Interesting article in the New Yorker on “organic” foods. I always thought it was funny that it implied other foods didn’t have any carbon-based molecules, but you know…
http://www.newyorker.com/critics/atlarge/articles/060515crat_atlarge
[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
Interesting article in the New Yorker on “organic” foods. I always thought it was funny that it implied other foods didn’t have any carbon-based molecules, but you know…
…[/quote]
The term “organic” also always bothered me. All food is organic.
This whole organic craze is deceptive.
Gasoline is organic.
The whole use of the term “organic” when referring to foods is just plain stupid. As a chemist, I find it’s use in this manner insulting to my intelligence.
since i’m not educated, applying the term “organic” to food doesn’t upset me so much. anyway thanks for posting bb. it was a good read. perhaps soon they’ll labeling foods w/ “fossil fuel calories” as well !
How pedantic can you guys get, seriously?
I really don’t care if the term is scientifically accurate or not – after all, the meaning of words changes depending on context, and, in this context, we know what it means.
I do care a little bit that the producers of most “organic” foods are now also big corporations – but that is inevitable in a capitalist system, it is necessary for them to be available for a large portion of the population AND we still have the choice of buying from a farmer’s market rather than from Whole Foods.
At least we’re not importing them from China. Yet. If we ever do, then I’ll be worried. For now, I’ll just continue to buy them from the farmer’s market rather than from Whole Paycheck.
Finally, how can anyone on this particular site NOT support at least certain organic foods and buy them as frequently as possible? I mean, most of us are not only worried about nutrition, we buy supplements and we understand the positive impact of good nutrients – and the negative impact of toxins. We also understand the thresholds and that while there are foods that we absolutely MUST buy organic like berries and apples (i.e., antioxidant-rich foods) – there are others that we don’t.
We’re not a bunch of idiots who have no idea what they’re buying and just follow the trend – we can make informed decisions, and the informed decision is to buy specific, antioxidant-laden, fruits and vegetables organic – in a farmer’s market – and stop whining about Whole Paycheck, scientifically incorrect labels, and fruits and vegetables which are as good non-organic!
As to people who do buy everything organic, and only go to Whole Paycheck – that’s their problem, and their money. It’s not like it’s going to make us or them fat or sick or cost billions in healthcare – like high fructose corn syrup, for example, does.
[quote]hspder wrote:
How pedantic can you guys get, seriously?
[/quote]
Hey, relax and breathe for a minute. 
I only pointed out that it is very annoying to see. Because of my background, I end up having to explain what this means to people on many occassions. I’m not losing any sleep over it. It’s just one of those annoying things similar to seeing laboratory mistakes on the latest episode of CSI. You know it’s stupid to let it bother you, but it does anyway. Really, it’s just another marketing fad the lure in people and separate them from their money. It will either die out soon, or it will become just another part of the system to blend in with everything else.
Yeah, I much preferred “all natural” to “organic”. And I’m insulted by the term both as a biochemist and a person with organs!
Seriously, I hate discussing this with anyone who hasn’t worked on a farm (and your garden out back or the time you petted a cow doesn’t count). I am restraining myself in the extreme, but I agree with the line of thought;
“a meal that is eaten in full consciousness of what it took to make it.”
Obesity’s a problem, voluminous quality food production’s a problem, abundant, low cost illegal labor’s a problem. IMO, the answer should be straightforward.
To me, organic means expensive.
[quote]PGJ wrote:
To me, organic means expensive. [/quote]
this is unfortunate but true. also that corps are seizing this as a marketing tool. it’s kinda disappointing how easily the average consumer is lead by the marketer’s lead, and will in most cases sacrifice their own judgement of quality in favor of a label.
i sell wine wholesale. there’s a good segment of consumers looking for “organic” wines (whole foods customers especially) but those wines which are labeled and marketed as “organic” are for the most part inferior and overpriced to boot. invariably these wines were concieved simply to fill a market niche and the quality is mediocre. still people purchase them and pay a premium just for that frickn “organic” label.
there are however many producers -spain and france in particular but also some u.s.- who produce organic and even bio-dynamic wines superior in every way, including lower price, which will be passed over simply because they aren’t certified, or labelled, or marketed as such. and these are the guys who really have their shit together and really care about the integrity of their farming and vinification. but they tend not to care so much about marketing their products as “organic” because they’d rather be judged by what’s in the bottle rather than what’s on it. i’d go as far to say that in the wine world some of the best wines out there are coming from those makers who are organic or bio-dynamic but aren’t marketing themselves as such.
at the end of the day you still got to know your shit from shinola.
I don?t think whether your farmer uses a tractor or a horse matters to any one. I have been to large egg farm in Arizona. I have been by Dairies in Arizona. I have also been by Dairies in South Dakota. The cattle in South Dakota had enough room to wonder without walking in shit up to their knees.
I doubt the S.D. farms were organic but you would not have to medicate them the way you would Arizona farms. The Egg farm was amazing. It was an egg factory. The one I was in was very clean, very little odor. They had a way to process the waste out of the factories just like the eggs were carried out.
And Hippies smell good:)
[quote]hspder wrote:
How pedantic can you guys get, seriously?
I really don’t care if the term is scientifically accurate or not – after all, the meaning of words changes depending on context, and, in this context, we know what it means.
I do care a little bit that the producers of most “organic” foods are now also big corporations – but that is inevitable in a capitalist system, it is necessary for them to be available for a large portion of the population AND we still have the choice of buying from a farmer’s market rather than from Whole Foods.
At least we’re not importing them from China. Yet. If we ever do, then I’ll be worried. For now, I’ll just continue to buy them from the farmer’s market rather than from Whole Paycheck.
Finally, how can anyone on this particular site NOT support at least certain organic foods and buy them as frequently as possible? I mean, most of us are not only worried about nutrition, we buy supplements and we understand the positive impact of good nutrients – and the negative impact of toxins. We also understand the thresholds and that while there are foods that we absolutely MUST buy organic like berries and apples (i.e., antioxidant-rich foods) – there are others that we don’t.
We’re not a bunch of idiots who have no idea what they’re buying and just follow the trend – we can make informed decisions, and the informed decision is to buy specific, antioxidant-laden, fruits and vegetables organic – in a farmer’s market – and stop whining about Whole Paycheck, scientifically incorrect labels, and fruits and vegetables which are as good non-organic!
As to people who do buy everything organic, and only go to Whole Paycheck – that’s their problem, and their money. It’s not like it’s going to make us or them fat or sick or cost billions in healthcare – like high fructose corn syrup, for example, does.
[/quote]
All true.
Come on Al–how many people have asked you to explain to them-‘organic?’