Organic food is often romanticized as the salvation for our food system, but it may not be as idealistic as it sounds
From her perch in the shopping cart, your daughter points to the Anjou pears and announces, “Mommy, I want.”
She never eats fruit, so you jump at the chance to buy a few, even though they’re a hefty $1.99 a pound. As you’re about to fill up a bag, your eye catches the bold-lettered “Organic” sign off to the side. At $2.49 a pound, organic Anjou pears are over 50 cents more than conventional pears. But this is your baby! Shouldn’t you buy her the best?
The real question is, are organic fruits, vegetables, and other foods really the best? From the hype created by marketing experts and even the media, it certainly seems that organic food is a good choice. But take a closer look and you’ll see that the issue is far more complex.
Not too far back in history, food was a lot simpler. You could only get produce that was in season — and locally grown. Since food wasn’t mass-produced, it was more recognizable: bread, for instance, was made with flour, water, yeast, maybe some sugar or eggs. Fast-forward to today and your typical store-bought bread could contain more than a dozen ingredients, most of which are hard to pronounce. As for produce, you can buy Israeli-grown fruits and vegetables in the middle of America.
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