THE CHOICE FOR LOCAL & ORGANIC FOOD, BY KIM NIXON

Back when I worked in the produce department, at the Marquette Food Cooperative, it wasn’t commonplace for chain grocery stores to have a good offering of organic foods and outside of work, many people would ask how I could afford organic and was there really a difference. “Try the banana test,” I would challenge. “Come to the co-op and buy organic bananas and then a commercially produced banana from your favorite supermarket, see which one tastes better. I know what makes my taste buds come alive!” In my opinion, it is precisely that down-home flavor of nutrient-rich foods that keep people coming back to organic, even when budgets tighten.

It could be a health concern, allergies, or ethics that first lead you to choose organics. Raised in downstate Michigan, our family would take the leisurely Sunday drive and buy produce from roadside stands. Biting into a tomato from the garden or yanking a carrot and washing it off under the hose are strong childhood memories that primed my taste buds for satisfaction. But what is better for us: certified organic, sustainably-raised, or local-farmed? Today’s choices are endless and it requires us to make educated choices for our kitchen table.

Consider the location of the source of your food also. When buying local from a food cooperative, community supported agriculture (CSA) farm, local store, or farmer’s market, your choice has added benefit to the community. Buying locally increases economic health by keeping more money within your community and reducing energy consumption by cutting the transportation and storage cost. Consider Marquette’s Farmer’s Market held in The Commons seasonally. The produce arrives fresh and nutritional value has not declined during transport.

Organic refers to the way agricultural products are grown and processed. It is centered on farming practices that rely on a healthy soil to produce strong, pest- and disease-resistant plants. Organic farming prohibits the use of toxic chemicals in favor of more earth-friendly practices. In the case of livestock, antibiotics are prohibited, opting instead for preventative measures for keeping animals healthy and productive. Organic production also prohibits the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s). Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation to maintain the integrity of the food.

To be labeled “certified organic” the item has to be grown according to federal government standards for both production and processing. Certification includes inspections of farm fields, processing facilities, record keeping, and periodic testing of soil and water to ensure that growers and handlers are meeting standards.

Local store owner Tom Brian brought Farmer Q’s to Marquette and shares his background of working with such companies as Eden Foods, Cherry Republic, Northern Organics, and Food For Thought, as well as the Global Organic Alliance.

Tom comments that “Organic foods are growing and expanding each year. My hope is that the consumer is accurately educated in how and why some foods are organic.”

Many of the farmers in the Upper Peninsula are practicing sustainable agriculture, a method of agriculture that is “healthy for consumers and animals, does not harm the environment, is humane for workers, respects animals, provides a fair wage to the farmer, and supports and enhances rural communities.” (Source: ww.sustainabletable.org)

Jeff Hatfield & Jeff Chiodi, farmers at Seeds and Spores, located south of Marquette on the banks of the Chocolay River, have a diverse operation consisting of fields, pastures, woods, swamps, ponds, and meadows. They grow vegetables, shiitake mushrooms and ginseng. Livestock consists of laying hens, Scottish Highland cattle, pigs and turkeys and boarded horses.

“All of our produce and livestock are raised using only natural and authentic farming techniques. We are creating a living, mineralized soil to grow healthy plants to nourish healthy people. Pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, or growth hormones are never used on our farm,” share Hatfield and Chiodi.

When you buy locally produced foods, be they organic or sustainably-raised, you are protecting farm workers and their families, increasing the biodiversity of soil, saving small farms, buying nutrient-rich foods, setting higher humane and animal standards and protecting those with compromised immune systems who are most vulnerable to the pesticides in our food, soil and water.

Try ranking your priorities before shopping. Are you concerned with pesticides, hormones and antibiotics in your foods? Maybe it is how far that food traveled to get to your table or whether your meat and eggs are pasture-raised.

Personally, I try to consider my daily intake of produce. What is most prevalent in my diet? For instance, I eat apples everyday and they fall into a category of high pesticide residue. I know my local farmers and feel comfortable asking questions on growth and production.

Remember, this process of choosing food is connecting you to a movement that is improving lives, globally and locally, no matter whether you chose certified organic, sustainable or locally grown foods.

Adapted with permission from Why Buy Local & Organic in the Spring 2008 issue of Health & Happiness U.P. Magazine. All rights reserved.

Kim is a licensed massage therapist and yoga teacher who is inspired by the body’s need for renewal and balance. Learn more at https://essentialsmassageandyoga.com/