Cooking
You probably already know Atkins Nutritionals Inc. maker of products for low-carb diets, has filed for bankruptcy. We all saw this coming, right? It was a fad, not a trend. But how about eating organic? Think it's a fad too? Think again.
Research firm AC Nielsen reported back in May that organic (along with the no/low-sugar segment) has proven much better able to sustain strong sales growth. Perhaps people are coming to the conclusion that organic is just plain better for the environment and for health. It is more expensive, but it's worth it to a lot of people. Given the choice, I think most people would prefer organic over conventional products if all things were equal, especially price.
Of course it seems not every one is a fan of organic eating. I thought there was a lot of hullabaloo about eating local but the New York Times Op-Ed piece by Julie Powell of Julie/Julia fame claiming that eating organic is "elitist" has been a lightning rod for many a food blogger. Frankly I don't care if people who eat organic are elitist or not. What I care about is that more demand for organic means more producers will be looking to meet that demand and ultimately that means better availability and better prices.
Recently I reviewed the book Cooking School Secrets and mentioned that the author included a list of fruits and vegetables most likely to contain pesticide residue. Research suggests that by substituting organic versions of these items, you can reduce up to 90% pesticide residue from your diet. Forget about trends or elitism, this is just a great idea. Some of the items on the list are only availably seasonally, so this shouldn't necessarily drive up your grocery budget that much.
Here is the list:
* Apples
* Bell Peppers
* Celery
* Cherries
* Grapes (imported)
* Nectarines
* Peaches
* Pears
* Potatoes
* Red Raspberries
* Spinach
* Strawberries
I hope you'll consider printing out a wallet guide and making the change to your diet.
- In Organic We Trust
In Organic We Trust trailer What do terms like “organic” and “natural” mean? Are they marketing terms or something more? The documentary “In Organic We Trust,” begins by taking a deeper dive into what the public thinks organic is all about...
- Shopping For The Hunger Challenge
I had a hard time deciding where to shop for a week of meals that were limited to $1 per person. I chose a big supermarket to try and buy a week's worth of food at one time. I don't know if someone on a budget would have the time and transportation...
- Is Organic As Good As It Gets?
An interesting thing happened when I wrote about Safeway introducing a line of organic products. Not everybody who read the announcement thought it was a good thing. Now Wal-Mart has made plans to introduce a line of organic products, with the goal of...
- The Organic Food Movement In Black And White
I'm a little late to the "dogpile on Julie Powell" party. She wrote an ill-informed op-ed piece for the New York Times condemning the elitist snobbery of the organic food movement (which she, like many, erroneously conflates with seasonal produce),...
- Organic Farming = Good
From Flaming Grasshopper, a summary of a report that shows how organic farming compared to industrial farming over a 22-year span. Presumably the report covers real organic farming as opposed to what now suffices for an organic label (not much, thanks...
Cooking
Organic Trend or Fad?
You probably already know Atkins Nutritionals Inc. maker of products for low-carb diets, has filed for bankruptcy. We all saw this coming, right? It was a fad, not a trend. But how about eating organic? Think it's a fad too? Think again.
Research firm AC Nielsen reported back in May that organic (along with the no/low-sugar segment) has proven much better able to sustain strong sales growth. Perhaps people are coming to the conclusion that organic is just plain better for the environment and for health. It is more expensive, but it's worth it to a lot of people. Given the choice, I think most people would prefer organic over conventional products if all things were equal, especially price.
Of course it seems not every one is a fan of organic eating. I thought there was a lot of hullabaloo about eating local but the New York Times Op-Ed piece by Julie Powell of Julie/Julia fame claiming that eating organic is "elitist" has been a lightning rod for many a food blogger. Frankly I don't care if people who eat organic are elitist or not. What I care about is that more demand for organic means more producers will be looking to meet that demand and ultimately that means better availability and better prices.
Recently I reviewed the book Cooking School Secrets and mentioned that the author included a list of fruits and vegetables most likely to contain pesticide residue. Research suggests that by substituting organic versions of these items, you can reduce up to 90% pesticide residue from your diet. Forget about trends or elitism, this is just a great idea. Some of the items on the list are only availably seasonally, so this shouldn't necessarily drive up your grocery budget that much.
Here is the list:
* Apples
* Bell Peppers
* Celery
* Cherries
* Grapes (imported)
* Nectarines
* Peaches
* Pears
* Potatoes
* Red Raspberries
* Spinach
* Strawberries
I hope you'll consider printing out a wallet guide and making the change to your diet.
- In Organic We Trust
In Organic We Trust trailer What do terms like “organic” and “natural” mean? Are they marketing terms or something more? The documentary “In Organic We Trust,” begins by taking a deeper dive into what the public thinks organic is all about...
- Shopping For The Hunger Challenge
I had a hard time deciding where to shop for a week of meals that were limited to $1 per person. I chose a big supermarket to try and buy a week's worth of food at one time. I don't know if someone on a budget would have the time and transportation...
- Is Organic As Good As It Gets?
An interesting thing happened when I wrote about Safeway introducing a line of organic products. Not everybody who read the announcement thought it was a good thing. Now Wal-Mart has made plans to introduce a line of organic products, with the goal of...
- The Organic Food Movement In Black And White
I'm a little late to the "dogpile on Julie Powell" party. She wrote an ill-informed op-ed piece for the New York Times condemning the elitist snobbery of the organic food movement (which she, like many, erroneously conflates with seasonal produce),...
- Organic Farming = Good
From Flaming Grasshopper, a summary of a report that shows how organic farming compared to industrial farming over a 22-year span. Presumably the report covers real organic farming as opposed to what now suffices for an organic label (not much, thanks...