Organic What?

Since 2005 Cal Dining has served students organic eggs, a fully organic salad bar, and organic peanut butter. But what does it mean to be Organic, and why should we care? After all, a banana is a banana is a banana, right? Wrong.

Organic means that the food you are consuming has been grown, or raised, without use of chemical pesticides, GMOs, or hormones, and with techniques that minimize environmental impact.

Pesticide use causes chemical seepage into groundwater, which pollutes water sources and harms wildlife. Many of these chemicals are also toxic to the human body; studies show that farmers who work on farms that use spray pesticides, and people who live close to these farms, experience higher rates of diseases including respiratory illnesses, birth defects, Parkinson’s disease, and cancer, especially among children.

Organic also means that farmers treat the animals humanely and do not administer them drugs or injected hormones.

By choosing organic over regular produce, you are creating demand for more eco-friendly practices. Keep in mind that not all organic products are created equal. For 100% organic, choose products that are certified organic.

Please visit these websites for more information about the debate:
Pesticide Action Network (PANNA): www.panna.org
For a list of the top twelve foods to eat Organic: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods
For FAQs about hormones in food: http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/Factsheet/Diet/fs37.hormones.cfm
Organic Consumers Association: http://www.organicconsumers.org/gelink.cfm
US Department of Agriculture: www.usda.org