Is Organic Food Really Better? Deconstructing the Myth

Introduction: Questioning the Organic Ideal

The media has long counseled us that organic food must be better for us than food cultivated by other methods. After all, we have been taught to believe that natural is better. A work colleague of mine is devoted to buying "all organic," and every morsel of food she brings to the office is organic — from the orange juice she drinks to the mustard she puts on her organic veggie burgers eaten on organic whole wheat bread. However, I remain unconvinced of the inherent value of organic products, either for the environment or for human health. Eating a healthy diet that leaves a small carbon footprint is more important to me than simply buying organic. In other words, oranges may be good for you, but organic oranges are not necessarily better.

Local Sourcing vs. Organic Certification

Consider the issue of "organic" produce: an organic orange, even though it is grown without chemicals, might be shipped in from far away. Growing crops without pesticides and artificial fertilizers can be expensive, and sometimes only very large farms can accomplish this task. It is not better for the environment if people eat fruits and vegetables that are shipped long distances. Buying produce from a local farmer causes less damage to the environment, because it involves less burning of fossil fuels for transport.

Buying locally also ensures that the customer knows what the farming practices actually are. A shopper can speak directly to the individual selling the produce — or, even when buying local produce at a supermarket, the consumer can have confidence that the store buyer knows the provider personally. A Pathmark in New Jersey buying tomatoes from a New Jersey farm is a transparent and accountable transaction in a way that a distant organic supplier cannot be.

Buying locally also makes it easier to avoid the kind of safety scares that occur with large-scale operations. The 2006 spinach E. coli outbreak, in which California-grown spinach became contaminated after being irrigated with water tainted by human waste, is a telling example. The spinach was organic — but it was grown by a large, commercial operation with no ties to a local community and no particular sense of responsibility to nearby consumers.

Food Safety and the Limits of Organic Standards

The spinach outbreak illustrates an important limitation of organic certification. While organic produce is not supposed to be fertilized with human waste, the irrigation water in that case was contaminated from an outside source, and there were no protections in place to guard against infection. Such contamination could also occur through rainwater or other environmental pathways. Once an outside contaminant enters the system, organic status offers no special protection.

A large commercial organic farm may follow every required protocol and still be vulnerable to environmental contamination that a smaller, locally accountable farm might detect or avoid more readily. The organic label, in other words, certifies a set of inputs — no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers — but it cannot certify the broader environmental conditions surrounding a farm.

Conclusion: Beyond the Organic Label

Organic food, now available at Walmart as well as local health stores, is currently fashionable. But improving the planet and this generation's state of health will take much more than buying organic, and going organic may not be the answer at all. Reducing the consumption of meat, eating with the seasons to lower food costs and improve food quality, and making more thoughtful food choices overall are far more promising paths forward. Organic is a label. Being environmentally conscious is a lifestyle.