Comments on: What ARE the benefits of buying organic food?

By: Ron McCorkle

Ron McCorkle — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 10:59:29 +0000

BTW, a follow up in the paper would go a long way towards restoring consumer opinions.

By: Ron McCorkle

Ron McCorkle — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 10:58:34 +0000

Here’s some (not so surprising) news:

Published on Thursday, September 13, 2012 by Common Dreams
Big Ag Directly Funded Anti-Organics Stanford Study: Report

Link:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/09/13-5

By: Lindsey Nair

Lindsey Nair — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:43:43 +0000

@Meghann, speaking of Proposition 37 and GMOs, have you seen this poster from The Cornucopia Institute:

http://www.cornucopia.org/2012/08/prop37/

I found it interesting, however I must note that The Cornucopia Institute is by no means impartial.

By: Lindsey Nair

Lindsey Nair — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:39:47 +0000

One of my colleagues forwarded this Forbes article about the organic food study. It’s a great read. They break down all the reasons people buy organic (more nutritious, better tasting, less pesticides, less hormones and antibiotics, more environmentally friendly) one by one and assess whether it is worth it for that particular reason:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2012/09/06/study-says-organic-isnt-healthier-heres-why-it-still-may-be-worth-the-cost-999/

The article includes a link to a list of products and whether it makes sense to go organic with these specific products. For example, it says it’s worth the extra cost to buy organic peaches but not organic avocados. I think Gretchen alluded to this thought process in her early comment on this post. Here’s that link:
http://www.learnvest.com/knowledge-center/when-is-it-worth-buying-organic/

By: Meghann

Meghann — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 12:14:58 +0000

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are an abomination that should never be tolerated in our food. The meager independent research that has been allowed to be conducted on these crops indicate that they are less nutritious, more likely to trigger an allergy, and could be linked with cancer and infertility among other things. Organic foods cannot contain GMO ingredients. So until GMO labeling in mandated I will continue to avoid products containing nonorganic corn & soy products, cottonseed and canola oils. SUPPORT PROPOSITION 37!!!!

By: Vickie

Vickie — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:45:42 +0000

I’ve thought about this for a while before commenting. It seems that the only people who have commented so far are people who can afford the higher priced organic foods which is not representative of the majority of consumers. While it would be nice to be able to buy all organic, it’s not feasible for most of us. Many people struggle to put nutritious meals on the table for our families and have to count pennies while doing so. Organic foods are simply not an option. It’s a bit of a relief to find there isn’t much difference in nutritional value. That’s one less thing to worry about as we struggle to pay bills, buy medications and still eat decent meals.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:25:28 +0000

Lindsey, I do think there’s a fair body of work that indicates that the nutrition from pastured beef is superior to that of factory beef. As for produce, surely a tomato or squash allowed to stay on the vine as long as possible and ripen in the sun is going to provide more than a poor vegetable yanked before its time and trucked up from Guatamala or wherever.

With both meat and produce, my main concern is with the chemicals, drugs, and hormones used to fatten the bottom line. Avoiding them makes the extra expense worthwhile to me.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:21:51 +0000

Shanon, if you go to the Grandin Village farmers market on Sat mornings, you can talk to farmers who sell their meats to consumers either in bulk or piecemeal.

By: Lindsey Nair

Lindsey Nair — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:48:27 +0000

@ Shanon, a lot of what’s in this searchable local food database is still up-to-date: http://www.roanoke.com/datasphere/wb/xp-163642

You can also check Roanoke Valley Locavore: http://www.roanokevalleylocavore.com/

By: Shanon

Shanon — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:29:46 +0000

I have been lucky through the years that I have grown up on a farm. My parent slaughtered their own beef and pork and grew a garden. So I was lucky to have fresh, pesticide, hormone, antibiotic free food most all the time. Now that I have my own family, I try to raise my own garden every year to provide fresh veggies and buy organic when I can.

I need to get back to buying fresh meats locally now. I would love to have a list of reputable companies in the Roanoke region. My parents no longer farm, so pasture raised meats from home is no longer an option.