Help me navigate the "natural food" aisle

[Youngfrankenstein]

I am somewhat understanding of organic and natural foods. I realize that an organic label means certain things and that natural is a bit more of a nebulous term.

I will try to boil this down into specific questions:

1. How do I find out where my store brand organics and naturals (dairy, meat, and eggs) come from? For example, they sell regular meat that's labeled that the cows weren't given hormones. They also sell organic milk. I am concerned about humane production so I could buy the Stoneyfield organic milk...Does organic milk automatically make it good animal conditions? I wonder about this with eggs, also. I can buy store brand organic eggs or cage free eggs that aren't labeled organic....any thoughts?

2. I can buy organic chicken (Bell & Evans) and certain Coleman meats (sausages and bacon) but the other things in the meat case I have no clue other than country of origin. They sell "natural" meats but I don't know what their standard is.

3. Are there local companies that could be producing products I want that aren't "advertising" that while they may not be certified organic, they have high standards? There are many brands of local butter....can I investigate and find out how the company does things. The price difference can be huge.

I am willing to pay more for better food, but I might be missing stuff right under my nose that could save a few pennies.

Sorry this is long....I know the ideas about what we want to eat, but it's hard to the whole picture and practicallity of it.

[laohaire]

Originally Posted by Youngfrankenstein

1. How do I find out where my store brand organics and naturals (dairy, meat, and eggs) come from? For example, they sell regular meat that's labeled that the cows weren't given hormones. They also sell organic milk. I am concerned about humane production so I could buy the Stoneyfield organic milk...Does organic milk automatically make it good animal conditions? I wonder about this with eggs, also. I can buy store brand organic eggs or cage free eggs that aren't labeled organic....any thoughts?

The very best way to know about the conditions of the milk, eggs and meat is to buy it locally directly from the farmer. Check out www.localharvest.org and www.eatwild.com for local sources. Organic milk does not automatically mean the cows are humanely handled. Even "cage free eggs" are not humane, those labelled such at the grocery store are, yes, technically cage-free (to get the label) but incredibly overcrowded and live stressful lives. To gain the label of "free range" the government allows that all that has to happen is the door to be open 5 minutes a day (I'm serious, not exaggerating).

I buy my milk, eggs and meat from my local farmers and I know exactly the conditions of the animals. And I'm also very happy with it.

I think organic is very important, but there are two kinds of organic. One is factory farm organic, which follows the government regulations for organic and absolutely no more. The point is to be able to slap the organic label on the food for a premium. The other kind is the sustainable farming kind, where the farmers are mindfully applying practices (crop rotation, ecosystem preservation, soil building, etc.) because it's the right thing to do. There is a pretty big gulf between the quality and effectiveness of those two types of organic producers. Buying locally means you know exactly what kind of farmer you're working with.

Originally Posted by Youngfrankenstein

2. I can buy organic chicken (Bell & Evans) and certain Coleman meats (sausages and bacon) but the other things in the meat case I have no clue other than country of origin. They sell "natural" meats but I don't know what their standard is.

Natural doesn't mean anything at all.

Originally Posted by Youngfrankenstein

3. Are there local companies that could be producing products I want that aren't "advertising" that while they may not be certified organic, they have high standards? There are many brands of local butter....can I investigate and find out how the company does things. The price difference can be huge.

Yes. Some practicing organic farms choose not to certify organic for any number of reasons. The certification process can sometimes be ridiculous, and meeting standards can be expensive without actually changing how organic the food actually is. (This is due to industrial farm lobbyists who know how to shut out smaller producers). Also, many more farms are not totally organic but very close to it - applying spray mindfully only as they deem needed. You decide how important it is to you, but for example I have chosen to buy non-organic (but low-spray) local apples than buy apples shipped from New Zealand labelled organic but I don't really know anything about.

How to investigate? Visit or call up the farm and ask. Go to the farmer's markets and ask them. "Is this organic?" They will either say yes or explain their reasoning if it's not. If it doesn't sound good you move on. More farms these days are also putting up websites, so you can glean a lot by what they say - or don't say.

Originally Posted by Youngfrankenstein

I am willing to pay more for better food, but I might be missing stuff right under my nose that could save a few pennies.

Yes!! With this attitude you WILL find what you are looking for. When the farmer's market opens in spring (or maybe it still is for you, I don't know where you are) you can buy the highest quality food. You might pay a bit more in some cases, and in other cases you won't pay any more than the conventional produce at the grocery store!

Each year I seem to get a specific score, last year I got a huge box of canning tomatoes, $10 for the entire HUGE box that I needed my DH to carry for me. The tomatoes were nearly perfect but had some small blemish somewhere that was too easy to just cut off. And tomatoes are expensive. I feasted on tomatoes and dried the rest (I'm not up to canning yet) and ate the sundried tomatoes through December. (I'm all out now, sigh). $10. Also last fall a farm culled some of its older laying hens. $2/pound for organic chicken. They were stew chickens, not roasters, but I am here to tell you that was some tasty chicken all the same. Eggs are a lot more expensive locally, but when you crack one open and see the orange yolk you will know why. A good deal for how it feeds your body (and for me, I don't get a knot in my stomach thinking about how the birds are treated - instead I have happy memories of seeing my 4 year old chase around these very same happy chickens in the sunshine and fresh air, smelling sweet clover grass, the very day I bought the eggs).

[Youngfrankenstein]

Thanks for the help! We belong to a CSA in the spring and summer but it's snowy here now! I have a few leads on local meat farms and will check out those links.

Have you had any honesty or success by simply calling companies? I might try it. Do you think I'd get straight answers for my grocery store chain about what "natural" meat means to them? I guess it's worth a try.

DH and I are looking into local grass fed beef. Are you saying that an organic chicken may not be a guarantee of any humane conditions? That's good to know.

[laohaire]

Originally Posted by Youngfrankenstein

Thanks for the help! We belong to a CSA in the spring and summer but it's snowy here now! I have a few leads on local meat farms and will check out those links.

That's awesome! My CSA runs through the winter, too. We're in MA but we eat out of their root cellar all winter. They also grow a few greens like spinach and kale in cold frames.

Originally Posted by Youngfrankenstein

Have you had any honesty or success by simply calling companies? I might try it. Do you think I'd get straight answers for my grocery store chain about what "natural" meat means to them? I guess it's worth a try.

Honestly I've never called a company, I always go to the website first and check it out (I know not all farms have one, but I have been lucky so far), and then ask questions face to face. It's certainly worth a try. Do you know what questions to ask?

About "natural" - there is a USDA regulation, but I don't consider it very meaningful.

According to the USDA, food can only be labeled natural if it contains no artificial ingredients or added colors and is minimally processed. Furthermore, the label must clearly spell this definition out, so that consumers are not misled by the “natural” label. Although this label is an important step in the right direction, many consumers are more concerned about what the natural label does not mean.

For example, animal products raised with the use of artificial hormones can be labeled natural. So can genetically modified organisms. Most importantly, natural does not mean organic, although many companies would like consumers to think it does.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-na...label-mean.htm

Originally Posted by Youngfrankenstein

DH and I are looking into local grass fed beef. Are you saying that an organic chicken may not be a guarantee of any humane conditions? That's good to know.

No, organic chicken is not in any way a guarantee or even implication of humane living conditions. It only means they are fed organic feed.

If humane conditions are important to you (and they are to me), you want organic, pastured chickens. Those chickens are truly free-range in the sense that you and I would mean (and not the USDA's "5 minutes open door a day" sense) and have access to their natural food (insects, worms, etc.) in addition to organic grain that supplements their diets. These chickens are exposed to sunlight and grass, and are given adequate space. They are usually rotated in pasture though some unusual farms may not strictly rotate but simply give them the run of the farm (I know one farm does that). If they are not rotated or given an insane amount of space, they will turn the grass into dirt with their scratching (which then reduces their insect food source), and, worse, their droppings will saturate the ground and they'll be walking around in their own poop. Well managed flocks will be moved often enough (usually, weekly) that their poop fertilizes the soil but does not saturate it, and encourages the growth of the grass.

I'd also venture to say that it's not nearly as good if a farm only does chicken. It's fine if they specialize in chicken, but if they only do chicken, they are not likely understanding or applying the principles of sustainable farming practices. Rotating animals with different grazing habits forms a perfect ecosystem where each species supports the next. One species eats the tops of the grass, then the next eats the bulk of the grass. (Cows, sheep, etc.). Then put the chickens out on that pasture, and they will get there just in time to eat the bugs that newly hatched out of the cow patties. They will spread their own valuable manure, and the grass grows again, strong.

Anyway, that's detailed, but I'm just saying that if you hear the words "we rotate cows, sheep and chickens on pasture," those are the bingo words.

You're not likely to hear that from a company that sells to the grocery store chains though. And that's ok, I'm not telling you that you have to stop shopping there, but if you are looking for the ideal, humane, organic meat (and it sounds like you are), then if you hear about rotational grazing and all that, you have found it.

[Youngfrankenstein]

Thanks again. I used a link you posted a found a farm not too far that says they are just adding hogs and beef this year. It will be worth a trip down there.

[artemis33]

Good for you for giving this thought!


Laohaire covered my sentiments on the matter very well.


It doesn't sound like this is an issue for you in particular, but just remember there is still plenty of heavily processed "organic" junk food out there! So just an organic label doesn't guarantee it is healthy food.