You’re walking in the produce aisle of your local supermarket and you’re faced with the decision – should you buy organic or not? It seems like it wasn’t so long ago that we didn’t have to worry about how our food was grown, nor did we have a choice in the matter. With the growth of environmentalism in the past decade, we’re faced with all these decisions over something as simple as which kind of apple to buy.

It makes sense, of course, that we should buy ALL organic – fertilizers and chemicals simply do not belong on our food (or in our bodies). The organic food business has seen a boom in the past 10 years, with an average of 20% growth per year. Should everything in our shopping cart come with an “organic label”? If money’s no object, why not? While there’s not a lot of extensive research done on the matter, some people might say it’s better to be safe than sorry. But not everyone can afford a trip to Whole Foods every week. The reality is, organic food can cost up to 20% more than conventional food, sometimes even 50% for items like dairy or beef. Consumer Reports examines which items should you buy organic and which ones are you better off getting from the standard shelf. Certain fruits and vegetables such as spinach, raspberries, peaches and bell peppers, which are part of the Environmental Working Group (EWG)’s “dirty dozen” – items which retain higher levels of pesticides than their organic counterparts. On the opposite end of the spectrum, seafood, surprisingly, is not worth the extra money because “The USDA has not yet developed organic certification standards for seafood” (though that doesn’t exactly bring any confidence when buying seafood at the supermarket). Not surprising? Cosmetics. “Just because a product has the word “organic” or “natural” in its name doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safer. Only 11 percent of ingredients found in personal-care products, organic or not, have ever been screened for safety.”

The complete article can be found here, and EWG's Shopper's Guide can be found here.

Labels: In the News