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Can Your Family Afford to Eat
Organic?
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First off, what is Organic food?
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| Organic food is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides or
herbicides. Foods that are genetically modified or irradiated (exposed
to ionizing radiation in order to kill bacteria, micro organisms, and
insects) or fertilized with sewage cannot be considered Organic.
Organic meat, eggs, and dairy products come from animals which are fed
organic feed and have not been given hormones, antibiotics or
medication (in the absence of illness). |
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| In Canada, Certified Organic food must meet stringent standards,
though it can be certified by a number of different Certifying Bodies
(CB)*. If an organic product is not directly labelled, a certificate
from the Certifying Body must be displayed at the point of sale (e.g.
at the farmer’s market) |
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Why Organic food?
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| Organic food might be something you start to seriously consider
when you begin planning new additions to your family. Because babies
bodies are at a crucial stage of development, they might be more
susceptible to the negative effects of pesticides in foods. This,
combined with the fact that baby food is condensed fruits and
vegetables (and thus the possibility of a high concentration of
pesticides), encourages many parents to seriously consider organic food
for their new baby. |
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Why might I want to eat organic food?
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| One of the strongest arguments in support of eating organic on a
budget is that considering the health benefits of organic food, you
can’t afford not to eat organic. Diseases and poor health are expensive
for everyone – time away from work and medication are the two greatest
financial expenses associated with illness. We know diet is a
contributing factor to overall health, so the argument that eating
healthfully means less sick days seems reasonable. |
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| Does that mean you have to eat organically to eat healthy? For
this, there is no simple answer. There is a growing body of evidence
that suggests that the pesticides used in the conventional growth of
fruits and vegetables, and the hormones and antibiotics that may show
up in some meats could be detrimental to your health. However just
because something is not Certified Organic doesn’t mean it necessarily
contains undesirable pesticides or hormones – Certified Ontario Beef,
for example, is raised 100% Hormone free. As well, keep in mind that
organic food isn’t more nutritious than conventionally grown food. |
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| With all that said, there are a variety of reasons you might be
interested in switching from conventionally grown food to organic, or
just incorporating more organic food into your family’s diet.
Ecological, environmental, and sustainable arguments for organic food
are all important to consider alongside possible health benefits. If
you decide you are interested in eating organically, there might be one
final issue holding you back– sticker shock! Organic food is generally
more expensive than conventionally grown food. So can you afford it? |
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Can I afford Organic food?
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| Organic food is generally more expensive than conventionally grown
food. Here are some ways to make purchasing Organic food more
financially viable for your family: |
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Participate in a Community Supported Agriculture group (CSA).
By purchasing a “share” from a local farmer (sometimes reffered
to as a “subscription” or “membership”) you are entitled to a box
of seasonal produce from the farm (or sometimes a collective of
farms) which is either delivered to your door or picked-up from a
central location weekly or biweekly. |
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Buy in bulk. Like conventional foods, organic food can be
purchased in bulk, and the savings can be substantial. In order
to benefit from buying in large quantities, you might want to
consider splitting your bulk purchases with another family, or
freezing extra food. While high end cuts of Organic meat can cost
$10/lb, if you buy a quarter or side of beef to split with
friends, you can be down to $5/lb, with plenty to freeze. |
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Join a food co-op. A food co-op is an organized group of
individuals who have joined together in order to take advantage
of bulk prices. Many groups now focus only on organic food. If
there is an organic co-op already running in your area, this can
be a great way to save on organics. Most groups meet monthly. |
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Purchase from farmer’s markets. Supermarkets specializing in
organic food can sometimes be the most expensive places to buy
organic food – make sure you compare prices. Find out when local
farmers markets run and do the majority of your shopping there. |
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Stock up on seasonal produce. Many fruits and vegetables can
be stored for longer than you might have thought if kept in a
cool, dry, dark place. Squash and apples, for example, can be
bough in bulk |
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Be selective – buy crops in organic that will make the most
impact. If you aren’t able to buy 100% of your family’s foods
organic (and most people aren’t), focus on foods that
conventionally have the heaviest pesticide burden, and purchase
these crops organically. Focusing your resources on buying these
key crops in organic form will make the biggest impact. Rice,
green beans, grapes, peaches, bell peppers, celery, leafy greens
and carrots are all some of the important foods to buy
organically. |
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And don’t worry too much about… buying foods that are
conventionally low pesticide in organic form. Because of how they
are grown, where, and certain characteristics (such tough skin
that is difficult to penetrate, or a tendency to not attract
pests in the first place, thus not requiring as much pesticide),
some crops are less likely to expose you to pesticides. Avocados,
onion, corn, pineapple, mango, sweet peas, asparagus, eggplant,
kiwi, cabbage, tomato, banana, broccoli and watermelon are just a
few of the low pesticide crops that you can save money on and buy
non-organic. |
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A list of recognized certifying bodies can be found at: |
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http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/orgbio/cbliste.shtml |
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