“When you buy food with a “USDA organic” label, do you know what you’re getting? Now is a good time to ask such a question, as the USDA just announced Monday it was putting 15 out of 30 federally accredited organic certifiers they audited on probation, allowing them 12 months to make corrections or lose their accreditation. At the heart of the audit for several certifiers were imported foods and ingredients from other countries, including China.” Read the entire article here.
Well, that comes as no surprise – Chinese imports are not up to standards. The main problem here is China does not allow foreign inspectors, and since they have already proven they cannot be trusted to made toys without lead, why in the world would we trust them to meet, or preferably exceed, USDA standards for organic food.
The article states the best way to get truly organic food is from a local farmer where you can visit the farm yourself. Either way, purchasing from the local farmers market is a good thing. You support local agriculture and reduce the amount of pollution that goes into the air when this produce needs to be transported across the country. Many local farmers also go beyond produce and offer a variety of meats, milk and eggs.
While I shop at Whole Foods each week, I am definitely going to start being more serious about going to the local farmer’s market on Saturday mornings. Plus, the ones in my city go beyond produce stands and have entertainment, stands with other homemade goods and more. So I am certain my 2 year old will also have fun and something we will be able to enjoy as a family.
I am also going to sign us up (well hope to) for the farm co-op. I have been wanting to do this for some time, but was concerned if we would be able to eat everything before it went bad. And with the rising cost of food, now would be a good time to sign on up.
We have also planted a small garden, so I KNOW that will be organic, but I can’t grow everything!
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Thanks for this. I stumbled across your post and wanted to share with you Truly Organic Apparel and something along the same lines of your concerns about food …
Unfortunately, many consumers are unaware that the “low-impact” or “ecofriendly” dyes used in most organic apparel still include petrochemicals. Truly Organic dyes its 100% organic cotton clothing with medicinally rich botanicals and herbs from India, such as turmeric, pomegranate, indigo and onions.
You should check them out. http://www.truly-organic.com. Or at http://thepressroom.com/trulyorganic.htm
Best to you.