IF you're like me, you have stood dazed and confused in the produce section of the supermarket wondering whether it is worth the money to spend the extra $3 on the organic apples or buy the cheaper Granny Smith's on a nearby counter. What exactly are we paying extra for? Is organic food that much healthier for us and the environment? And how do we know for sure that this expensive organic apple was grown any differently than the lower-priced version?
I posed these questions to Janine Gibson, an independent organic farm inspector based near Winkler, who is also chair of the steering committee of the Organic Food Council of Manitoba (a chapter of the Canadian Organic Growers) and an educator who teaches organic crop and livestock production at Assiniboine Community College. Here are her responses:
Suzanne Bremault, produce manager at Eat It organic food store, stocks the shelves.
What exactly is organic food?
ORGANIC is a production method that is sustainable and harmonious with the environment. Organic production prohibits the use of: synthetic fertilizers and pesticides; products produced from genetic engineering; irradiation (a preserving process where food is exposed to radioactivity); sewage sludge as fertilizer; and synthetic processing aids and food additives such as sulfates or nitrates -- all of which may be found in conventional food processing.
What makes meat organic?
FOR meat products to be considered organic, the animal must be given a certain amount of space to live, access to outdoors, quality of air and quality organic feed (no genetically engineered feed). Organic animals are not fed antibiotics or growth hormones or other artificial drugs. If an animal's life is at risk, they are given antibiotics but then that animal cannot be considered organic.
As well, in organic meat production manure management is essential to ensure that there is no run-off into ground water and waterways.
Why is organic food more healthy?
THERE are quite a few studies showing that pesticide residue on fruits and vegetables is right inside the food, it can't be peeled or washed away. It is particularly damaging to infants and young children because their nervous systems are still developing and they consume more food per kilogram of body mass than adults.
Organic foods have more minerals and cancer-fighting antioxidants than conventionally produced fruits and vegetables. The level of vitamins may be higher than in conventional farming, but it can depend on the health of the soil and how long the farm has been managed organically.
How do you know the food in the organic section of the supermarket is truly organic?
WHEN you buy an organic product it should have a seal that says "certified by" and then the name of one of 26 different certification bodies that exist in Canada that ensure that the farm is following organic standards. These certification bodies are overseen by internationally recognized accreditation organizations. There are so many certification bodies because agriculture is so diverse across the country. Growing fruit on Vancouver Island is very different than growing grain in Manitoba.
If a farmer wants to be certified organic, they contact a certifying organization in their province, complete an application, and an independent consultant such as myself visits their facility, interviews the workers and verifies all the information in the application. We don't take their word for it. Organic operations are audited on a yearly basis.
As well, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is going to begin regulating organic food in Canada beginning in December when a new organic labelling regulation comes into effect. At that time, a Canadian Organic label will appear on all organic products in stores to certify that this product is in fact following Canadian organic production standards. It will also offer legal recourse in terms of prosecuting any producer that says their product is organic if in fact it is not.
Why is organic food more expensive and are prices coming down?
We call it organic premiums and they can vary anywhere from 10 per cent to 200 per cent, depending on availability of the product and the labour and costs required to produce it. Organic agriculture is more labour and management intensive. As well, crops are rotated so farmers aren't earning revenue on every acre of land.
Distribution is another issue. Organic potatoes from Winkler have gone from 30 per cent to only 10 per cent more expensive because of shipping changes. The big distribution companies don't want to deal with 25 farmers so all the potatoes were shipped to a central warehouse in Alberta and then those destined for Winnipeg sent back. That is something we have worked to change to bring costs down.
You can eat organically without spending a lot of money. My children are 30 and 27 and I raised them both on organic food as a single parent living below the poverty line while I went to university. My kids were always healthy, hardly ever sick, and never needed antibiotics. If you prioritize healthy food you don't have to spend as much money on vitamins and cold remedies, etc.
The general rule is if you eat local, in-season foods, the price for organic should be only about 10 per cent higher. Buying in bulk, becoming part of organic buying co-ops and purchasing direct from local producers is a way to save money on organics.
For a list of Manitoba organic suppliers pick up a copy of Down to Earth Guide to Organics in Manitoba at Organza, Vita Health or on our website at www.organicfoodcouncil.org
cheryl.binning@freepress.mb.ca
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