Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

homestead - Re: [Homestead] Earth charity

homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Homestead mailing list

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Earth charity
  • Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:27:05 EST




> For instance: we buy eggs that are from free-range hens that are fed
> all organic feed and no antibiotics.

Both the benefits of the food choices outlined, health and environment, are
legitimate benefits of buying organic and free-range. I noted that Gene did
not say USDA Certified Organic or Certified Free-Range. And so it is true
enough that *actual* (as opposed to 'certified') organic food has those
benefits.

The wisdom of paying more to secure those benefits is in direct proportion
to the amount of certainty one has that the claims are true. As is well
known
in circles such as this, food labeling words are for sale to the highest
bidder and they rarely mean what the ordianry person means when using those
words.
The examples of 'vine ripe' and 'wheat bread' are well known. But did you
know what the term 'extra virgin olive oil' means? Does it not conjure up
the
image of the very first pressing of the olive berries and even that pressing
is very light (*extra* virgin). In fact, it means nothing of the sort. The
grades of olive oil are classified by their pH. The term 'extra virgin'
refers
to a certain range of acidity and that acidity can be achieved by any means
whatever from the olive oil being first pressing to adding baking soda to it
to
neutralize the excess acid. 'Extra virgin' olive oil CAN be made from the
spent hulls and seeds so long as the acidity fits the bought definition.

The bought and paid for terms 'organic' and 'free range' are the same. They
are meant, like all food labeling, to be deceptive. Eggs can be labeled
'free range' if the hens are kept in a completely enclosed metal building
with a
small concrete pad (like a dog kennel) where they could go for a few miniutes
a
day if they chose to. The term 'organic' contains enough loop holes that
even 30,000 acre agribusiness vegetable farms can qualify by making only a
few
minor adjustments in their practices.

That is, unless you persnally know the source of your food, you are guessing.
The extra money might be getting you healthier food and benefiting the
Earth, or it might not. With the proliferation of commercial agribusiness
organic
food producers, the odds are increadingly in the 'might not' category.

The first line of defense, of course, would be to grow your own. Baring
that, buy from the people who are actually growing it, people you know well
enough or are open enough for you to see that it is orgainic and free-range.
Only
if those fail, look to the label. And if you are stuck with relying on the
label, you are rolling the dice. </HTML>




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page