Food & Farming
What is CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture farms provide organically and locally produced foods to their subscribing members on a weekly basis during the growing season. Some CSA farms deliver their goods to members' households, while others arrange for pick up or ask members to help with deliveries. Some benefits of participating in CSA farms are: receiving your produce the same day it was harvested, knowing where, how and by whom the food was produced, and supporting a sense of community sustainability. For contact information on local CSA farms, co-operatives and other organic farms, click here.
How are Fair Trade products certified ?
According to Global Exchange, "Fair Trade products bear the "Fair Trade Certified" label and the "Fair Trade Federation" logo. TransFair USA is the third-party certification agency that places the "Fair Trade Certified" label on coffee, chocolate, cocoa, tea, bananas, and other fruits; and is the USA's affiliate of the Fair Trade Labelling Organizations International. The Fair Trade Federation is an association of businesses that follow Fair Trade principles exclusively. The presence of the Fair Trade Certified label or Fair Trade Federation logo on a product is the only guarantee that every step from the producer to you has followed international fair trade criteria. For the specific guidelines, see the Fair Trade Labelling Organizations International and the Fair Trade Federation.
Please visit http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/fairtradeqa.html for more information.
Also, please check out our Green Purchasing Guide for local businesses that sell Fair Trade products: Coffee Shops & Bakeries and Foods & Groceries.
What is organic food?
Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, genetic engineering, or ionizing radiation. Organic foods are minimally processed to maintain the integrity of the food without artificial preservatives or irradiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified too.
For more information regarding organic foods and certification, please visit:
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
USDA Laws & Regulations: Organic Certification
Are organics healthier?
Many consumers and scientists alike believe that since organic foods are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, they are healthier than conventional products because they contain fewer toxins. The most dangerous chemicals used in farming such as organophosphates [pesticides] have been linked with a range of conditions such as cancer, decreasing male fertility, fetal abnormalities, chronic fatigue syndrome in children and Parkinson's disease. Pesticide residues have even been ranked among the top three environmental cancer risks by the American Government, yet they are still not banned by the USDA or EPA.
Please check out these website articles for more information:
EPA: "Pesticides and Food: Why Children May Be Especially Sensitive to Pesticides"
Medical News Today: "Organic Foods in Relation to Nutrition..."Recent studies have suggested that organics contain more nutrients and cancer fighting properties than conventionally grown foods:
- Organic Produce May Have Higher Levels of Vitamin C and Cancer-fighting Flavonoids - UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology (2003)
- Research Shows Difference Between Some Organic And Conventional Produce - Institute of Food Technologists (2004)
- Organic and Sustainable Foods Have More Polyphenolics Linked to Health Benefits - UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology (2003)
For more information on the health properties of organic foods, please visit the following websites:
www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/healthier.php www.ifoam.org/ www.organicconsumers.org/index.htm www.pesticideinfo.org/Index.html
Why buy organic foods and other organic products?
1. Protect your children's health. Children are 4 times more exposed to pesticides in food than adults. A child's exposure to pesticides is far greater than adults because their daily activities include eating food with detectable levels of pesticides, drinking water with detectable levels, crawling on floors and on the ground where pesticides and other toxins accumulate, playing with animals that are treated for fleas and other pests, and having their hair treated for lice. They eat more food and drink more water as measured per unit of body weight. Their bodies are growing, undergoing rapid cellular development. This all makes them significantly more vulnerable than adults. The standards for pesticides are for the average full-grown man, not a developing child. They are not protected by pesticide regulations. The combination of exposures to pesticides and other synthetic chemicals can be synergistic, creating a resulting toxic effect many times greater than the two separately.
2. Protect your own health. A recent US National Academy of Sciences study estimated that pesticides in food might cause an estimated 1.4 million cancer cases in the US. Several pesticides banned in Canada and the US are applied to crops in Mexico and then exported here. The FDA approved many pesticides before research linked them to chemicals that cause cancer and other diseases. Now the EPA considers 60% of all herbicides, 90% of all fungicides, and 30% of all insecticides to be carcinogenic. The bottom line is that pesticides are poisons made to kill living creatures, and can also be harmful to humans.
3. Protect farm workers health. A Natural Cancer Institute study showed that conventional farmers (non-organic) have 6 times the risk of contracting cancer than non-farmers. Over 1 million people are severely poisoned by pesticides annually in North America.
4. Protect soil and water. Over 3 billion tons of topsoil is lost annually due to non-organic farming methods in Canada and the US. Pesticide contamination in groundwater has affected the drinking water supply in most states and provinces. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates pesticides contaminate the groundwater in 38 states, polluting the primary aquifer.
5. Save energy. Industrial farming uses more oil than any other industry. By comparison, organic farming relies on labor-intensive practices and biological fertilizers.
6. Get better nutrient value A recent US study compared the nutrient quantities of organic and non-organic foods and found that organic foods consistently had two to twenty times more nutrients!
7. Help small farmers. Most organic farms are independently owned and operated family farms. It is estimated that the United States has lost more than 650,000 family farms in the past decade, creating deterioration in the culture of American rural communities.
8. Support a true economy. Superficially, organic foods might seem more expensive than conventional foods. Conventional food prices do not reflect hidden costs borne by the taxpayer in the form of subsidies. Other hidden costs include pesticide regulation and testing, hazardous waste disposal, and environmental damage.
9. Promote bio-diversity. "Mono-cropping" is the practice of planting large plots of land with the same crop year after year; conventional farming uses this method exclusively. The lack of natural diversity of plant life has left the soil lacking in natural nutrients and minerals. To replace these lost nutrients, which are necessary for plants to grow, chemical fertilizers are often used. Single crops are also much more susceptible to pests, making farmers even more reliant on pesticides. Organic farming encourages food production that nurtures our soil through the absence of pesticides and the presence of rich compost. The inherent commitment of organic farming to crop rotation, living soil, companion planting, rural enterprise, pure water and sustainable agriculture is in itself a critical step toward protecting our environment and our individual health. By buying organic, you provide a market for growers who have made the future of our planet a top priority.10. Toxic Waste in Conventional Fertilizers. The EPA has only partial authority to regulate the fertilizer industry because states determine rules for all fertilizers except those made with recycled hazardous materials. And only two or three states have limits on toxic wastes in fertilizers. It can contain a wide variety of toxins such as arsenic, dioxin, polybromated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), zinc sulfate, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and other toxic metals, this type of fertilizer is strictly prohibited in organic farming.http://www.hgof.ns.ca/index2.php?function=ben_org www.davidsuzuki.org/about_us/dr_david_suzuki/article_archives/weekly06070201.asp http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Index.html www.epa.gov/pesticides/food/pest.htm
Is organic farming a realistic alternative to current conventional agriculture?
According to a landmark 21-year study recently published in the journal Science, organic farming can produce acceptable yields, save energy, maintain biodiversity and keep soils healthy. The study took place on 1.5 hectares in Switzerland using four farming methods and several different crops. Crop yields, on average, were 20 per cent lower using organic methods, but they required 56 per cent less energy per unit of yield. Organic plots also had 40 per cent greater colonization by beneficial fungi that help plants absorb nutrients, three times as many earthworms, and twice as many pest-eating spiders. Other studies have also shown similar results. A comparison study completed last year on apples, for example, found that organic crops can produce yields similar to conventional crops, and they taste better. Another paper published in the Journal of Applied Ecology last year found that using organic methods to grow tomatoes could promote biodiversity while maintaining productivity.
www.davidsuzuki.org/about_us/dr_david_suzuki/article_archives/weekly06070201.asp
Where can I buy organic food in the Bend area?
Click here to be routed to a list of local stores that sells a larger selection of organic foods.
What are the benefits of free-range meat and eggs?
There are no industry standards to assess what is considered 'free range'. For example, some farms may continue to de-beak their birds, and there is no guarantee that all free-range animals have access to the outdoors. More stringently regulated are those eggs and meats labeled 'organic,' which in most cases are also 'free range'.
If you are interested in designing a free-range poultry system for your home or business, visit www.free-rangepoultry.com
Why buy local?
1. We can find out how the food is produced and under what standards, more easily than if we were to buy from the foreign market. The majority of the foods on our supermarket shelves have traveled over 1,000 miles from their origin. Few of these imports are examined to ensure they meet American health and safety standards. This year, the Food and Drug Administration will inspect about 100,000 of the nearly five million shipments of food crossing our borders, and distribution is so rapid that tainted food can reach consumers nationwide before officials realize there is a problem.
2. Local food is often fresher, and therefore has a higher vitamin content than food that has traveled many miles.
3. We save the energy that it takes to get imported foods to out supermarket.
4. Homeland food security could be compromised through food imports. When Tommy Thompson, the secretary of health and human services, announced in December of 2004 that he was resigning, he made an unexpected comment: "For the life of me, I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply, because it is so easy to do." He added, "We are importing a lot of food from the Middle East, and it would be easy to tamper with that." Unexpected, but right. The United States is importing more and more food, and not just from the Middle East (which actually accounts for only 0.4 percent of our food imports). Tomatoes from Mexico, grapes from Chile and beef from Brazil are standard fare on American tables. The Department of Agriculture reports that in 2005, our nation will fail to record an agricultural surplus for the first time in 50 years, demonstrating our rising dependency on foreign agricultural production and distribution systems that may not be safe.
5. When community members buy local products produced by other community members, the dollars spent stay within the community and are re-circulated, growing the local economy.
www.organicconsumers.org/organic/unsafe122204.cfm
What is “Slow Food” and why is it considered more healthy than “Fast Food?”
The term "Slow Food" refers to both a movement and a number of organizations that support similar cultural, environmental and culinary goals; responsible food production, environmentally-sound production, and a revival of the kitchen and table as a place of pleasure, culture and community. Many groups focus on preserving cultural ties to food, and on improving consumer protection. There are global (www.slowfood.com/), national (www.slowfoodusa.org/), and local (Bend: Gregory McClarren attable@oregontrail.net and Marda Stoliar marda@schoolofbaking.com) groups that strive to make eating a healthier and more enjoyable experience.
The term "Fast Food" refers to the adoption of the factory assembly line to the kitchen. Fast food, critics maintain, adversely affects our health, our landscape and our workforce. To learn more about these issues, visit www.foodmuseum.com/issues.html#Fast where you will find intriguing questions about the relationship between food and human and environmental health.
For a critic's perspective on fast food, check out the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, or the movie Super Size Me, a documentary movie directed and produced by Morgan Spurlock (www.supersizeme.com).
If your schedule demands that you must eat on the run, www.helpguide.org/aging/fast_food_nutrition.htm has a number of healthy links at the bottom of the web page offering tips for healthier choices.
What are some questions to ask a prospective restaurant if I am interested in “Green Dining?”
For a list of locals restaurants that fulfill varying degrees of 'green service' click here. Some questions to ask when considering a restaurant are:
- What type of to-go containers do you use?
- Is there any type of recycling program used on site?
- Do you donate you unused foods to local groups?
- What percentage of organically grown food is found on your menu?
- Do you offer any vegetarian choices?
- Do you offer wild-caught fish and free-range meat (-link next section)
- Do you purchase your supplies in bulk, or utilize other means of reducing packaging?
