality. Many of the readers’ comments gave wonderful tips about how to buy organic without having to break a hole in your pocket, and I will definitely look into that.
4) I think that instead of making me wary of buying more organic food, your article actually makes me think of how I can buy and make better food choices for my family, as in what other options are there out there. Local farmers aren’t easy to locate right now, so I’m planning to hit the farmers market come summer!
Again, thank you Tiffany.
p/s: I’m a first time reader on your site, but will definitely visit again. I found it when I was looking for a recipe for chocolate cookies without brown sugar. Then I got sucked into your 30 days no spend challenge. Then this. 🙂
Thank you Celeste for offering these great questions. I’ll be sure to use them myself as I get to know my own local farmers!
Amanda, you’re welcome! 🙂 It’s my pleasure to share what I’ve learned in my own real food journey with readers, and although not always easy, I think the negative comments is one way God keeps my humility in check. 🙂
The friends you mention in #1 are THE EXACT reason why I wrote this. I have similar friends too, who blindly trust and buy organic foods 100% of the time and I just want them to know that they might not be getting what they thought they were. You’re right – that’s the intention of my post.
I LOVE that you’re wanting to be more involved with local farmers. I hope you find one or two this summer that you can rely on. It’s a big project, so to say, to find a great farmer you trust for food (since each farmer only produces so many items, think of all the foods you eat!), so even if you only find one farmer for one food, it’s a win!
PS – How did your cookies turn out? Are you going on a no-spending challenge any time soon? 🙂
This post was most interesting. I have lately been reading many posts on many topics in this same kind of format. I have no doubt that you researched well your topic, but where is your support; your footnotes. If this were an academic paper or even a research paper (which essentially it is only posted on a blog) you would be required to have footnotes to support your research and references and quotes. Too many people read posts like these and immediately take them as gospel truth. If we really want to encourage people to make their own conclusions, we need to show where we have found our research so we can go there to read and make our own judgments about important issues such as these. Especially your blog post I would have loved to go to your sources, I have long wondered if organics is still as safe as it may have been before it became such a big business and catch phrase for healthy living and eating.
I am not trying to be mean or critical, I just would like to be able to read posts like this and go back to original sources to read. I know that I can do my own searches, and most probably will, but still it would be nice to read where you got your inspiration from.
Keep up the good work asking the hard questions and challenging our choices and beliefs!
Thanks for your support Jackie! I cited my sources at the very bottom of the post. I did my best to cite in the order to which I wrote them, but one or two might be swapped!!
Sorry, I had a crazy moment and didn’t see them. I am looking forward to reading them too. Good on ya for citing references…it is my one pet peeve about the internet…maybe it is the teacher in me, but I do like to read the sources, especially for important matters or controversial ones.
ps….I am glad you didn’t take my comment as criticism, cause I really like your blog and have learned a lot from it!
No worries! Thank you for being a loyal reader! 🙂
My husband and I read this together and we agree that we need to rethink organic and go back to the basics of the clean 15 and dirty dozen. I downloaded the EWG app on my phone so I have quick reference at the store. As nice as it would be to be able to buy all organic and trust that it’s as pure as it would be if you grew it yourself, this simply isn’t the case. I’m a little relieved, honestly, because this will help lower our grocery bill. 🙂
Thanks!
You’re most welcome Kristin! I’m glad I was able to help you and your husband find direction in how to spend your grocery dollars!
Following the dirty dozen might not be the best solution either
http://vitals.lifehacker.com/why-you-shouldnt-buy-organic-based-on-the-dirty-dozen-1689190822
I wrote my thesis on food politics – researched each and every crevice of it. And as a result, I don’t typically buy CERTIFIED organic because it’s such an expensive and lengthy process – a lot of smaller farmers can’t afford it. Same goes for fair trade or any other certification program. And the larger farms aren’t necessarily local – it costs more environmentally to ship organic food long distances than it does conventional. Instead, I focus my energies on buying from producers who practice organic & permaculture growing methods in combination with what’s in season locally (usually cheaper than anything shipped because local farmer’s have a surplus at the time).
There’s no way to get around cross contamination as long as companies like Syngenta, Conagra and Monsanto are alive and there generally does HAVE to be some pesticide use as the article suggests. But it’s generally less and much better than the mass-mono-culture farms require. It’s true not everyone can afford organic as well but there ARE steps we can take to help alleviate that problem – but it requires us actually doing something.
Honestly, if we take a bit of time each week to get our produce and pastured meet, eggs and dairy from regionally appropriate sources we can talk to the farmers and producers directly – thus eliminating the need for expensive store bought stuff, labels and environmentally degrading shipping costs. No system is perfect but we CAN work to making it better through activism, purchase habits and being respectfully vocal in our communities about how to make good food choices.
Ultimately, we shouldn’t be asking why store-bought organic food is so expensive and defaulting to conventional, but rather, asking why conventional food is so cheap. And then work to make locally grown, organically produced and permaculture appropriately food accessible to people in our communities. And in thus doing, stick it to big-Ag and make real change.
Wow. That got away from me 😉 Great article! Thanks for inspiring me before I’ve had my morning coffee. ha!
Tiffany,
Id love to have a friendly conversation with you about this because I find your article very misleading but, I can also understand how you could think the way you do if you are a consumer and not a producer. There is an element of understanding how the system works that would be harder to get just from reading. Some of the facts you present are true but, you are leaving out some information about the way those facts are implemented that make them misleading. Also, the parts where you give scenarios about what farmers/producers could do to jimmie the system are somewhat out of left field. If you thought of them sitting at your computer I can guarantee you that others who are in this line of work have thought of them and there is a check/balance system in place. There IS a system in place for each of the scenarios you presented.
If you are not a producer, one thing that you may not understand is that producing under the NOP is a lot of extra work and there is really not much of a profit margin (if any) for the farmer. The higher price of organic is primarily paying for labor to accomplish things that are accomplished with chemicals on a conventional farm. There is also a lot of paperwork so that you can verify that you are meeting the NOP standard. There will be the occasional cheater in any situation but, what Im saying is that overall, it is not WORTH the effort to fake organic status of produce.
The Organic label is the only transparent food label. While no system is perfect, with organic there is an established and monitored standard that is published free for anyone to read. There isnt anything “they dont want you to know.” Try to get the backstory on the production of some conventional produce. You will not get far.
The main thing that I think your missing is that growing and consuming organic is not just about what goes into your mouth via fruits and vegetables. Organic production requires the producer to grow in a way that protects and improves our planet’s land, soil, and water supply. The farmer’s final product is the environment as well as their produce. The organic farmer upstream from you is protecting the water that you will eventually drink. I think we should support that and build them up instead of picking out conspiracies.
thanks for listening
julie
I guess I’m confused as to what is misleading about the article. Is it true that there are ways to manipulate the system? The comment about international producers also concerns me. While I understand your point that there are still benefits to buying organic foods, I do not believe (from reading the article) that the author is saying that there are no benefits to organic vs. conventional. It’s just a question as to whether the benefits are still outweighed by the costs given some of the issues (that I’m sure you’ll admit.. there are issues) with the organic labeling as it stands.
You might come to a different conclusion.. but it doesn’t make the article misleading. Also, as you acknowledged- “there will be the occasional cheater”. I’m wondering – are there any facts as to whether the majority by volume of produce available and labeled as organic is free of harmful carcinogens? While I am sure that you are correct- most small organic farmers don’t have the margins to manipulate the system, I don’t think that the concern stems from those smaller producers. I wonder what the market share is of smaller organic producers versus larger conglomerates that label some products as organic? I honestly don’t know that figure… Additionally, even if organic is better than conventional- are organic products still completely free from those harmful additives?
We are all attempting to do what is best for our family. You might feel like organic is still a better choice given the additional costs. However, accusing someone, after voicing her concerns, of misleading the public and then presenting anecdotal evidence that doesn’t even seem to directly refute those concerns… I don’t know. I think Tiffany is reaching sainthood status is my book for dealing with that logic better than I.
LOL, I certainly don’t deserve sainthood status Ava, but I do greatly, and sincerely, appreciate your very kind and supportive comment. You’ve clearly understood the point of my article, and have even summed up some of my direct comments to others. Thank you for taking the time to share this!!! 🙂
Hi Julie! I’d love to have you over for coffee! God gives us each unique minds, and it’s a pleasure to discuss how we draw different conclusions on the same topic. 🙂
I do know that the profit of margin is slim for many organic farmers. I also know that there is a great deal of paperwork involved and a great deal of man hours. I might have to disagree with you on whether or not it’s worth to fake the certification… Have you heard of Harold Chase or Peter Townsley? Those are just two examples, but they made an enormous profit out of exploiting the organic system. They’re the perfect example of how the system isn’t perfect (even though credit is due since both were caught and prosecuted), but I’m just not confident that the system is as great as it’s made out to be. My research isn’t done by a long shot though, and I do like the fact that the system has a greater cycle of life taken into consideration! 🙂
One very important and scary thing you missed is that because of free trade agreements, if another country (like China) certifies something as organic, the USDA will recognize that organic status, even if it doesn’t met US standards. For example, you can not have US Honey certified organic, because you can’t guarantee the bees collect pollen from only organic flowers. However China does certify honey as organic, so if you buy USDA certified organic labeled honey, you are buying it straight out of China, and who knows what their standards are…
Yes! This was monumental in one of the books I read, and it blew my mind that “organic” walnuts from Kazakhstan could end up on the store shelves of Trader Joe’s when Kazakhstan doesn’t even grow walnuts! (read the “Organic” book cited above for more information).
As a certified organic farmer, I disagree with many, many of the arguments posted. Many are not true. I am in the trenches. I read the articles. I walk the walk. We do not spray spray spray. We use biological methods (ladybugs and row covers). We rotate crops and use trap crops, not sprays. Yes, there are some sprays that are allowed. YES they have been researched and tested. Yes, there are things that are allowed, that I would choose not to do or use. And you know what? Other farmers agree. Just because it is allowed doesn’t mean we use it.
Something else not addressed: I for one, do not use any slave labor to harvest my crops (cite: Tomatoland- a book everyone should read who buys tomatoes from the grocery store). Yes. Slavery exists today in the United States. And it exists in conventional, factory farm agriculture systems.
I too, have to feed my family. I make choices. I don’t always purchase organic at the grocery store, either. We all make choices all the time. But I choose to do my best for my family, and that includes buying organic. Growing organic. and being transparent about our practices is important to me, and to other organic farmers in my area. Here, we ‘vet’ each other. We meet. We connect. We solve each other’s insect or pest problems by finding solutions we can all live with.
Perhaps what should be said, is that we should support the small, LOCAL, organic farmer. The ones that allow us to walk on their farms and see their practices and reach down and help pull a few weeds. A far cry different than the many factory farms .
Kudos to you! Thanks for your work, we need more farmers like you.
Thank you Shelly for sharing your experience! It’s important to remember that I’m not pointing fingers at the organic industry for being “bad.” I’m just sharing facts. There are good, solid, approved methods for producing organic crop as you’ve mentioned. But there are pesticides approved, and that right there is a huge shocker to many people who have blindly bought organic foods thinking they were pesticide-free.
I love that you’re an organic farmer, but don’t always buy organic in order to best serve your family. And I agree whole-heartedly that we should do more legwork to get to know who is growing our food, and support the local farmer who is working hard for us!
I had a bad experience with an Organic apple last year in August 2014. I bought a few royal gala organic apples from a 24 hour grocery store in Ontario, Canada. I ate the first one and it was perfectly fine. The next day, when I bit into the second apple, I knew something was wrong – it tasted like cow dung soil… not that I know what that really tastes like, but the smell from the taste gave it away. It was like I bit into a poison apple. Immediately I got the hugest hives I’ve ever gotten all over my body. I haven’t eaten an apple since.
If you have always eaten apples and now are scared off of them, that is the pits. If you still have a chance to research the origin of that apple, do so! Find out what is the origin. I sympathize with your plight!
if you still have a chance to research the origin of that apple, do so! Wash/soak fruits and veggies in salt water. your experience really drives that home. Salt water (drinking it) HELPS me with indigestion; i can get bad reactions often, itching, burns around my eyes, acid. i hope you don’t have to eliminate apples. do you know someone with an apple tree in their backyard? that’s a safe place to start. sorry my keyboard is not functioning properly.
It’s smushed for me too (MacBookAir).
I have a question. Someone in the comments mentioned CSA being “better” as far as food safety. How do we know that the food produced by CSA is safer and that small local farms don’t spray chemical all over our food?
Thanks KS
Thank you Celeste for this helpful comment!
I am not here to comment on the article but to share my experience, which I do tend to buy organic non-GMO as much as I can. I’ve have many gut issues over the past few years and they have led me to have an overly sensitive sense of smell. I would literally gag at some foods, like breads, cheeses and many other things. Shampoos, soaps, dish soap and other things also would have the same smells as the foods. I was and still at times driving my family crazy over pulling my nose up at things. I am still not sure what can be in both foods and beauty products that smell the same. I do find that if I use things as close to how God intended them to be I feel better. I guess I do have one question can there be any at all higher standards in overall treatment between organic and regular crops that could cause them to have different smells? Thank you!
Hi Dorie! Standards in terms of smell… my first reaction would be no, since smell is a very subjective measurement and very hard to measure on large scale. Maybe you’re sensitive to a specific smell in the item? Cheeses use cultures, and some breads use cultures too (to mimic sourdough mostly). I would consider starting a journal to track which item smells bad, and then write the ingredients to see if you find a common link among them. I’ve had similar issues too with breads and cheese, so I don’t think you’re crazy!! 🙂
This was an excellent article that I particularly enjoyed, however there are so many words smooshed together that it kinda drove me nuts. Is that just a glitch or are those legitimate typos?
Also did you mean to say offer over and over instead of officer?
Now that I am past the ocd grammar spelling nazi portion of my comment, let me rave for a bit on the fantastic numbers you provided here. I too have been researching this and I couldn’t find a lot of the data you provided so I am very thankful for that!
I’m going to skip all the way down to (14). Why the heck aren’t they getting more employees?
Thanks again, great read. Sharing.
Hi Michelle! I thought I already left a comment, but I don’t see it! I’ll go back through and double check my typo’s, but I don’t see any smooshed words. Maybe it’s a Mac thing?
As for employees, I don’t know! It’s kinda uneasy to think that a multi-billion dollar industry is run by a department the size of a first grade classroom!
Thanks for your research Tiffany. I believe your intentions were good, however, I fear you have done more harm than good and need to do further research or make your intentions for writing this article more clear. Hopefully from reading this article more people will be aware that if they are buying food labeled “organic” they still need to read the label. Sadly though from reading some of the comments from your readers I think many are thinking organic is no longer important, and that simply is NOT the case. There IS proof that people who consume organic fruits and vegetables have a SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER amount of pesticides in their body than those who consume non organic. Why was this information not in your article?There is also lots of proof that high amounts of pesticides are not safe. Therefore, IMHO, even though natural pesticides are sometimes used in organic farming, organic is still better and safer. For more information please read these articles:
http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2014/02/case-organic-over-conventional-fruits-and-veggies
http://civileats.com/2014/08/18/organic-vs-organic-how-much-does-certification-matter/
Hi Crystal! Unfortunately, there is SO MUCH information related to organic food that I want to cover, that it’s simply not possible to fit it all into one post! Trust me, we’re definitely not done with this issue, and I greatly appreciate you leaving additional links for me to read and research. I know that pesticide residue is a health concern, and it’s not that organics aren’t important, it’s what you said – that even if it’s labeled organic, you still must read the label AND be educated as to the growing practices of the farmer.
Thank you again Crystal – I’m looking forward to sharing more soon!! 😉
Totally agree! There are far less pesticides in organic, as proven by the testing done by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. This article failed to mention this simple fact, and makes it sound like organics are more dangerous – which is a shame.
Hi Laura! Do you have a link to share to support this? In my research, I’ve found that there are DIFFERENT pesticides for organic/non, but not LESS in terms of amounts used or residue.
Yes, Tiffany! Thanks for asking. The USDA Pesticide Data Program website. They test both conventional and organic food for pesticide residues. The data is on publicly available on their website.
The Pesticide Action Network has a website called “What’s On My Food”. That has lists for all major produce, grains, nuts, and you can compare pesticides found on organic vs. conventional, along with bar charts. When you click on a type of food, it lists all of the pesticides that were found on either/both organic and conventional. You can click on “Conventional vs. Organic” for each pesticide and it will show you if it was found on conventional or organic. They also break down which pesticides are the most toxic. It’s an awesome reference! They use the data from the USDA Pesticide Data Program (noted above) as the source for their charts.
Further, there are 2 recent studies regarding pesticides and how choosing organics minimizes exposure to dangerous pesticides. They also said organic “fraud is rare”.
Finally… Consumer Reports has a new report on pesticides in produce. They recommend choosing organic as it’s less risky. Their report includes a breakdown of the safest produce in terms of pesticides and country of origin. Another decent reference.
I will post all these links in a 2nd comment here right now, as I don’t want to end up in your spam folder. Please add them to this comment, and thanks again!
I’d like to note one thing. I see some comments here that indicate that by encouraging people to buy organic, we are shaming people that can’t afford it. That is ridiculous to me. I can’t always afford organic, and I’m not rich by any means. We all do what we can, and I like to know the truth about the food I’m buying. That being said, I do make organic food a priority and try to make as much room as possible in my budget to buy organic. I feel like it’s important for my health. It has nothing to do with making someone feeling bad, it’s about transparency and knowing the truth.
Here are the links….
USDA Pesticide Data Program: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/PDP
What’s On My Food:
http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/
Study 1: http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/6/6/3552
Study 2: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2015/02/study-suggests-lower-pesticide-exposure-from-organic-produce/#.VQxB-BDF9XY
and http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/1408197/
Consumer Reports: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/05/pesticides-in-produce/index.htm
Thanks so much Laura! I’ll go dig them out and append. And for your last paragraph – you’re right! Organic is a priority to some families and that’s great. It’s not for other families and that’s great too. My heart goes out to the mom who’s doing the best for her kids with conventional yet carries the burden that it’s still not good enough because it’s not “organic”. What a travesty!! This is not okay in my book and if it means that I take the issue head on to support her, then so be it! 🙂
I couldn’t agree with your comment more Beuna! I know it’s hard work to be an organic farmer, especially when you believe the true organic philosophy instead of just doing it for the profit. I’m looking forward to supporting more of my own local farmers very, very soon!! 🙂
Tiffany-Has your research been enough to convince you to stop buying organic produce? I wish I felt that was best, because my budget could use the breathing room, lol!
It is disheartening to know that there are no guarantees by spending the extra money for the supposedly safer produce, but buying conventional means you are guaranteed to be eating carcinogenic pesticides. I have never been naive enough to think that by buying at least the dirty dozen in organic form that I’m sure to be much better off, but I also know that there’s a better chance of avoiding harmful things if I don’t buy the stuff that is definitely contaminated during growth & processing, know what I mean?
Hi Sam! Yes, I totally know what you mean. As of today, my research has been enough to convince me to grow as much as I can, and get my food from local farmers whenever possible. I don’t think I’d say “no” to organic across the board, but I would know that making the purchase doesn’t guarantee what I used to think it did.
Growing my own is what I’d love to do, but inner city living with no yard to speak of in a cold climate is a tough starting spot for a family of 6 to get much to go around. I want to try growing a few plants in big pots this year at least, see how that goes.
Cold-loving cutting veggies: chard; certain lettuces. Chives and other herbs can be grown indoors. Container gardening is the way to go, choose your varieties for most production. Keep compost receptacle on your kitchen floor near the sink for peels and veggie waste. Use the absolute best potting soil you can buy (I use one called “Gold”). Inner city, try to locate any riding stable for manure, it is a miracle. Make use of any sunny window and use a fluorescent fixture — I keep an LED light on my plants during the winter (on all the time!). While this type of gardening is challenging, herbs and chives add dimension to cooking and are overpriced in my grocery store.
I totally understand Sam! Keep it really simple, like regrowing lettuce in water (only requires light, no heat). Maybe a box that can hang out a window, or railing, that you could put veggies that withstand cooler temps so that you can grow those before & after the summer, saving the spot for warm-only plants during peak season? Another option to consider is if there are any farmers in your area, see if you can trade labor for goods. Put the bigger kids (and parents) to work on a Saturday morning and you might be rewarded with a big box of fresh produce!
I really appreciated Karen’s comment. In the big picture, it’s about supporting those who are trying to make a difference in the health of our soil and the value of our food. And a lot of times, the “little guys” trying to make the difference, get shadowed and grouped into the corporations trying to make a profit. So what the true organic farmer is trying to do, ends up being ruined by the corporations that claim organic, but don’t follow the rules the same way.
We grow a huge garden every summer and use no pesticedes or chemicals of any kinds. But we live next to a filbert orchard and I’m aware that overspray on my “organic approach” is likely. But honestly, I would rather deal with a little overspray, than know that the product received that spray at a full dosage and that it was given time to soak into the item before I ate it. I learned from our state agricultural department just last summer that a majority of the chemical applications sit on plants, undisturbed, for up to 21 days and the sprays are mixed with a product that prevents them from washing off easily). Veggie washes are good, but they don’t wash off what’s been soaked into the produce… I will still choose the organic produce over a conventional one any day.
I think this blog makes a lot of good points as far as recognizing that not everything is what it seems. If you buy something that is a store brand, or produced by a huge corporation, because it’s cheaper and you believe that those corporations are living up to the expectations of what people believe their getting because it says organic, than you are the one being fooled… No boxed/processed food is better or even as good as a meal cooked from real food. Freeze/dry/can things from the summer harvests. Eat seasonally and be aware that if you buy something out of season, it’s most likely not from a small organic farmer.
Like with anything, you are responsible for being your own advocate. If you rely on someone else to tell you what’s good from you without doing your own research, than you can’t act surprised when you find out otherwise. If you want to buy organic, support those not owned by huge corporations, but by small time farmers/companies. It may cost a bit more, but your paying for the peace of mind and I believe, better quality products.
Your first paragraph DJ is spot on, and it’s truly, truly unfortunate. I wish there something greater I could do in my own family to make a difference, but we’re in the process of taking baby steps with our pocketbook for now.
I wasn’t aware about the 21 days that sprays stay on foods. That should definitely be a factor to consider when someone is buying organic versus conventional, and I’ll be sure to reference this in a future post!
I also agree with your third and fourth paragraphs too!! It’s like you’ve read my mind (were you listening all those nights I ranted to Mr. Crumbs? 😉 ). Along with Karen, I think would be a great discussion over some coffee and tea. Maybe one day that could happen!
I appreciate your research. But I have to say I live in rural Virginia and a lot of farms in this area use sewage sludge. It is disgusting and if you saw huge piles of human waste in your cow fields then you might feel like I do. There are days in the summer when the wind is blowing just “right” and we can not go out of our house or open the windows because the smell is horrendous. Therefore, I will spend the extra on organic food in grocery stores, buy from local farmers whom I know grow organically and try to grow as much as possible on my own land.
What you’re describing Lisa is not uncommon – across the world! Organic farms can be found situated right up against non-organic, or GMO fields and they just have to deal with whatever the conventional farmer decides. Your decision to buy from local farmers who follow “old school” traditional practices of organic is great! I hope you have an awesome harvest this year!
Tiffany, they cannot.USDA Organic farms must have a buffer zone that is sufficient to be protective. The zone width is determined by practices by the adjacent farmer and the certifying agency will make it WIDER than it needs to be. If an organic farm is growing in the buffer zone, the produce harvested from the buffer may not be labeled as Organic. If a farm is growing a crop – especially an identical crop – in the organic area and in the buffer, they have what is called a “split operation.” In these cases the inspector and the certifying agency WILL audit to verify that the volumes sold are consistent with the amount grown in each area.
Thanks Julie – I’ll look into this issue more as we delve more into this topic!
I love this post, it’s nice to see someone doing research-if we blindly follow organic trends without looking into why, are we no better than before?
Our family buys organic when we can, with berries, leafy greens, apples, and cheese. Milk is rarely bought organic because I honestly cannot afford it-though mostly we drink coconut or cashew milk. I buy Annie’s organic snacks and mac and cheese for kiddo when they go on sale, though not just because they’re organic, I just feel much, much better about the ingredient labels. Same with hot dogs….when I see Applegate dogs for half price, you bet your bottom I’m stocking up.
Bottom line here(hah) for us it’s more about eating less ingredients than the organic label.
That’s a great bottom line Tenley. We’ve become avid ingredient label over the years, and haven’t given much thought to any certifications that follow because really, how can we be sure that the labels are what they say they are? I’m glad you enjoyed the research, and thank you for your positive encouragement with the intent behind it!
I grew up on an organic dairy farm before organic was “cool”. It amazes me how such the huge difference in one organic dairy farm to the next! Sad really that more people are just not aware. It’s important to know where your food comes from. Make it from scratch, plant a garden, can your food, and shop local. Know your farmers, and buy directly from them.
Thank you for sharing this Katie! It’s true that not all organic farmers are bad, and my article wasn’t intended to imply that… but as you stated, there are some organic farmers who don’t follow the rules as we all think they should (or as the guidelines say they should either). This is disheartening. 🙁 I 100% agree with your food-buying mantra!
As an owner of a small family farm that has been Certified Organic since 1997 and knowing the long and detailed process we go through each year to retain that certification, including recording every source for seed, every input to the soil and crop, harvest yields, etc., and the intensive inspection we submit to annually, plus the huge amount of physical labor an organic farm requires (think pulling weeds instead of spraying them) – AND we pay for this Certification – I feel your article does a disservice to the Certified Organic farmer. While I would guess there is dishonesty that goes on as greed and corruption affect every industry (think sinful humans!), the standards and rules of the organic certification program are what we have agreed to adhere to and you can be assured your food is much safer to eat as a result. For starters, just take some time to read about conventionally grown strawberries, potatoes, or wheat. Yes, “big-business” has jumped into organic production of food and for probably not the same reason the passionate small farmer in your town has, but they still are very regulated. Unfortunately, because of the cost to be certified, and the intensive labor involved in organic farming, organically labeled food is always going to be more expensive than conventional. I suggest, if you don’t grow your own food, and you want to eat as “safely” as possible to throw your support behind a farmer you know and trust. Visit your farmer’s market and get to know the growers. Ask them what their growing practices are. What produce, meat, and eggs you can’t buy from them, buy organic at the grocery store, although without knowing the organic standards in other countries I wouldn’t bother paying the extra money for imported food labeled organic. Be careful in stores that you just “think” are committed to selling organic. Just because it’s a “high-end” amazing shopping experience doesn’t mean you don’t have to be aware of labeling. The beef you purchased said nothing of being certified organic. I hope I’ve provided some food for thought and welcome your comments!
Hi Karen! You are the exact kind of farmer we would love to buy from! My goal was certainly not to offer a disservice to the certified organic farmer who works harder on any given day than I ever likely will, but rather to simply inform readers that just because a food has the organic seal, doesn’t mean it’s all honkey dorey as we’ve been led to believe. Are there honest organic farmers? Absolutely yes! Unfortunately there are dishonest organic farmers too and one bad apple can easily spoil the rest. I feel THAT fact does a greater dishonest to the certified organic farmer more than anything.
We whole-heartedly agree to throw your support behind a local farmer if you can’t grow it yourself. I too am leery of the organic standards in other countries (that’s where I think some of the ‘bad apples’ are originating), and the beef I referred to wasn’t organic, but rather was in reference to the fact that a single-item food – ground beef – can be sourced from multiple places… and multiple farms… across several continents!
You have definitely provided amazing food for thought Karen, and can imagine us continuing over a cup of coffee!! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts in such a positive manner!
Thank you for writing about these issues.
I have tried to support organic farming for more than 30 years. If a farmer can produce a product at a reasonable price, then the business is sustainable. If not, then they will not be around long. I believe the effects of eating organic are long term, where quantity and quality have equal bearing. If a food is a major part of my diet, such as lettuce or fruit in the summer, then organic becomes more important. Carrots, for example, do not require a lot of pesticide compared to leafy greens; however, drinking carrot juice exposes one to more carrots than you could eat. Pricewise, I would expect organic carrots to be more competitive with conventional carrots than lettuce. The same with quantity of pesticides ( the dirty dozen). All of my staples are organic (grains, beans, etc) because they are non perishable and available at reasonable prices. If there is a new grower in the store, I will research the business. If it appears sustainable in a tough economy, then I will support them.
GMOs are a concern because we do not know the long term effects. There is a distinction between GMOs for resisting herbicide and those designed for resisting pests. The former could potentially expose the consumer to more chemicals. History has shown that we are guinea pigs.
Hi Rudy! I LOVE that you are aware of the benefits of organics, yet know the limits of buying them within your financial means. We too want to support local farmers, but can only do so within our budget. It seems like you’ve put a great deal of research into why you’re buying which items organic, and which conventional, and I applaud you!!! Thank you for sharing!
I agree with many of the comments made. However, I also wanted to point out that I am able to buy discounted price reduced organic produce at our local health food store (not Whole Foods) for about the same price or even cheaper than conventional. Of course, it is not as fresh, but great to use over-ripe bananas to make bread or muffins. I also can use brused apples to make an apple crisp or cobbler for example. Great for freeze ahead recipes or if you can use immediately.
Organic food is much cheaper than buying fast food or eating out at restaurants often. It is also better to purchase nonorganic produce than junk food, as another commenter stated. It is a balancing act and we will never be able to achieve perfection. I have had to learn that on this journey. All we can do is the best we can with the resources available to us.
Buying marked down produce is a GREAT way to save Lana – way to go! We do something similar with bruised apples and brown bananas. My husband’s favorite muffins are thanks to the over-ripe ‘nana!
I agree wholeheartedly – do the best we can with what we have. My goal is simply to educate so the “doing the best” isn’t efforts made in vain!