Why Eat Organic? The Benefits to Eating Sustainably
Organic food… organic cleaning products… organic skin care products. What makes organic foods and organic products – well, organic!? How can you tell if a product is really organic? Is organic food better for you? Why do they often cost more? Learn the answers to these questions, and more.
A Brief History of Organics
The term ‘organic’ as it is used today was coined over 70 years ago by J. I. Rodale, founder of the Rodale Institute. Though the organic movement has now become a global industry, the roots of contemporary eco-friendly agriculture can be found in the methods of over-looked trailblazers.
Indigenous communities have long practiced regenerative plantings, land stewardship, and living in harmony with nature. Generations of small-scale family farmers worked to increase soil health with practices such as composting, mulching, crop rotation, and grazing animals on pasture.
What Makes Food Organic?
The new job was definitely a learning experience — natural ingredients replaced the highly processed ones I was used to, and the nutritional value and wholesomeness of the food moved front and center. Efficiency was still important, but it didn’t trump food quality in the Frontier Café. My outlook — and my skills — changed. I enjoyed the experience of learning to cook with whole grains, dried beans, seasonal produce and the like. It was easy converting familiar recipes to more natural versions, and it was fun to experiment with the almost unlimited seasoning palette of the spices Frontier sells. I felt great about the food I was making at work, and soon I was cooking the same way at home.
Access to information about natural living and people interested in it got me thinking more about my food. I decided to become vegetarian partly because I realized how much I enjoyed vegetarian cooking. (The Café has always offered both a meat dish and a vegetarian option for every lunch.) Since cooking was such a big part of my life, it only made sense to eat the way I liked best to cook. And I had already determined from cooking at Frontier that there were no disadvantages of taste, nutrition or heartiness to vegetarian fare, so it wasn’t any kind of sacrifice for me to stop eating meat.
What About Organic Beauty Products?
Beauty and other personal care products are applied directly onto your skin and then absorbed into the body. Like the food you eat, the ingredients of a lotion, balm, or moisturizer can pose health risks. Though many beauty products are promoted as being natural, all-natural, or plant-based, they are not necessarily organic.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) recognizes and allows certain safe processes and ingredients that are essential and unique to personal care product effectiveness. To that end, their NSF/ANSI 305 is an American National Standard written specifically for personal care products containing organic ingredients.
Cosmetics, lotions and other personal hygiene products certified for compliance with NSF/ANSI 305 are permitted to bear the NSF “contains organic ingredients” mark. The product label must also state the exact percentage of organic content on the label. The standard requires that all products bearing organic labels identify each organically produced ingredient in the ingredient statement on the information panel. In addition, the name of the certifying agent of the final product must be displayed on the information panel.
Earth-friendly Cleaning Products
Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the impacts their home cleaning products can have on our environment. Eco-friendly homecare plays a crucial role in creating a healthier world with non-polluting products made of natural and organic ingredients that are safe and effective for everyday use.
National standards for organic cleaning products closely follow those established for beauty and personal care products. (See above.) A cleaning product is rarely 100% organic, but when it is, you will find the USDA Organic label.
Greener options boast transparent ingredient lists that are nontoxic, biodegradable, and free from unnecessary dyes and fragrances. Any organic ingredients are listed as such, often with the percentage.
The Benefits of Organics
With the cost of groceries and nearly all other products on the rise, it’s only natural to wonder if organics are worth paying more for. While organic and agri-business fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat may look the same, there’s a world of difference in the farming practices that produce them. Organic agriculture is designed to meet the following goals:
• Improve soil and water quality and reduce pollution
• Provide safe, healthy places for farm animals to live
• Enable natural farm animals' behavior
• Promote sustainability — a self-sustaining cycle of resources on a farm
To meet these goals, organic farming does not allow the following:
• Using artificial fertilizers/nutrients or sewage sludge as fertilizer
• Using most synthetic pesticides for pest control
• Using radiation (irradiation) to preserve food or to get rid of disease or pests
• Using genetic technology to change the genetic makeup (genetic engineering) of crops, which can improve disease or pest resistance, or to improve crop harvests
• Administering antibiotics or growth hormones to livestock
Studies show potential health benefits of organic foods when compared with foods grown using conventional processes, including the following:
• More nutrients. Organic produce may have more of certain antioxidants and types of flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties.
• Higher omega-3 fatty acids. The feeding requirements for organic farm animals usually cause higher levels of good-for-you omega-3 fatty acids. These higher omega-3 fatty acids are found in organic meats, dairy and eggs.
• Less pesticide residue. Compared with produce grown using conventional methods, organically-grown produce has lower levels of pesticide residue.
Perhaps the greatest benefits of choosing organic products — whether they are for eating, personal care or home cleaning — is the satisfaction you can gain from actively making a positive difference on many levels:
• Enjoy a more fulfilling relationship with food and other products, as we read labels more closely and scrutinize ingredients, packaging, and production practices
• Become more aware of, and avoid, the potentially harmful additives in our foods and the products we use every day
• Support small-farm owners in the USA who follow eco-friendly, sustainable practices
• Support a healthier and more natural living environment for farm livestock
• Support Fair Trade farmers and communities around the globe, for a more equitable and just world
Why Organics Often Cost More
To achieve organic certification a product must meet strict standards, from start to finish. Third-party certifiers are responsible for making sure that USDA organic products meet all organic standards. There are five basic steps to organic certification; each one can be time-consuming and incur fees to the USDA-accredited certifying agent.
To maintain organic certification, a certified organic farm or business will go through an annual review and inspection process. Typically, there is an application fee, annual renewal fee, assessment on annual production or sales, and inspection fees. In addition to the on-going certification costs, higher-quality ingredients and environmentally-sustainable practices are more expensive than the conventional.
It’s Your Choice
No matter where you are on your journey toward living a healthier, more environmentally-aware life, you can count on us to offer only the highest-quality organic and earth-friendly products to help you achieve your personal or business goals.
