Why “eat local” Organic?
I know you. You’re comfortable, used to a routine life and if you’re like most human beings, you’re reluctant to change. Changing old habits can be very difficult. Many years ago locally grown organic food was the food that was available to consumers, it was simply the way it was before globalism, before the grocery business became big business.
Now we have a food industry that is marked by GMO’s, imported foods grown by farmers we do not know or cannot connect with, and the need for the farmer to produce one food at a low cost. In order for this to happen the farmer needs to use more chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides to grow and manage large fields that maybe one human hand touches.
Organic fields need many hands to grow food without the use of chemicals, non-organic fertilizers and definitely no harsh pesticides. Sometimes the pests are removed by hand thus eliminating the use of pesticides completely.
Growing organic simply means “maintaining a living soil with a diverse population of micro and macro soil organisms.” This means to feed the soil, not the plant, by way of compost, green manures and animal manure. Taking care of the soil also means less tilling, which disturbs the soil structure, and can decrease the need for nitrogen. We need to create an environment to sustainably grow the most nutritious food.
Let’s not forget about the bee’s, which we so desperately need to pollinate fields, fruit trees and a healthy eco-system. The time for us to embrace smaller, local organic farms is now. Please click on the bee image to get to know what is happening locally to our bees, we need to make changes now.
Look for labels that let you know the foods/food products are USDA approved, United States Department of Agriculture or Canada Organic/Biologique Canada approved. This is a good place to start identifying and sourcing organic food. We have local farmers all around us growing organically. You probably do, too.
Get to know more about these organizations by clicking on the images provided.
Here are the symbols found on Organic foods that have been approved by these two organizations, the foods that we see on our shelves in the organic section of our grocery stores.
There is so much more to do when protecting the validity of an Organic product and what matters is that we are moving forward with educating the consumer-me and you, and that there is constant movement in the growth of the Organic food sector. Backing products like this will improve the quality of our food, especially for our kids.
What drives the need for non-Organic food production???New, (however I say we have always known) studies show pesticide residue in kids decreases when they eat organic produce, as seen on CTV. We now know how important organic food is for our families. Simply, the old ways of chemical farming and mass production will not solve the world’s food issues. I see hundreds and thousands of families around the globe still with no food to eat. Chemical farming, GMO’s and mass production did not save them and it is doing serious damage our soil, water and eco-systems. Growing organic food locally is the solution for all of us. The reality is organic farming takes care of the soil that grows the food for us. Without healthy soil we will not be able to grow and produce healthy nutritious foods today or for tomorrow.
GMO’s are creating a lot controversy globally. Who needs them? None of us do. There have been many studies that link GMO foods to food allergies, food sensitivities and gastro-intestinal issues. Who wants foods that need excess chemicals to grow, a plant that needs to be fed, because the soil is dead?
We are a generation of foodies, many of us are interested in cooking again and are now looking at the raw whole foods – the way it was raised and or produced. Free-range, free-run, pastured are all indications that the food is being grown and the animals are being raised with care. Many of us are looking for alternative ways to have access to locally grown and organically grown foods by way of buying directly off the farm, farmers’ markets and shopping at grocery stores like Whole Foods and Harmony Whole foods, our local grocery store that supports organic food.
Local Organic vs. Imported Organic…
Many of us turn to imported Organic food because we are short organic growers here. This has a negative impact on our local farmers, our local organic famers and our over all economy. Once the money we spend leaves the country, it rarely comes back, never mind the heavy carbon footprint that comes with importing food around the globe. If we choose to support the need for organic food production, we then choose to support local organic farms to thrive and have a place in our community. The solution is simple, sustainable, ecological and humane. Local organic.
Get to know more about food and our carbon footprints left behind by how and what we eat!
Love the food you eat, the soil it is grown on, the water that helps the food grow and most importantly all those little micro-organisms and pollinators ie bees. We would not have nutritious food without them.
I know it can be challenging for a family to eat better food by choosing to eat organic never mind local organic, and I am not saying you should change everything today. Try a little at a time, anorganic chicken, locally grown and organic peppers, buy what you can afford and you will taste the difference.
It has taken over 50 years to loose such a dynamic food system and will take time to revive again and become what was once mainstream. Together we can invest in our families health and our ecosystems by switching over to organic and locally grown and produced foods.
