Friends have working farm for decades, then decided to go the popular Organic route; became so costly wth Govt fees, ongoing inspections etc, they removed "costly label", but sell same product, same local farmers markets, same success, cut out the middle-man aka The Govt..
One story they told, a California couple inquired what these "organic" cows ate in the winter as grass covered with snow...they chuckled and said "Hay" and now remains a story to be retold.
I love Marco, as a chef and as a man of integrity, there is no other cuts through the BS like he does.
Freepers would love him; he loves to hunt and he loves his guns.
In a way, he is the Ted Nugent of the food world.
“Organic” food is a shakedown racket by slick marketers and endorsed by government agencies looking to make a buck off of suckers. With the price of food skyrocketing, no one will pay the ridiculous prices for oranic products anyway.
Is there any study on the content of pesticide residues in organically grown produce vs. the alternatives? I am not really surprised about the lack of a significant difference between these foods in terms of nutrition, but I thought the biggest selling point with regard to organic food was the absence of pesticides and synthetic medication.
I always thought the claims of some sort of greatly superior nutrients were gilding the lily.
I think most people choose organic not because they think regular produce exceeds the government-established limits for pesticides, but because they don’t think those limits are adequate.
I suspect they are right. And no, we can’t afford to feed the unwashed billions organically.
But I really don’t think this study debunks much that’s been taken very seriously, and it hasn’t really explored that—the sense that government standards are inadequate—that has.
Oh, also. Standards by which chickens are raised could be increased without pricing chicken out of the market.
Oh, and yes, I often find organic foodie types to be insufferable.
And the Michelle Obama type of crusading that makes average taxpayers subsidize food stamps recipients and public school getting organic produce is IMO obscene.
How many tax dollars were wasted determining that a chicken was a chicken?
Sort of related... Some lady at the grocery store was bitching about them not carrying “vegan butter”. I told her they did and it was called “margarine”. She said something about margarine having too much trans fat or something. I responded that I guess Vegan is just not that healthy then. And why in the hell would a vegan be interested in eating substitute meat like vegan bacon and vegan burgers anyway? It’s sort of like an ex-cannibal wanting something that tastes like human. ;-)
We raise our own chickens. FUBO.
But if it is not organic then it is missing its essential karmic aura...
Wha?
What I do want is actual food and not chemical compounds. So, I find myself reading labels and such. I don't have the land that I did previously to grow/produce my own food in the scale I used to be able to in the past. Sugar, water, and raspberries make a much better preserve than sugar, high fructose corn syrup, red number 5, TBHQ, BHT, sodium tripoisonate (Simpsons reference), and "artificial flavors."....but that's just me.
I can say that I was entirely against the "natural" and "organic" fad everyone seemed to be buying into and prided myself on my ability to eat crap.....the more unpronounceable ingredients the better. Then I decided I would try to buy actual food without all the ingredients (like I said, I don't care if it is "organic" just that it isn't better eating through chemistry.)
It was/is really frustrating trying to find food that didn't have all the extra stuff. (why does peanut butter need hydrogenated anything, or Ranch dressing need MSG?) Anyway, after about two to three weeks, I did notice I felt better and healthier overall. Now, if I eat stuff with a lot of the nonsense in it, it makes me sick. (McDonald's is the worst.
I've gotten to the point that I can find decent food that is the same, or near the same pric as foods I used to buy. But for things like beef, chicken, pork, and fresh produce? Who cares if it is "organic?" Or "fair trade?"
That said, my favorite is "free range" or "cage free" chicken/eggs. Chickens are some of the stupidest animals on earth. Their brain is smaller than your thumb.....they don't know the difference between a 2x2ft cage and a 100 acre farm. They get easily confused and return to the wrong nest (allowing their embryos to die) and if food is more than a dozen feet away while nesting, they will starve to death vice walking another foot or two.