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Health & Fitness

Three Ways to Get Organic Foods

One of the most common challenges of eating fresh, organic food is locating it.  Part and parcel with this challenge is ensuring what you are getting really is organic.  Here are three tips to help you in your search.

1.  Use a Map

Try sites like http://www.eatwellguide.org.  Type “organic” into the search bar and you will come up not only with lists of markets, but of bed and breakfasts, bakers, coffee shops, restaurants, wineries and more.  Use caution, however.  Some vendors’ idea of organic does not match the USDA’s.  Remember, the USDA defines organic food as being “…produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.  Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.”

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2.  Check out CSA’s

A CSA is a partnership of mutual commitment between a farm and a community of supporters which provides a direct link between the production and consumption of food. Supporters cover a portion of the farm operating budget by purchasing a share of the season’s harvest. CSA’s can be identified online through sites such as Local Harvest.

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CSA’s run in various ways, from the buyer making trips to the farm to collect a set product, to farmers mixing and matching products and distributing in a public place.  Some CSA’s such as Wintergreen Organics and Naturals in Northern Virginia deliver organic food right to your door.

3.  Check Grocery Stores and Farmers Markets

Under the USDA’s National Organic Program, farmers who market their product as “organic” must be certified by a USDA-accredited third party and keep detailed records regarding their farming practices. If growers earn under $5,000 a year, they must keep records to prove they are organic but do not have to go through the certifying process.

Certain grocery stores, such as Whole Foods Market, have been certified as organic; however, the onus is on you to check that the products are locally grown if you want freshness.

While regular grocery stores might carry organic products, the stores themselves are probably not certified organic, and products might not be local, which means they are not as fresh.

Farmers’ markets can be great sources of organic foods, but, if there is no certification, there is no guarantee the food is organic unless the seller can provide proof.  A certificate makes things easier, but if there is no certificate on site, you can try talking to the seller.  Ask where the farm is located.  Ask how pests are controlled, how animals are fed, etc.  If pesticides, chemical food additives or other unnatural practices are part of the farming process, or if food is being shipped from out-of-state, it’s probably best to stay away.

Katherine Gotthardt, writer for Wintergreen Organics & Naturals


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