Becki Walker writes about food and crafts recipes. In this Fridays series, she examines the culture of farmers markets. Here she explains Certified Naturally Grown, an alternative to USDA Organic, and shopping on a budget using the food chain model and pesticide guides.
Over the course of the next few articles, I’ll be examining the farmers market. I’ll cover how to get to know your farmer, shop on a budget, and experiment with more “unique” fruits and vegetables. Before heading to the market, though, it’s important to know some of the terminology you’re likely to find there. Just what does organic certification mean? Are there alternatives? Which foods are most important to buy organically?
To be organically certified, a farm must be inspected by an agency approved by the US Department of Agriculture. Products that are 95 – 100% organic can display the organic seal on them. Products with at least 70% ingredients may state that they are “made with organic ingredients.” However, anything less than 70% organic cannot include the seal on its label.
Image: Flickr/Brian Bope. View more in our Twin Cities Sustainable City Pool.
We think of organic foods as those not treated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Unfortunately, some of the regulations have been twisted a bit. The 2006 agricultural appropriations bill was passed with a rider (an addendum to a bill) that stated 38 different conventional ingredients could be used in foods still labeled “organic.” These were mostly additives such as fish oil, chili pepper, sausage casings, and hops – so don’t worry about buying fruits and vegetables.
Furthermore, if you see food in a store that’s labeled “naturally grown” or “all-natural,” or anything like that, it doesn’t mean much of anything. Lots of companies are trying to capitalize on the recent popularity of all things “green,” and planting plenty of eco-sounding adjectives on products. Unless you see a seal or certification, caveat emptor, dear readers!
Organic certification can sometimes be difficult to obtain for small farmers. There are plenty of farmers out there practicing organic farming methods that cannot afford to be certified, or can’t achieve certification because of a technicality (for example, the land was previously farmed conventionally, and all the chemicals haven’t deteriorated). Fortunately, there are a couple of options for these farmers.
One of these alternative certifications is Certified Naturally Grown. According to the website, CNG is “a non-profit alternative certification tailored for small-scale, direct-market farmers using natural methods.” Though it is not affiliated with the USDA’s program, the certification standards are very similar; it’s just that farmers don’t have to pay high certification fees or complete mounds of paperwork. Each farm’s certification paperwork is online, and farmers have to submit tissue samples of their products for testing (which isn’t required by USDA standards). Farmers around the county make up a Farmers’ Advisory Committee and conduct the certification process, visiting each other’s farms to examine the on-site practices.
Minnesota is home to quite a few CNG-certified farms, which can be found here.
When you’re looking to buy organic on a budget, it’s important to perform a kind of triage. In this day and age, it’s hard to buy everything certified. A good rule of thumb is to think about the food chain. Animals hold a higher rank in the food chain than plants do, which means they’ve also had a chance to absorb more pesticide and fertilizer than an ear of corn. If you can only afford to buy a few things organic, stick to meat, dairy, and eggs (from chickens fed organic feed).
Beyond that, think about what the food looks like, and how much contact it’s likely to have had with chemicals. Bananas, oranges, and avocados can be peeled, but strawberries and peaches have plenty of tiny cracks where chemicals can hide. If you’d like to find out the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen” fruits and veggies, just click here for a wallet-sized guide you can print out and place in your wallet.
Shop smart, ecometro fans, and browse Blue Sky Guide for plenty of coupons for your favorite sustainable goodies. Check back next week, when we go to the market and find out how to make friends with the people growing our chow!
Sources:
Wikipedia Organic Certification
Naturally Grown
Find the farmers market nearest you using our directory.