Real Food

Healthy Foods Have Never Been More Abundant

There's happy news for consumers this holiday season: Healthier, sustainably grown foods are more widely available and easier to identify, thanks to some new labels. And they're also getting more affordable. According to supermarket-trend analyst Phil Lempert, prices are coming down while our choices increase, as stores respond to consumer requests to stock sustainable products.

The number of Americans willing to buy foods marketed as "organic" has grown at a rate of about 20 percent a year over the past twelve years, says Katherine DiMatteo, executive director of the Organic Trade Association. Correspondingly, "the number of certified farmers tending their fields organically has risen from 5,500 in 1997 to 7,800 in 2000, and organic acreage nationwide has more than doubled since 1995," DiMatteo says.

What's new this season: A federal organic label. On October 21, the USDA implemented national standards that outline exactly how foods must be produced and handled in order to be certified organic. "Consumers can now have confidence that the label 'organic' means the same thing no matter where the product was produced," DiMatteo says. (See Look at the Label, sidebar)

Why Organics?

For our health: Organic fruits and vegetables contain only about a third as many pesticide residues as conventionally grown food, according to Edward Groth III, senior scientist at Consumers Union (CU) and coauthor of a May 2002 study. (Most residues in organic foods stem from past pesticide contamination of the soil and/or drift from conventional farms.)

For children: Roughly 20 million youngsters age five and under consume an average of eight pesticides in their food each day in the U.S., according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG). "Children's foods are contaminated with unsafe levels of numerous pesticides," says Ken Cook, president of EWG, noting that many of these chemicals may harm a child's developing brain and disrupt delicate hormonal systems. "The government knows this, and is dragging its heels -- protecting chemicals instead of kids," Cook says. (See Top Ten to Buy Organic, this issue)

For the environment: According to a 21-year Swiss study published in the May 31, 2002, issue of Science, organic farming increases soil fertility and diversity of species. Organic agriculture also requires less water and emits 40-60 percent less CO2, the principal global-warming gas, per hectare than do conventional farms, the Soil Association in the U.K. reported in 2000.

What to do: Reduce your family's exposure to pesticides by purchasing organic produce when possible. If there's a baby in the house, opt for homemade baby foods and juices or brands such as Earth's Best (800-442-4221, www.earthsbest.com). Choose dairy products from companies that reject recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), which elevates levels of a hormone called IGF-1 that has been linked to higher rates of breast and prostate cancer in some studies, and causes discomfort and infection in cows. (See list of rBGH-free brands of milk and cheese in The Green Guide's Milk Product Report.)

MORE LABELS TO LOOK FOR

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) labels indicate that a farmer uses biological controls, such as natural predators of pests, and resorts to only the least-toxic pesticides when they are necessary. Coffee, orange juice and cocoa that are Rainforest Alliance (RA) Certified were grown on a farm that conserves soil and water, minimizes agrochemicals and protects worker health. Chiquita bananas also are grown under RA standards. Launched in 1995, "Salmon Safe" is a certification awarded to the products of farmers and vintners who follow conservation practices that restore water quality and salmon habitat in the Pacific Northwest. (For sustainable fish labels, see "Evolving Sustainable Labels.")

When it comes to meat, fowl and dairy products, consumers are increasingly seeking reassurance that the animals have not been crowded together in factory farms that promote E. coli and Salmonella. Given the spread of antibiotic resistance, many of us now also prefer food from animals that haven't been so drugged.

A word of caution:The USDA's "Free Range" label can be misleading, according to Consumers Union, since the USDA considers five minutes of open-air access each day to be adequate. CU also warns that although the USDA permits the labels "No antibiotics/hormones administered" and "Raised without antibiotics/hormones," there is no independent verification of the manufacturers' claims. What to do? Choose "USDA Organic," which ensures that an animal has indeed been raised without antibiotics and hormones, and "under conditions which provide for exercise and freedom of movement," according to the National Organic Standards. For certified organic poultry, bacon, steaks and ground meat, try Organic Valley products (available at natural-foods stores, or 888-444-6455, www.organicvalley.com), or choose from the lists at "Organic Foods: Internet and Mail-Order Resources." A growing taste among the health conscious is "grass-fed" beef (See "Evolving Sustainable Labels" and our Meat and Poultry & Eggs Product Reports).

PROTECTING LOCAL FARMS

In the past decade, America has lost more than 40 million acres of prime farmland to nonagricultural development and other uses, according to USDA figures. "We can all survive without another condominium, fast-food franchise or shopping center, but can we really survive without fertile soils, without fresh food, without farmers?" asks farmer Michael Ableman, founder of the Center for Urban Agriculture in Goleta, California.

What You Can Do:

• Choose locally or regionally grown fruits and vegetables sold at farmers' markets, natural-foods stores and supermarkets such as D'Agostino, Whole Foods, Fresh Fields, Bread & Circus and Publix. This simple choice bolsters local farms and cuts down on the use of fungicides and fossil fuels required to ship foods great distances. A 2001 Iowa State University study found that the contents of a given basket of Iowa-grown food traveled an average of 44.6 miles to reach consumers in the state; if sourced from conventional national producers, the same groceries would have traversed 1,546 miles. To locate a farmers' market near you, call your local chamber of commerce or visit www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets.
  
  
• Plan ahead: Join a Community Supported Agriculture group (CSA) now for next summer and fall. Members pay a fixed seasonal fee to a farmer in exchange for a weekly share of the farm's bounty. "Farmers can't create sustainable agriculture alone," says Stephen Decater, of Live Power Community Farm, an organic CSA in Covelo, California. To find a CSA near you, check out www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa, or call the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association's CSA Line, 800-516-7797.
  
  
• Ask your grocer to stock organic, IPM and regionally grown foods.

AMERICAN HERITAGE

Slow Food U.S.A., part of an international nonprofit educational organization, is attempting to save "endangered" foods that are part of America's culinary history -- wild rice, rare livestock breeds, heirloom vegetables, regional oysters. To learn more about this back-to-our-roots food movement, pick up a copy of Slow Food (Chelsea Green, 2001, $24.95), a fun-to-read compendium of essays, or visit www.slowfoodusa.org.

To order heirloom varieties:

• For heirloom Mexican corn, contact the Kitchen Market in New York City (888-HOT-4433, www.kitchenmarket.com).
  
  
• Corn, chilies and prickly-pear cactus, all indigenous to New Mexico, can be ordered from Native Seeds/SEARCH, which also makes unique gift baskets (520-622-5561, www.nativeseeds.org).
  
  
• For artisanal cheeses, see the American Cheese Society's www.cheesesociety.org; visit Vermont Shepherd Cheese (802-387-4473, www.vermontshepherd.com); and look for Juniper Grove goat cheese and Shelburne Farms' cheeses in stores.
  
  
• Gobble, gobble: Mark your calendar for March 2003 to reserve a heritage turkey for next Thanksgiving (farmers hatch eggs to order in spring). Descendants of America's original domestic turkey flocks, these distinguished birds are raised by small farmers across the U.S. Call Heritage Foods, 212-965-5641, or visit www.slowfoodusa.org and click "slow turkey." This year, your best bet is a bird that's organic; for vegetarians, there's a delicious organic Tofurky (at natural-foods stores, or from www.tofurky.com, 800-508-8100).

"Organic Foods: Internet and Mail-Order Resources" also lists sellers of artisanal foods and heirloom seeds.

JUST DESSERTS

Americans spent $18 billion a year on coffee in 1998, according to the nonprofit Specialty Coffee Association of America's latest market report. What a difference we could make if at least part of that money was spent on certified organic and fair-trade brews that pay dividends to farmworkers and the environment. Initiated by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, the "Bird Friendly" label signifies that a third-party inspector has certified your coffee organic and shade-grown, without clearcutting the tropical forests that birds (and other species) need. You can find organic, shade-grown and fairly traded coffee at natural-foods supermarkets, Equal Exchange (781-830-0279, www.equalexchange.com), Starbucks and specialty stores.

Sweet Stuff: Green & Black's chocolate bars that are "fair-trade" certified and produced with organically raised cocoa beans can be purchased at natural-foods stores or from the Global Exchange Fair Trade store (800-497-1994, ext. 237, www. globalexchange.org). For full listings, see our Product Reports on chocolate and coffee.

IN THE SPIRIT

For celebrations large and small, consult The Green Guide's Wine Product Report. Consider the organic wines offered by Frey Vineyards (800-760-3739, www.freywine.com) and the hundreds of bottles up for sale at the Organic Wine Company (888-ECO-WINE, www.ecowine.com). For beer drinkers, The Green Guide offers a Beer Product Report. Wolaver's is a quality, easy-to-find choice, they work with several breweries nationwide to produce regionally crafted organic ales and ciders (www.wolavers.com).

So, here's to your health. Cheers!