However, meat is one thing that I am going to buy local and grass fed if I can. After I move and get settled, I want to buy a quarter steer to get high quality beef. I would choose grass fed beef and milk over organic produce as the better choice of my food dollars.

If it turns out that pesticides have health benefits or more pesticides aren’t necessarily bad for you, then I’d say it doesn’t matter. I don’t know of any research on either of those, so I feel comfortable by taking the leap of organic foods = fewer pesticides = healthier.

@deepali, Money Magazine says that “Whole Foods offers only a limited supply of local produce.” I don’t know how researched their article is, but putting it out there that they might not source most of their produce locally.

The other appeal that organic has is that the waste is less toxic too. I don’t have to worry about arsenic in the chicken feed (fine for chickens, not so good in my drinking water!). This type of production is virtually unregulated.

But I don’t think “organic” is enough. USDA regulations are stringent, but not monitored. Anyone can slap an organic sticker on their products and it’s up to a watchdog org to find them out.

There’s a saying in ag work – “know your farmer”. Best and healthiest bet is to go to your local producer. He’s generally organic (but too small to certify) and you are always welcome to take a trip out there to see for yourself.

And @ Ryan – Whole Foods does not actually gouge. If you want organic produce, they have some of the cheapest around (I did a pricing analysis project on this). The other thing WF has is trust – they verify the standards of their suppliers. They are also very responsive to consumers. My Whole Foods sources most of their produce locally too.

But we all know that money is an issue eventually. The vagaries of mom’s insurance and her savings will have a huge impact, not just on her but on the entire family.

I think people that say that you can’t put a price on health might not be looking at the long term. What if L is right and expensive organic food isn’t giving us the health benefit that we think? Wouldn’t savings now possibly lead to getting a life-saving specialist when there’s a problem down the road?

Here’s a link from the Mayo Clinic that asks the question if organic is healthy and essentially answers no: Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?

I do agree that steering clear of chemicals as much as possible is a good idea, but avoiding all is impossible.

I agree with Ryan about the whole foods comment. Not enough people are educated on the benefits of a holistic approach to nutrition. The more processed something is, typically the worse off the product turns out as far as nutrition is concerned.

Doing research about individual products being deemed organic is probably the best thing to do. Some things will make more sense than others. Some products to be called organic don’t really have to pass very strict standards compared to the non-organic product.

I also agree that there isn’t a price to be put on health.

Thalidomide was pronounced “safe”, and lok what happened there.

The only downside (if you can call it that) is that you don’t get to pick what you get–they send whatever they’re harvesting that week. My girlfriend and I eat anything, though, so we actually love it. It makes meal-planning surround finding recipes for new vegetables instead of whatever frozen meat we happened to pull out that morning.

L: I realize this is a controversial statement. I was referring to pesticides. I can cite this comment from WebMD:
“If you’re talking about pesticides, the evidence is pretty conclusive.” – John Reganold, professor of soil science at Washington State University. That is good enough evidence for lay person like me.

I haven’t seen any conclusive studies that washing removes all pesticides, but if someone can show me a good one, I’ll put an update in the article.

There are, however, ways to eat organic and not feel like a slave to these high end chain grocers.

1. We buy all of our protien and dairy from a farm buying club. The prices are higher than your average grocery store, but much more reasonable than from an organic chain grocer.

2. In season, farmers markets have some great organic options. What I love about the market is the ability to negotiate. great prices can be had on Sunday afternoon when it’s time for farmers to start thinking about selling off surplus for cheap vs. having to scrap spoiled produce.

3. Believe it or not, Target is ofering more and more organic options. As usual, thier prices are better than the Whole Foods types.

4. Knowing which foods are most affected by pesticides is a good tool. As your article says, some fruits and many vegetables are not affected as much.

5. Avoid the exotic and out of season produce. Eat organic banannas at $.59/lb rather than Kiwis or Cumquats at $6.99. Some produce is more radily avaliable as organic and supply and demand pricing will follow.

6. Eat better foods in smaller portions. You’ll feel better, look better and have more $ left in your pocket.

7. Worry less about organics and more about ‘whole foods’. Whole grains, foods high in water content, nutrient and antioxidant rich, probiotic cultures and lean meats. Stay away from fats other than unsalted butter and olive oil, processed grains and sugars. They are much more likely to affect your health than a non organic vegetable.

8. Never put a price on health. Just because that ‘extra value meal’ is $2 is no reason to feel good about eating it. Save money elsewhere. Your gas guzzling SUV won’t be there for the birth of your grandchildren. Will you?

Here’s a good chart outlining who owns who in organics:

http://www.edenfoods.com/articles/view.php?articles_id=109