Organic--but is it safe?

The New York Times recently published an article entitled, "It’s Organic, but Does That Mean It’s Safer?" which raised questions about food safety related to the salmonella outbreak related to organically farmed foods.

It's important right from the outset of this blog to shatter the fantasies that we maintain about organic food as it is packaged and consumed in suburban America. The organic food industry is just that--another industry, another corporate enterprise. Many of the most visible organic food players are owned now by corporate suits like Kellogs (owns Kashi) and General Mills (owns Cascadian Farms), and Coca Cola (owns Honest Tea). What is more, the standards of organic food production allows for the use of artificial preservatives. Free range animals can be couped up except for a few hours a day when a tiny door is opened to a tine caged plot of dirt. If the chicken walks around or not is due to the vagaries of fate.

What is more, organic meats come from animals fed organic corn and organic soy beans which impart organic inflammatory products that acidify the blood and organic estrogen that may affect boys' fertility and possibly increase a woman's risk of breast and ovarian cancer in certain sub-groups. (Organic cancer anyone?)

Anything that is packaged, wrapped, or frozen is not going to be very good for you--even if it is organic. It still uses too much organic salt, too much organic fat and way too many resources like plastic wrappers, waxed paper cartons that will be thrown away and not recycled...

As a nation, we need to move beyond buzz words and sweet notions of where our food comes from how it arrives on our table. We need to become more involved in local agriculture, support regional growers and be willing to make more food ourselves from fresh ingredients. It is no longer sufficient to trust the government or big corporations to ensure not only the lack of danger but the wholesomeness of our food. For starters, everyone who is interested or passionate about food should read Michael Pollen's "Omnivore's Dilemma" (2007, Penguin paperback) which is a true eye-opener in this regard.