Buy Organic and From Local, Cruelty Free Farms

I am married to a wonderful man who has been very accommodating to my many diets.  However, he isn't so eager to buy into my environmental ideas to make the house more Green.  Because he does the shopping for our family, I am slowly asking him to make changes. I have a lot in store for him this year!

Last year, we started buying hormone-free dairy products.  The research about hormones and antibiotics in dairy is scary - especially the impact of the additives on children.   This year, our goal is to buy all organic produce and meat.  We are going to support local, small farmers and CSA at our farmer's markets.  My sister, who lives outside of Nashville, has done an inspiring job at supporting her CSA.  Here's a website to find a local CSA: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Organic Certification: The USDA certifies organic standards before products can be labeled USDA organic.  If you see the USDA organic seal, the product is certified organic and has 95 percent or more organic content.  The USDA system is not without controversy, and it is difficult to obtain the USDA organic seal - other certifying companies are more liberal with their label (60-80% organic), so watch out for those.  If you support a small local farm, you might not need a USDA seal if you are comfortable with their assurances of organic.  Here's the USDA seal to look for:

For produce, the USDA organic seal verifies that irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, and genetically modified organisms were not used.  For meat, the USDA organic seal verifies that 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.  For multi-ingredient foods, the USDA organic seal verifies that the product has 95% or more certified organic content.  

Definitely buy Organic when you purchase the so-called "DIRTY DOZEN:" 

• apples
• sweet bell peppers
• celery
• nectarines
• strawberries
• cherries
• kale
• lettuce
• grapes
• carrots
• pears

There are also the "Clean 15" (see below for a link) but I prefer to continue buying organic to support the organic farmers.

The USDA also regulates the use of voluntary labels for livestock products:

Free-range. This label indicates that the flock was provided shelter in a building, room, or area with unlimited access to food, fresh water, and continuous access to the outdoors during their production cycle. The outdoor area may or may not be fenced and/or covered with netting-like material.  

Cage-free. This label indicates that the flock was able to freely roam a building, room, or enclosed area with unlimited access to food and fresh water during their production cycle.

Grass-fed. Grass-fed animals receive a majority of their nutrients from grass throughout their life, while organic animals’ pasture diet may be supplemented with grain. Also USDA regulated, the grass-fed label does not limit the use of antibiotics, hormones, or pesticides. Meat products may be labeled as grass-fed organic.

As you are shopping, look for labels.  Your purchases can make a difference to local and/or small farmers.  Appreciate that your dollars are contributing to their success and profitability.  It is much more expensive and time consuming to correctly grow organic produce and meat compared to the cost of industrial farms to use chemicals, hormones, factory enclosures, and pay migrant workers small wages.  If you are concerned about finances, focus on dairy and the Dirty Dozen. 

Here's a link to a company who has a wallet sized list and iphone app of the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15:  http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/