Local vs. Organic
By Veronica Sliva
We all want what is best for our family
and what is best for the planet too. Eating organic and local foods help
us achieve these goals. Is one better than the other? It depends. Let’s
take a look…
What does eating local mean?
Eating locally means consuming food grown near where you live. The best time to eat fruit and vegetables harvested in our northern climate is in late summer and early fall. But, even in winter, locally grown apples, cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, turnips, squash are available.
Why eat locally?
It’s
Fresher: Locally grown food doesn’t have far to go from the farm to
your table. Because it is fresher, it retains more nutrients than food
that travels hundreds or thousands of miles for days or weeks before
ending up on your plate.
Taste: Vegetables and fruits destined
to travel long distances are bred to withstand shipping and a longer
shelf life. Flavour is ultimately sacrificed. Produce intended for local
consumption doesn’t have to stand up to excessive handling and shipping
and these varieties are bred for taste. Tomatoes are a good example.
Imported tomatoes are picked and shipped while green and under ripe, and
are usually tasteless. Locally grown tomatoes naturally ripen on the
vine and are juicy and full of flavour.
Protect your family’s
health: Products that endure lengthy travel and storage times often
depend on preservatives and additives. The more handling and shipping
involved, the more opportunity for contamination exists. Knowing where
your food comes from and how it is grown or raised helps you avoid or
reduce harmful chemicals, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics.
Protect
the environment: Long distance travel requires more packaging,
refrigeration and fuel, and generates waste and pollution. Locally
produced food doesn’t travel far. Lower carbon dioxide emissions, as
well as less packing materials is kinder to the environment.
Feed
the Local Economy: To survive financially, many farmers must become
part of a complex food marketing chain. In the process, the relationship
between farmers and consumers is lost. When you buy locally, money
stays in your community and is cycled through the economy to create jobs
and support local farmers.
Save Money: Local food often costs
less than the equivalent imported food due to lower transportation costs
and fewer middlemen involved.
What Does Eating Organic Mean?
When we think about eating organic foods, mostly we think in terms of what is not allowed. Organic foods are grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Processed organic foods do not contain chemical preservatives or synthetic additives such as food colouring.
Why Eat Organic?
Reduced
Health Risks: Chemicals designed to kill unwanted pests can also be
harmful to humans. The best way to reduce your exposure to potentially
harmful pesticides is to eat organically grown food.
It's
healthy: On average, organic food contains higher levels of vitamin C
and essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and chromium as
well as cancer-fighting antioxidants.
Great Taste: Many chefs prefer to use organic ingredients whenever possible and with good reason.
They
simply taste better. Organic food is produced at its own rhythm
acquiring nutritional elements from the soil at a natural rate, which
helps to make them very tasty.
Save the Soil: Conventional
farming methods involve growing only one crop season after season in the
same plot of land. This method quickly depletes the nutrients in the
soil. Organic farmers use crop rotation to ensure that soil nutrients
depleted by one crop are replenished by another. Crops grown in rich,
fertile soils higher nutritional value (vitamin C, phosphorus, iron, and
magnesium)
The Verdict?
Buying locally grown, organic foods is the obvious best choice. But, if locally grown organic foods are not available, it is better to eat conventionally grown local produce than not at all.
The safest non-organically grown produce with the lowest level of pesticides are asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, kiwi, mango, onions, papayas, peas and pineapples.
Non-organically grown produce with the highest levels of pesticides are apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes and raspberries. Choose organic as often as possible if you are going to eat these foods.
For resources on where to buy organic check out ‘Canadian Organic Growers’.
What does eating local mean?
Eating locally means consuming food grown near where you live. The best time to eat fruit and vegetables harvested in our northern climate is in late summer and early fall. But, even in winter, locally grown apples, cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, turnips, squash are available.
Why eat locally?
What Does Eating Organic Mean?
When we think about eating organic foods, mostly we think in terms of what is not allowed. Organic foods are grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Processed organic foods do not contain chemical preservatives or synthetic additives such as food colouring.
Why Eat Organic?
The Verdict?
Buying locally grown, organic foods is the obvious best choice. But, if locally grown organic foods are not available, it is better to eat conventionally grown local produce than not at all.
The safest non-organically grown produce with the lowest level of pesticides are asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, kiwi, mango, onions, papayas, peas and pineapples.
Non-organically grown produce with the highest levels of pesticides are apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes and raspberries. Choose organic as often as possible if you are going to eat these foods.
For resources on where to buy organic check out ‘Canadian Organic Growers’.
