Monday, February 8, 2010

"Big Organic"

In Chapter 8 of Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma¸ he takes the reader to a farm that is out of the ordinary in modern agriculture. Joel Salatin from the Polyface farm explains to Pollan how grass is the backbone of his farm. The animals that graze the pastures are able to convert the grass into beef, pork, turkey, eggs, and much more. What seems even more extraordinary is that the grass is not harmed from grazing, and can continue to be an essential part of the food chain. Pollan compares this system in which the animals graze and fertilize the grass with the industrial corn farms that we learned about earlier in the book. Although the Polyface farm is seemingly ideal, it is not certified organic. Joel the farmer shared his many opinions on the organic industry which led Pollan to further explore what it means to be organic. In chapter 9, the author explains how we can no longer think of the word “organic” as being as unquestionably wholesome as it used to be. Organic products can be found in the grocery store, tempting consumers with misleading labels. Pollan retraced the steps that the organic products took from the farm to the grocery store and found that the grocery stores have had to turn to industrialized farms to meet their demand, and that the local farm ideal that is presented is not anything close to what is truly happening. The chicken could hardly be “free range”, but people buy it anyway. He explains the origins of the organic movement and how it was viewed when it first started compared to what it is today. He also takes an in-depth look at Earthbound, a large organic produce company, which does its best to be mindful of the environment despite its large scale, but still raises the question if organic is really the best choice to make.
This reading made me wonder how much of what we read on our food labels is true. What does organic really mean? The manager of a local CSA told me that her farm followed the guidelines of organic farming, but that the work involved in becoming certified organic was too expensive and time consuming. I also would like to know if people only buy organic because it makes them feel better about their purchases, or if it is because “organic” just become a popular fad. Is there an easier way than investigative journalism for consumers to find out more about where their food really comes from?

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