The latest post in my series on sustainable food in partnership with Chris Perrin of Blog Well Done.
It’s time to buy groceries. You are armed with a shopping list, cloth bags and the best of intentions to buy food that is sustainable in every way. But the organic apples in Whole Foods are from New Zealand and your farmers’ market only has fruit that has been sprayed with nasty chemicals. What to do?
Local and organic food
Now I have to say that every farmers’ market I have ever visited has had a good organic selection and I’ve generally found good supermarkets do offer organic produce from their own region or state. I’ve also had good experiences with organic fruit and vegetable box delivery schemes. I don’t subscribe to one here, though I know they are available, but I was signed up with Abel & Cole in London for three and a half years. Yet I can accept that my experiences in London, England and San Francisco, USA may not be the norm since they are both cosmopolitan cities renowned for their foodie scene and environmental awareness. Even here I sometimes can’t have food that’s both local and organic. What’s it like where you live? How do you make that choice?
Chris has written over at Blog Well Done about his choices. He visits an organic farmers market in Kansas City, which offers the best of both worlds. However, since only four or five stalls are devoted to vegetables, he finds that he still needs to supplement his green grocery shopping elsewhere. For the remainder of his shopping he decided that he would buy organic vegetables even if they were grown further away. He figures that pesticide is just as poisonous no matter where the crops are grown.
The issue of whether to prioritise local food or organic food is a contentious one among foodies and environmentalists. The reasons to buy organic food are solid – you avoid pesticides that harm your health and damage eco-systems, and you are supporting a system of agriculture that nourishes the land with natural fertiliser (and sequesters carbon in the process!) rather than oil-based chemical fertilisers. Depending on what you are buying, there may be better animal husbandry practices as well.
The reasons to buy local food are also solid – you support the local economy and you buy food that is fresher, with less packaging and with fewer “food miles” – a term for how far your food has been shipped. Food miles can add up to an astonishing degree - blueberries being air-freighted from Chile and apples shipped in cold storage from New Zealand are obvious culprits, but there’s also the trucks that criss-cross the country between warehouses and supermarkets in a manner that is most efficient financially but that is not necessarily the shortest route. Fuel is cheap in the United States but the exhaust fumes are just as polluting here as they are anywhere else. The farmers’ market is the most efficient route from producer to consumer, ensuring the freshest produce transported the shortest distance, and the best prices for both buyer and seller since the middle man has been cut out of the transaction.
We will be exploring both organic and local food in more depth later in the series, but that is a summary of the main arguments.
This is how I tackle the issue. I believe that it’s fine to pick the issue that has more resonance for you as Chris has done but I take more of hybrid approach. I’d be interested to hear what you do.
Organic as a priority
1. Organic staples. I prioritise organic for my staple food items. This is because the more often I eat something, the bigger the impact of whether or not it’s organic on my health and the environment. I buy organic bread, milk and coffee since I eat these every day. If I buy a chocolate bar as a treat, I’m less worried about whether or not it’s organic because it’s only an occasional food (though I must admit I do love Green & Black’s, which is an organic chocolate brand).
2. Organic meat. I don’t eat a huge amount of meat, partly because my husband is vegetarian and partly because I try to reduce my meat consumption for environmental reasons. The fact that I only cook meat at home a few times a month means I can afford to pay more for good meat. I try to buy organic meat because of the higher welfare standards and the appalling practices I’ve read about conventional meat. It’s also generally better quality meat and I want to really enjoy it when I do eat it. I will be exploring this issue in more depth later in the series.
3. Dirty dozen. I prioritise organic for fruit and vegetables that are known to have particularly high pesticide contamination. The US Department of Agriculture found that even after washing, some fruits and vegetables consistently have much higher levels of residue. Based on this, the Environmental Working Group put together the so-called dirty dozen – fruits and vegetables to avoid unless organically grown. The list of foods to buy organic includes apples, cherries, grapes imported from Chile, nectarines, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, bell peppers, celery, spinach and potatoes. Note, the list may be different in your country.
3. Corner store. When I’m buying groceries at the corner store or a generic supermarket, I buy organic where available. I want to vote with my wallet to support the fact the shop is offering an organic selection. I also have less confidence that any of the food is particularly local than I do when I’m at the farmers’ market.
Room for compromise
4. Store-cupboard ingredients. In theory, it’s not a priority for me to buy organic versions of store-cupboard ingredients such as flour or sugar, because I don’t use them often and the contamination is not as high. However, in practice I do buy most of my pantry items organic simply because it’s available and I can afford it. It also goes back to the last point about encouraging the shop to stock organic items. If money or availability were issues, I might make a different choice.
5. Farmers’ market. I try to buy most of my fruit and vegetables at the farmers’ market. I buy organic where possible. Like Chris, I also support stalls that are in transition to organic or that don’t use pesticides. As a third choice, I buy non-organic produce. At least by buying it at the farmers market I know that it’s local, so I’m supporting the farming economy and reducing food miles, and I also cut down on packaging. If I bought conventionally grown food at the supermarket, it could come from the other side of the country or world so I’d have the worst of both worlds.
6. Nuance of food miles. There are food miles and food miles. Food that is air-freighted has the highest carbon emissions of all. Food that is shipped in a refrigerated storage unit also contributes greenhouse gases. Food that is shipped without any refrigeration is probably not a huge problem, in my opinion. I won’t buy green beans air-freighted from Kenya or blueberries from Chile in the middle of winter but I’m fine with importing dry goods such as coffee, rice, olive oil, dried beans and lentils, spices and so on. Many food products come from poor countries in Asia, Africa and South America and I am just as keen to support farming communities there as I am at home.
Local as a priority
7. Seasonal food. If food grows near where I am living, I will eat the local version of that food in season and do without it when it’s out of season. So here in California, I’ll eat local asparagus in spring, peaches and nectarines in summer and autumn, and apples and oranges in winter. Why would I eat apples from New Zealand in summer when there are amazing organic nectarines at the farmers’ market? Why would I eat asparagus from Peru in winter when it doesn’t taste as good and I can have proper winter greens like kale instead? There is absolutely no sacrifice in this – the local, seasonal food is invariably better and I’m lucky enough that I mostly get to buy organic as well. I couldn’t get enough of the white nectarines when I first arrived here in July and right now I’m in love with organic Fuji apples grown just out of San Francisco – I’ve never had better.
8. Local crops. Is it grown locally at any time of year? I want to make sure that local farmers can survive because the dynamics of the free market don’t necessarily support that. For example, England has fantastic apples (and pears too), yet you would see cheaper American apples in the shops at the same time as the English ones. I think this is wrong – orchards are an important part of the English countryside but they are disappearing as a result of trends like this. It also undermines a nation’s long-term food security if it consistently imports food that it could just as easily grow itself. On the other hand, bananas don’t grow in England and they are not a big crop here either (though technically they can be grown in southern California). So I’m happy to buy bananas from abroad and I’ll try to pick organic ones where possible.
Bananas do grow in Australia, where I’m from originally, and in 2006 a cyclone wiped out our entire banana industry. There was a banana shortage for two years – they were literally unavailable for a while and then limited numbers became available but cost several dollars per banana. The government decided not to import bananas because if it did, the Australian banana industry would likely have never recovered. I guess that was one of the rare cases where I was in agreement with the policies of the former government led by Prime Minister John Howard!
What is more important to you – buying locally grown food or buying organic? How do you define local – is it a 100-mile radius of your home, your state, or your country?
***
The sustainable food series is every Tuesday on Roaming Tales and every Thursday on Blog Well Done. Last week I ran a post about cheese (Think cheese is more eco + human than meat? Think again) on EcoSalon instead.
Read all my posts in the sustainable food series.
Photo credits: “Farmers market” by Natalie Maynor.
” Stopped and bought some bread at Acme first” by visnup.
“Apple orchard” by Jeff Kubina.
All photos from Flickr and licensed under Creative Commons.
Great post.
Something that’s worth exploring is how chefs deal with this – both the organic factor and the ‘food miles’ factor. Some are really into it, but some – and some very high profile ones I’ve interviewed – are big fans of FedEx!
.-= Terence Carter´s last blog ..Notes from the road: The hotel and resort ‘meet & greet’: part 2 =-.
That’s a great point! I think we will probably do something on restaurants in the series. The other factor is greenwash – some chefs pay lip service to it but the terms get abused so much. “Wild” is another widely misused term on restaurant menus. – Caitlin.
I feel compelled to respond. I am an Australian farmer of beef, wool and vegetables, and am also certified Biodynamic (organic).
The earth is a highly complex organism and farming has many different faces. If I was to grow cereals (wheat, soy etc), I would have to destroy all of our native pastures, (as they still do all over Australia, converting grazing land into cropping land by removing and poisoning what is already there, and waiting for the bumper crop which happens every few years). However I chose to sustainably graze the land in my care with beef cattle, and merino wool sheep. So in our case, eating beef, and wearing wool means that our native pasture is being saved (and the millions of organisms that live in it beside the domestic stock), and I’m not burning fuel ploughing paddocks to grow cerials (we can’t poison of course which also burns fuel in production). Cereals, when grown on infertile marginal land, are HIGHLY polluting, destructive and fuel costly. They are best grown on naturally fertile land with reliable seasonal rain (something which is becoming less and less reliable in Australia due to a changing climate). NB A huge slice of this type of land has just been taken to produce coal in some of the most fertile cropping land in this country.
Our vegetable crop is garlic, and I grow it here, because it suits this climate beautifully (cold and very dry, with a river to irrigate, allowing control of the moisture levels), and has few predators. In some areas thrips damage it, and the worst thing is rain and humidity, causing fungal rots which garlic are prone to. So you may be able to buy garlic in your local area that has had a crop fail one year (=wasted resources from one whole year), and has therefore cost twice the fuel in irrigation, chemicals etc.
Another point on animals. Domestic animals (particularly cows) are the gold givers to this process of growing. By eating the kinds of vegetarian foods we do, the soil requires fertility! People are forgetting this in the anti-meat movement. A farm cannot support a constantly increasing number of animals to maintain fertility. So by selling some, a farm can have fertility, and some income as extra support. Is it environmental to kill the animals which will overgraze our native pasture, waste their meat that they spend years using resources growing, so that we can have fertility for a vegetarian diet?
What I am trying to say here, is that much of Australia used to grow beef and lamb off native pasture. There is an increasing trend to crop (look at the Mallee, it is being clear felled as I write). Stop supporting the industry that I contribute to, and our land gets cleared and poisoned to produce soy, wheat, etc.
When it comes to growing vegetables, you really need to consider the inputs to produce something local, eg that may not be suited to the climate! You might find that a local supplier has had to use more water (=more fuel to run pumps), or on a conventional farm, they may have had to deal with more predators, funguses or weeds? Therefore using more chemicals. Buying organic from further away, may be supporting a crop which grows well, only in that place! So although it has had food miles, it has helped leave its origin in good shape.
Nature is complex. Chemicals do destroy the life in the soil. I am organic because I have a deep concern for the life of the earth at the basic level of the soil and how we care for it. Even if the food has had to travel. Otherwise, we really need to look at eating what grows well locally only! In many places this means a more limited diet, and perhaps the complication of natural deficiencies of particular minerals of the soils in your area. Earth and human health is complex stuff!
Thank you for your long and wonderful comment, Rosie. You made some really interesting points and I’m really glad I, and my readers, got the chance to hear from you. I didn’t know that cropping grain was so damaging to the Australian soil (I had thought that hard-hooved animals such as cattle and sheep were worse). You make a really good point about animals returning fertility to the soil and I have no basic problem with eating meat – though of course this is only the case on an organic farm. Sadly, when unsustainable farming practices are used such as concentrated animal feeding lots (CAFOs), the manure is more likely to contaminate waterways than nourish the soil. – Caitlin.
Thank you for this very thoughtful article.
As you point out, we are often told that we have to make a choice between buying local and buying organic. In fact, this is a false choice. Local and organic are not in competition with one another. On the contrary, they embrace many of the same values. They both emphasize support for the farmers involved in food production. And they both encourage people to consider the environmental impacts of their purchasing decisions. Plus, as more and more local farms make the shift to organic, the choice between local and organic disappears: to buy one is to support and reap the benefits of both.
What should you do, then, if you are in the grocery store and the option to purchase locally grown, organic products does not exist? Which type of product should you choose?
When faced with such a choice, consider the following: organic offers a range of benefits that non-organic local products do not. Because they are regulated by the federal government, products bearing the organic label must meet a strict set of production/handling guidelines. They must be made without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and genetic engineering. Additionally, they must not undergo irradiation or contain ingredients made from cloned animals. Local products are not held to any such standards, and therefore cannot be counted on to meet any of the aforementioned criteria. And, because the term “local” is itself undefined, no guarantees can be made about whether a product is, indeed, local!
Organic products are also distinct with respect to traceability. In order to meet federal regulations, careful records must be kept about every phase of organic production. This means that everything from the source of the seeds to the way the products are placed on store shelves must be documented. Moreover, each of these steps must be verifiable by a third party. Local products, by contrast, are neither required to provide such documentation nor to undergo third-party review. As such, no guarantees can be made about where local products come from or how they are handled.
Does this mean you should abandon buying locally made products? Not at all. Instead, it means you should be thoughtful about the local products you choose to buy. If they are labeled organic, you can feel confident that they have been produced in a manner that not only supports personal and environmental health, but also helps to ensure product integrity from the farm to your family.
Thank you for your comment. I agree that you can often have both but I also know that there are times in my life when I have to choose. I am a big believer in organic but I make every decision on a case-by-case basis and hope to give my readers the tools to do that too, even if they choose a different approach. For people wanting to buy local it’s worth checking out the stringency of the local farmers’ market rules- usually producers have to be within a certain radius, though I did hear of one woman who found bananas in her local “farmers’ market” in Mississippi! I’m sure your information will help as well. – Caitlin.
Interesting post and on a topic I haven’t dedicated much brain space to yet. I live in the great white north of Wisconsin, and while we have a great farmers’ market in the summer it’s really hard to find one in the winter. Organic vs. Local feels like personal health vs. eco health in another guise. Tough choice, though I suppose I’d go with local first.
.-= Keith´s last blog ..Savage Travels: Orcadian Time Machines =-.
Eating local fresh food in winter can be challenging in colder climes. When Barbara Kingsolver’s family did it (chronicled in the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle) they didn’t eat fruit until April and even then the “fruit” was actually a vegetable (rhubarb)! I see where you are coming from but I don’t think it’s as straightforward as saying it’s about personal health versus planetary health, since there are many reasons why organic agriculture is better for the environment. I agree that air-freighting organic produce is not sustainable but not all imported food comes by plane.
Great tips, especially about the harmful pesticides agrocorps use on their crops. As far as local and organic, there’s always the option of starting your own garden. I started one last year and was glad I did. If you’re in to growing your own food, I recommend using an organic pesticide like End All Insect Killer. Of course, you can always make your own, but it’s a hassle.
I have removed the URL as it was coming uncomfortably close to a commercial plug, but I’m sure readers will be able to find it by searching for the name if they are interested. I don’t know anything about the product and can’t endorse it personally. – Caitlin.
Since I’ve started a garden two summers ago I’ve been amazed at the amount of vegetables it produces. Finding a healthy side dish is as easy as walking out to the back yard and picking some green beans. All of those vegetables–with no use of gas, plastic bags, insecticides, and all the other things that go along with the industrial food complex that are harmful to the environment.
Great topic! I am with Steven – if you can start your own vegetable garden then the organic / local isn’t even a question. There are of course reasons why people don’t grow their own (even a small proportion) but most of those reasons point to us just being too lazy to get up and do it! Like your comments on the staples – the more of us buy organic, the more call there is for it and the more will be produced. We also try and buy at our Farmers Market where we can ask about pesticides usage etc (even if not certified I am happy to go by the producer’s word). Also an Aussie who lives rurally we don’t have weekly markets and only have supermarket greens. Meat is local (through the farmers market) and ours comes from a maximum 65km away (beef, pork and lamb). Support local first, ask lots of questions, grow your own and otherwise go organic. The other thing that needs to be considered is your pocket… if you are on the line (which many are) then sometimes the decisions become a little harder (which is all the more reason to grow your own).
Gardening is a great thing for those who have the time and space and we plan to devote at least a post to it. However, I don’t think it’s just laziness that stops people, at least not for most city-dwellers and many renters. It’s been at least 10 years since I’ve lived somewhere with space to grow more than a few herbs in pots. – Caitlin.
Yes – point taken. But if you have space (and light) for some herbs in a pot then that is also enough space for some greens (lettuce, spinach, any of those things) and a tomato pot. Tomatoes absorb lots of chemicals so if you can grow your own then you are out of the pesticide cycle. Which would you use more – tomatoes / greens or herbs? We rented for the first three years after moving out of Melbourne (now on a 10 acre block with owner built greenie house, but that’s another story) and we have had at the very least a tomato in a pot. If you have even a little space then you can have a lemon tree. Its not about “no space” its about “what can I achieve with the space that I have”. Sorry to be argumentative but growing your own stuff DOES reduce the local vs organic decision.
Thanks, Alli. I appreciate your passion and certainly agree that growing your own food means you can have organic and ultra-local. Greens and tomatoes in pots are great ideas for space-starved city-dwellers but it does depend on many things such as space, climate, access to sunlight, and whether you have a job that requires frequent travel or not. I have to admit my herbs died, though I will try again in the spring. – Caitlin.
So much to think about, and so good to read such a carefully thought out article and responses. Rosie, I really understand your points about pasture and using marginal land to grow cereals. I think it is great to try to preserve native pasture, I am really aware how little of it there is! I look after orphan baby wallabies and can’t find any native grass for them to eat even on our own land which has never been planted with any foreign grasses, just has it all arrive on the wind. However I am vegetarian because I am not happy about killing thinking, feeling animals to feed myself ..and do have a problem with an industry that is based on the whole idea that we humans have a right to kill other living beings, that they are there for that purpose. Though I think organic meat production is so much more ethical than conventional for the reasons you outline.
I think it is possible to eat organic food even if budgets are limited and you don’t live in an area that supports it much. it just depends how important it is to you and how much energy you are willing to put into it. I put large amounts of energy into it because I think our planet is doomed unless we really change our attitude to food. We think it should be cheap, plentiful, convenient, no effort and yummy, and take that as a given when actually for most people in the world and most people in history it was none of those things,and the reason it is those things for what is actually a small minority of the world’s population is because modern western agribusiness has developed very unsustainable ways of making it that way.
Here at home we manage on a limited budget (3 pensioners) by buying bulk organic staples, eggs from a neighbour, organic local milk and cheese and bread from the supermarket and having a veggie garden supplemented by organic carrots, potatoes, onions and apples from the supermarket. We buy local bananas which are not organic but not sprayed…It also means eating what you can get rather than assuming you can get anything you want. I like adventurous cooking so don’t mind rejigging a recipe but I know some find that very daunting. It is also harder that one might think to maintain a productive veggie garden and I have probably spent a fortune on attempts to keep out pests by netting garden beds in various ways but it is also a total buzz to eat your own food.
Local food from the Village down the road and nice organic and free range eggs from your local farmer are the way forward, My house mate works right by a farm and pops in every week or so to do some shopping and we get basics like bread, eggs, milk etc for so much cheaper and it tastes so much better!
.-= Jeff ´s last blog ..The Columnist Who Moved From London To The Village =-.
Thanks, Jeff. Sounds lovely, though farmers markets are about as close as a citydweller like me will get most weeks! There are eco pros and cons of living in a city, but among the pros are the fact that I can easily live without a car. – Caitlin.
In my case, while I am much far away from farms, yet still I can have those fresh organic food delivered straight to my house since I cannot manage anymore to drive in to our local market. I just do online shopping.
It taste good when it is fresh. Fresh food means you gain a lot of nutrients out of it
I eat a lot of fruits and veges and the natural effect? I always look young.