"organic foods" news and stories

Stroll the aisles at your local natural foods store. Notice anything? Along with the sandalwood scent and fair-trade coffee comes higher prices, especially for organic produce. When you stop to think about it, it might seem kind of odd; after all, organic farmers don't use all those conventional chemicals and fertilizers, so there would seem to be a lower overhead. Right?

Turns out it's not that simple. Citing a University of Wisconsin study, The Seattle Times points out that there are many factors contributing to the higher price of organic produce -- including start-up costs (converting land from conventional farming to certified organic takes three full years), rotation farming (to maximize natural fertilization), and hands-on cultivation (as a means of pest control). It all results in more work for a lower yield, meaning lower profits for the farmer -- and higher prices in the natural foods aisle.

So why bother eating organic? The two biggest reasons: fewer pesticides and (potentially) more nutrients. A 2007 study funded by the European Union showed that organic fruits and vegetables can contain up to 40 percent more antioxidants than their conventionally grown brethren. (Even more astounding, organic milk had a whopping 60 percent more antioxidants and essential fatty acids than conventional milk.) In some cases organic foods don't show any extra nutritional benefit (as Time recently reported), but the environmental benefit still remains.

The Big Springs region of the Missouri Ozarks has been designated as one of the "Last Great Places" by the Nature Conservancy, thanks in no small part to people like Nicola MacPherson. As owner of Ozark Forest Mushrooms, she's doing her part to preserve the unique ecology of the region while at the same time bringing its best culinary offerings to the masses. Her operation, run from a family-owned farm located along a picturesque, limestone ridge detour of Sinking Creek, grows shiitakes as nature intended: on logs, in the forest.

Read more about Ms. MacPherson's adventures in fungal farming after the jump.

Is an organic apple worth the extra cost? Do you need to worry about pesticides when buying pineapples?

A new cheat-sheet will help you figure out which produce is pesticide-residue prone and should be bought organic and which are safe to buy from conventional growers, Lifehacker.com reported.

There are 12 foods on the list that are better off organic, if you're concerned about pesticides (it turns out apples are among the high-pesticide offenders). There is also a list of the "clean fifteen" -- foods with the lowest pesticide residue counts.

You seek out organics at the grocery store, and often pay for the privilege. But is what you're buying really organic? Official organic standards have been in place in this country since 2002, but according to an investigation by the United States Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General earlier this month, that bag of organic salad mix you tossed into your cart last week might not even meet basic federal standards. The problem? The Feds simply aren't enforcing their own rules.

It's the job of the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) to oversee organic products (ensuring they meet organic standards and carry correct labeling), but the OIG discovered major failings. One of the worst? Organic laws call for periodic residue testing, but no testing program exists. (This boggles the mind, no?)

From the OIG report: "None of the four certifying agents we visited conducted periodic residue testing of the approximately 5,000 certified operations for which they were responsible, and there is no assurance that certifying agents performed regular periodic testing at any of the approximately 28,000 certified organic operations worldwide. Without such testing, the potential exists that an operation's products may contain substances that are prohibited for use in organic products."

The life of a golden beet isn't really a very glamorous one. We don't get out very much, we tend to be a bit grubby and we've got this embarrassing dry skin problem.

So imagine how surprised I was to find out that I've somehow become a symbol of everything that's wrong with food these days; according to this funny lady Carla Spartos, I'm nothing less than a nightstick in the hands of the food police, the so-called "Gourmonsters" who are trying to bully us all into eating our vegetables and threatening to steal our Ho Hos.

While I appreciate the shout-out -- it's nice to know that Alice Waters wants to dress me up in a fancy vinaigrette -- I've got to say that all of the attention seems a little misplaced.

Read why after the jump.